To say no to 16year olds flying alone

My son was flying on his own well before that age. If they are used to traveling then with two of them, they wil be fine. Make sure they have any relevant written permissions and let them go.

They will be fine. They are sixteen, don’t baby them.

My ex feels they are more than capable and I'm 'restricting their growth'

I think he’s right. They’re two 16-year-olds who are used to flying. There is absolutely no problem whatsoever with them getting on a plane.

You don't need a US passport to go on holiday!

At 16 airline passengers are considered adults so not unaccompanied mibors

Yes, let's reduce the children's life opportunities & experiences because their parents separated and their dad lives elsewhere. Excellent plan.

They are old enough - let them go.

It's hard the first time they go off and do something like this, it is important that they do though. It sounds like an ideal stepping stone to more independent travel.

They both sound sensible and competent; they're old enough; they are getting dropped off one end and collected the other; they have each other.

What if something happens in the way? Cancellations, turbulence, 'baddies'?

Cancellations - Well assuming you're at this end sending them off, then you would know if the flight has been cancelled and would speak to them / sort. Also the airline staff would help them.

Turbulence - Um, not much to say to this one. Yes there probably will be turbulence - and??? 16 year olds will probably be far less nervous and bothered about turbulence than older passengers!

"baddies" - You mean terrorists? Like 9/11? Yeah I mean the chances of that happening again are pretty slim, however terrorist attacks happen everywhere, all over the world, every single day. They'd be more at risk at a concert or on the tube in London than on a flight these days.

There is two of them...you drop them, get them checked in and point them to security. Their Dad collects them at the other end. Easy, Yes I would be worried til I knew they had got there but they will get there.

I flew from one side of America to the other on my own when I was 14 - and going east, I needed to change planes. 16 year olds are plenty old enough for the 7 hour flight from London to New York.

You see them off at the gate at Heathrow, their father picks them up at JFK?Newark in NYC.

I wonder if you;''re sub-consciously resenting your exH in some way, because you're very unreasonable in tryiong to forbid them from doing this.

What baddies?

The OP has listened, people.

US immigration would be my biggest concern about the whole trip. Once they are through that, you can relax. But as people have said - go prepared. I would top up water bottles on the way from the plane to the immigration queue. Make sure the paperwork is correct. No jokes. Be prepared to wait in a long line at US immigration and not use phones in it if the signs say so. Make sure they have address where they are staying, ESTAs if needed, return ticket printed out, letter from Dad inviting them with return dates and his address, letter from you saying they have permission to visit him for x days and making it clear you expect them to return to go to school in UK in september. I'd print out their medical cover too for them to carry. And have a bit of US cash.

If I remember correctly then there used to be a slip you needed to hand in when you left the US (it was stapled into the passport). I'm not sure if that is still the case. If so, then they must make sure it is removed from their passports (and handed in to the correct officials) when they leave the US otherwise they are likely to have problems getting into the country on their next visit to the US.

After immigration the rest is easy.

Don't be this person OP

That's crazy. DS was going to the US alone to stay with my parents when he was 10. One of the stewardesses kept an eye on him.

OP, i suffer with anxiety too, and this would really make me struggle. But I read a fabulous quote the other day: “never let your storm get your kids wet”
let them go, sounds like the holiday of a lifetime x

Another thing to think about - they will have to do their first flight alone some time, and actually doing it at this age, where they are still young enough for people to slightly be looking out for them, will be easier for them than doing it aged 22 or whatever when people will assume that they know what to do on their own. I was about 24 when I first flew alone and it was quite scary; I'd also never taken a taxi alone or checked into a B&B alone, and both of those were very scary to me (had a lot of social anxiety at the best of times). But I was old enough that people would have assumed I knew exactly what to do, and then I felt more pressure as a result. It can be easier doing something for the first time when you are young and expected not to know and people are looking out for you. And then they'll be in a great position for the future, knowing not just how to navigate airports and transport and immigration etc on their own, but also having the confidence to know they can be indepdenent, which will impact other areas of their lives.

Well it must be me I wouldn’t let them go alone.
He shouldn’t have fucked off when they were ten really. He could see them all the time if he hadn’t.

Please let them go. I also have 16 year old twins and would be more than happy to let them go on such a cool trip.
Are they smart and sensible? Are they comfortable with asking for help/information? They have each other too.
Kids that age relish the independence and they’re gaining such valuable life skills.

Great coming of age adventure for them. It will be totally wonderful. Let them go. Understand how the maternal protective instinct must be kicking in. Being a parent means learning how to let them go. Also think of the prestige they'll have from their friends.

Yabu. There's such a thing as mobile phones if flights get changed/cancelled.

It’s a great way to practice being more independent before they are 18 and can do everything on their own. They will be together, you drop them off, he can pick them up. There is no way they can end up on the wrong plane with security like it is, worst that can happen is they miss the plane!

The flight to NYC is max 8hrs you're being very precious

I am one of the 2%, solely on the grounds of US immigration and experience of their behaviour.

I would be OK with almost all of Europe, and many other parts of the world.