To say no to 16year olds flying alone

Do the twins feel they can cope? I mean once on the plane they just have to sit there.
Explain the procedures for checking in, security, flight boarding ,how to ask for assistance etc. Be on end of phone. They have each other.
I wouldn't stop this amazing holiday ftom happening. I mean at 16 you can get married and have a family.... this is a much easier option.

YABVU _

My kids did something similar at that age (17 & 16) but traveled through SFO where they had to change terminal and onto PHX - they loved it - why wouldn't you let your kids go.....

I also used to travel a lot alone from 13 including to the middle east

Cut the umbilical cord and let them go. Up here 16 year olds in Scotland can vote, get married, live in their own house!

Pay for onboard wifi so you can keep in touch.

If they have any issues the airport staff will keep them right!

I think it's reasonable for them to go, they got each other too!!

I first flew alone when I was 15 years old, from London to Singapore, and it would've been nice if I had someone else with me :)

Oh bless you op.
Let them go.

And if you can afford it maybe get some counselling for your anxiety? It must be horrible to feel so stressed.
Well dine in raising two competent young women!

It's hard letting go sometimes, but life's adventures is what we are preparing them for aren't we?

Hugs x

When I was 16 I flew with a friend from the U.K. to Australia, via two stops in the Middle East and Bali, both with long layovers. We then had 10 days in Sydney by ourselves, travelled up by prop plane to Cairns where we spent a week with my aunt and uncle, then flew back via 5 days in Bali by ourselves. It was fine!
Now that I have a 14 year old I am stunned that my parents were so chilled about this but it was all totally fun and I loved it.

I think it's fine. They are together. Airlines have protocols for unaccompanied minors from about the age of 8! It's actually quite normal for families that live across continents. Air stewards are well trained to keep an eye.
But at 16, they will be absolutely fine!

I flew to Canada every year on my own since I was 8 but went as an unaccompanied minor so my parents would drop me off to the airport staff and my grandpa would be there to meet me at the other side, maybe this would be something the airline would do so it means they're being looked after for peace of mind.

There are two of them. Let them go.

I travelled to America alone at 13 and including a 4 hour layover in Dallas before flying on to JFK. There’s a lot of safety in place for unaccompanied minors. Let them go they’ll be fine.

16 year old NT twins travelling to their dad's home country on a direct flight - a parent seeing them off and a parent picking them up at the other airport. I think this is fine.

Took my first solo flight at that age. It’s fine, there are millions of people to ask for info. Any gate person will help youngsters.

Let them go, they will be fine.

Definitely let them go, am sure they're fine, I've seen kids younger fly alone for all sorts of reasons. As you are worried am sure you can ask the airline to look out for them, like make sure they get through security and get to boarding gate (or whatever they call it) ok, just to put your mind at rest. But sounds like an amazing opportunity for them, YABU to consider not letting them go.

I did the following ALONE

Age 7 flight to Barcelona one way
Age 12 flight to India both ways alone
Age 17 flight to New York alone both ways

they can do it and they are together.

the flights alone were due to the same situation as you. Parents had separated and mum was severely sick. Parents arranged my accompaniment with the airlines. But at age 17 I did it alone. No help. It was FUN.

Of course they can.

I let my ds fly unaccompanied to visit my ex from age 13 (route he’d been flying since age 4, parent at each end). And actually on one occasion something did go wrong.. his flight was diverted to another airport due to weather conditions.. do you know what happened? He supported another confused passenger, contacted me and my ex, and made sure the airline knew he was under 16 and therefore wasn’t able to stay in the hotel they were putting people up in. So even with an issue he coped just fine.

I understand the worry because you are a mother and it's their first time. I was travelling to America on my own before 16 as my moms family live in New York and I stayed with my Grandparents. I would like to reassure you they most likely could do it and be fine. I would let them go, it is a great experience

When I was younger than that, my parents put me on the train from Cornwall to London and I got myself via taxi and tube to the airport to fly to Germany! And back.

Let them go!
What a fabulous birthday gift from dad!
They'll remember it for a lifetime.

Yes I would let them go.

My daughter is travelling between two countries since she was 10 yo. It is an easy thing, don’t sweat on it.

It can be around "13 hours" one way because of the time difference to the east coast (and then only about 3 hours the other way) if you apply local time to take off/landing rather than the actual time in the air.

Totally fine...stop catastrophising

I tend to be of a more anxious disposition, but I think this is okay. Especially as they will both be together. There’s actually not that much that neither you or your ex can’t assist with in the airport either, so they’ll have to do very little alone.

I'm a US citizen. Moved to the UK permanently with my husband (non US person) when I was 33. All three of my DC became US citizens at birth, automatically. In addition to long form UK birth certificates, I also had to get a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for all three of them before I could get them US passports. (We are also all UK citizens.) When we travel to the US we have to show our US passports leaving the UK, entering the US, and leaving the US. We only use our UK passports when entering the UK.

It's a tricky situation if the OP's children have not been registerd with the US embassy in the UK - it's possible UK and US immigration will simply treat them as British tourists. But it would be good to know definitively, as it would be hard for them to have to deal with immigration issues on their own.