To say no to 16year olds flying alone

@Dreamholidaynot

Gosh, they should go! What a marvellous opportunity for them!

They will have so much to tell you about when they get home!

I do understand your anxieties though.

There's a company called Airport Angels which can help people at airports.

Would you feel happier if you had an arrangement with them?

https://www.airportangels.net/individual-passengers-smaller-groups/

They are US citizens and are not eligible for any U.S. visa. If they wanted to go live, work, study they would need no visa. No application. They can just go. They should have US passports.

My 10yo DS flew to Newark and back by himself this summer. No problem. absolutely loved it. Escorted by airline staff on each end, had given him a phone, picked up by grandparents. A great developmental (and fun!) experience.

Well yeah, but it’s a risk is it not? Going to visit their American Dad alone and not on US passports? It’s going to raise a red flag moreso than two Brit DC on holiday with British mum.

and the 16yo will have to face that alone….if they are caught.

Then they will need to apply if they wanted to live and work in America. For a short visit all they will need is a short visit visa?

US state dept says they are not eligible for a visa

• ”You must enter and leave the United States on your U.S. passport. You are not allowed to enter on your foreign passport, because U.S. law requires all U.S. citizens to enter and depart the U.S. on a valid U.S. passport. U.S. citizens are not eligible for a U.S. visa.
• If your child is a citizen of the United States, they are not eligible for a U.S. visa. This is true even if you have not taken steps to document them as a U.S. citizen. If you want to enter or depart the United States with your child who is a U.S. citizen, you must obtain a U.S. passport for your child…”

But even if they are US citizens so long as immigration don’t know that then there will be no problem.

The rules apply to everyone, I was born and registered in the U.K.
I was still automatically born a U.S. citizen.

Airports are probably the safest place for them to be once through security.
just make sure they have charged phones (spare battery bank) that you can reach them on before they board and once they land and get through immigration. It will give you peace maybe if you put a tracker like Life360 on and you can see where they are.
ultimately though you would be unreasonable to not let them go. They’ll be fine.

Being born and registered in the U.K. does not stop someone having US citizenship from birth if one of their parents meets the criteria.

All they will need is a visa and I am sure the op and her twins have made plenty of trips to and from New York.

As the OP mentions dad as being in the military and presumably married to her & stationed in the U.K. when the twins were born, they again would still be automatically US citizens at birth

C. Children of Armed Forces Members or U.S. Government Employees (or their Spouses)

”A child born outside of the United States acquires automatic citizenship under INA 320 in cases where the child is an LPR and is in the legal and physical custody of his or her U.S. citizen parent who is:[16]

• Stationed and residing outside of the United States as a member of the U.S. armed forces;[17]
• Stationed and residing outside of the United States as an employee of the U.S. government;[18] or
• The spouse residing outside the United States in marital union[19] with a U.S. armed forces member or U.S. government employee who is stationed outside of the United States.[20]”

(The LPR relates to at the time of their birth, not years later post divorce)

I also think at 16 you have to leave the decision up to them whether they want to do it or not .

Do you mean the OP is unreasonable for feeling unsure about their first unaccompanied trip which is being organised in haste on a very short notice, or is she unreasonable for re-evaluating and confirming their trip? It isn't really clear...

The only problem I can see is them getting distracted at the airport by all the give us your money distractions they lay on, and missing the flight call!

( yes I have , once, and the sight of the gate staff sniggering as my friend and I ran like ducks was enough to make me very careful every time I have flown since)

My son did this trip alone recently and is the same age. He was fine and said it was easy! He had also never flown alone before.

"I have a set of twins that turned 16 last week. Their dad is American but lived in the UK most of his life, returned home to New York about 6 years ago when we divorced." From the op's original post.

It looks as if they were born and registered in the UK at birth. I don't think the rules apply to them.

If something goes wrong on a plane there's not a thing you can do about it whether you're there or not. The chances of that happening, however, are extremely rare.

I clicked on this post assuming a bunch of 16 yo friends were wanting to go on holiday for a week without parents, and I still would probably have said YABU. Getting on one flight to be met by a parent at the other end, you're being a bit ridiculous to be frank.

I would go to the airport and help them check in. Ask them to ring you when they arrive at the other side. There are two of them and they are not alone, you can't spoil this adventure for them but as a Mum, I can understand your concern. Dad will be at the other end and its not like they can get off at the wrong airport! Worst case scenario is that the luggage goes astray and Dad will have to deal with that.

Be strong for them, they will worry if you make it clear you are upset - you love them and you care, its only natural. In two years time they could be off to Uni so the change has got to happen at some point.

I flew Glasgow to London alone a few times when i was 10, nearly 50 years ago

Am sure they will be fine

Here is the manual. Given what the OP has said, twins born in wedlock to US citizen parent, they have been US citizens from birth and are required to use a U.S. passport to enter/leave the US even if no steps have been taken to register them as US citizens.

https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-h-chapter-3

It's fine.

They are 16 and there are two of them.

Well given the OP talks about their divorce I assume they were married.
But if not their father did acknowledge they are his so marriage is not needed.

I think 16 is fine, is it a direct flight ? And will dad be waiting at the gates at arrival ? And they will have each other too.

How horribly overbearing for two sensible teens. You sound a bit jealous tbh and determined to ruin their fun.