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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flying as an unaccompanied minor at age 7

696 replies

CrispyClo · 22/11/2025 22:56

I’m posting on behalf of my sister as she is looking for some external views on the matter.

My niece is 7, birthday was in August. She started a new school in September, which closes for Christmas a week earlier than most state schools. There don’t seem to be a lot of options for childcare during that week as not many schools here close that early so there aren’t any holiday camps.
My sister has booked my niece onto a week long camp abroad for the week. The camp is well reviewed and offers a pick up service for children flying as an unaccompanied minor. My sister initially felt this was a good idea, and booked it.
Now she is having some concerns and is unsure it’s the right choice, mainly as she appreciates 7 is quite young and while the flight isn’t particularly long, they don’t actually have someone sat with them, just cabin crew checking in. She has admitted herself she was fine with it until other people seemed to think it was a reckless parenting choice. I think it will be fine, my sister and I flew as unaccompanied minors often as our dad lived abroad, we were a bit older (maybe 10 the first time) but managed it fine.

AIBU to think my niece will be fine? She’s looking forward to the camp and doesn’t seem phased by the thought of it.

OP posts:
thecalmsea · 25/11/2025 11:10

Well professional agency nannies aren't cheap and you can also ask them to take the child to museums, activities, theme parks and the like which Im sure the child would also have enjoyed. Or take them to wherever the nearest holiday camp is running in the UK (as PP pointed out there will be some, not as many as.during state holidays but some, in local private schools)

crinklechips · 25/11/2025 11:06

thecalmsea · 25/11/2025 09:23

Was the cost of the week's camp and the flight (and accompanying adult?) really cheaper than hiring an agency nanny for a week? This seems really unlikely.

I'd assumed they chose this as they thought (rightly or wrongly) it was something the child would enjoy/benefit from rather than the cheapest childcare option available?

thecalmsea · 25/11/2025 09:23

Was the cost of the week's camp and the flight (and accompanying adult?) really cheaper than hiring an agency nanny for a week? This seems really unlikely.

Pipsquiggle · 25/11/2025 07:05

CrispyClo · 24/11/2025 22:33

Which questions do you want answered?

@CrispyClo thanks for coming back.

I think the main one is to get a bit of context about your's / your sister's upbringing to understand why your sister is completely comfortable about sending her 7YO DC alone and abroad for a week as the answer to her childcare issue.

Also did she look at any more 'normal' solutions e.g
Her or her DH taking time off work?
Asking a friend or family member to help?
Hiring a nanny?

CrispyClo · 24/11/2025 22:33

Pipsquiggle · 24/11/2025 22:28

I wish @CrispyClo would come back and answer a few of the questions

Which questions do you want answered?

OP posts:
Pipsquiggle · 24/11/2025 22:28

I wish @CrispyClo would come back and answer a few of the questions

Clearinguptheclutter · 24/11/2025 15:53

notimagain · 24/11/2025 15:41

Last time I looked as far as BA goes GIB was a mainline route, and AFAIK Iberia don't operate there.

Unless as @Clearinguptheclutter has mentioned there was a privately hired companion I remain puzzled.

you’re right they don’t, only ba and easyjet do and neither allows UMs

notimagain · 24/11/2025 15:41

Last time I looked as far as BA goes GIB was a mainline route, and AFAIK Iberia don't operate there.

Unless as @Clearinguptheclutter has mentioned there was a privately hired companion I remain puzzled.

RubySquid · 24/11/2025 14:23

Clearinguptheclutter · 24/11/2025 14:17

BA website is quite clear that they don’t allow under 14s unaccompanied in any circumstances.

I am sure there is an unofficial way round it by paying for an adult escort though

Iberia do it and they are the same part of the IAG group

Clearinguptheclutter · 24/11/2025 14:17

snowmichael · 24/11/2025 11:09

My 10 y/o great nephew flew back from Gibraltar yesterday using BA's (paid) UM service

BA website is quite clear that they don’t allow under 14s unaccompanied in any circumstances.

I am sure there is an unofficial way round it by paying for an adult escort though

notimagain · 24/11/2025 11:44

@snowmichael

OK, well TBH that's a puzzle.

BA mainline most most definitely binned the UM service well before Covid hit - there was a fair bit of controversy in the company over it going.

According to BA.com right now "Children under 14 years cannot travel alone with us...must be accompanied by someone over 16.... ".."We're unable to accept parental responsibility for young persons travelling alone"..and no mention of an UM service.

Either the rules changed very recently or I guess there's a possibility it was one of the partner airlines with a code share...

Be interested to hear more detail..

snowmichael · 24/11/2025 11:09

notimagain · 23/11/2025 09:25

BA scrapped their UM scheme quite a while back (due costs)...haven't heard of it being reinstated.

My 10 y/o great nephew flew back from Gibraltar yesterday using BA's (paid) UM service

Thankyourose · 24/11/2025 11:03

Clearinguptheclutter · 24/11/2025 10:12

regardless of the flight, a week alone aged 7 abroad with strangers? No way!

It’s a big ask for a stranger to look after a child in an emergency on a plane. A big ask. For that reason we don’t even sit apart from our kids on a plane, certainly wouldn’t sit in a different class from them and would only send them unaccompanied if it was absolutely unavoidable.
Sending a 7 year old abroad for a camp on their own is insane.
Can they parents not spend that money on getting a temp nanny for a week instead?????

Clearinguptheclutter · 24/11/2025 10:12

regardless of the flight, a week alone aged 7 abroad with strangers? No way!

Sadcafe · 24/11/2025 09:59

CrispyClo · 22/11/2025 23:03

Im Surprised how few people went to camps as a child?

I maybe totally wrong, but camps seem to depend on your nationality , I don’t know that manyBritish people who send their kids to camps, seems more an American/ Canadian thing. Fairly sure people will say if my thoughts are wrong.Not saying there’s any problem with camps though

Thankyourose · 24/11/2025 09:54

CrispyClo · 22/11/2025 23:06

I take on the 7 is too young for the flight as an unaccompanied minor but I’m shocked by the surprise as 7 year old could spend a week at a camp? They have boarding schools for 7 year olds?!

Christ, what is it with rich people neglecting their children?!
Boarding schools for 7 years ? That’s child abuse.

notimagain · 24/11/2025 09:50

Comedycook · 24/11/2025 09:43

But just saying of course they wouldn't is a bit wishy washy. Do airlines have actual specific policies which state they won't do this? Or is it a vague, try to sit them together or by women? Because if I was sending my child off on a plane by themselves i wouldn't id want an absolute cast iron guarantee/written policy

You'd need to check with the specific airline but we certainly had a policy that was available to the public and was also clearly laid out in crew orders and associated manuals.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 24/11/2025 09:47

BeLoyalCoralHiker · 24/11/2025 07:12

I don’t think it’s that weird, kids go to boarding school from the age of 6, I know a lot of people in the US in particular that flew alone as early as 5 because of custody arrangements, and summer camp from a young age is also common, for much longer than a week! It really depends on the child to me - ds1 would have been fine, ds2 has adhd and I wouldn’t have been happy as he has always needed triple the supervision.

in terms of being scared of turbulence etc I flew a lot as a child and I was never bothered by things like that until I got older and picked up on adult nervousness! So I wouldn’t assume a bumpy flight will be scary to a 7 year old. It’s like being on a train or a bus.

kids go to boarding school from the age of 6,

Where? My understanding is that virtually no boarding schools in the UK take children as young as 5, 6 or 7 nowadays, and thank god for that. Children as young as that need to be with their families.

RubySquid · 24/11/2025 09:46

Comedycook · 24/11/2025 09:43

But just saying of course they wouldn't is a bit wishy washy. Do airlines have actual specific policies which state they won't do this? Or is it a vague, try to sit them together or by women? Because if I was sending my child off on a plane by themselves i wouldn't id want an absolute cast iron guarantee/written policy

Look at post above yours

Comedycook · 24/11/2025 09:43

But just saying of course they wouldn't is a bit wishy washy. Do airlines have actual specific policies which state they won't do this? Or is it a vague, try to sit them together or by women? Because if I was sending my child off on a plane by themselves i wouldn't id want an absolute cast iron guarantee/written policy

notimagain · 24/11/2025 09:40

RubySquid · 24/11/2025 08:15

The airline would not be sitting the next to some random man.

Agreed....that was an absolute no when I was at a company that ran a UM scheme.

They were usually pre-boarded and as you also point out the (often multiple) UMs were grouped together, usually in a row or rows immediately adjacent to a galley.

RubySquid · 24/11/2025 08:56

DrProfessorYaffle · 24/11/2025 08:48

Europeans are also not sending their 7 yo dc to other countries unaccompanied for a week at a time.

We're British, not a native tribe with no contact with the outside world.

The poster you were replying was talking about pgl camps in general. She didn't say anything about out of country

DrProfessorYaffle · 24/11/2025 08:48

oblada · 24/11/2025 07:16

I think you are crazy asking on Mumsnet which is.. well exactly how this turned out lol

Yes PGL does week long camps for 8yrs old. My son did it last year he had a good time. He was just 8yrs old.
And yes with a mature 7yrs old I would be ok with it. But I am not British, i started going to residential camps when I was 5 so far from odd in my books. But it is not the done thing here in England, hence... Well this! I hope your niece has a fab time.

Europeans are also not sending their 7 yo dc to other countries unaccompanied for a week at a time.

We're British, not a native tribe with no contact with the outside world.

Missj25 · 24/11/2025 08:44

RubySquid · 24/11/2025 08:15

The airline would not be sitting the next to some random man.

Eventhough I’m completely against it , yeah of course they wouldn’t put her sitting alongside some random man ..
It’s the sending her off on her own at 7 to a different country to strangers..

RubySquid · 24/11/2025 08:38

Comedycook · 24/11/2025 08:35

I have no clue about these things ..do airlines have policies which state that they won't sit unaccompanied children next to men? Do they vet the passengers who will be sitting next to the child? What about a dad with kids... would they sit the child next to them?

If there's more than one UM they generally sit them together.