sending a nearly seven year old alone on a plane to Germany...

[emkana]

... for a holiday with her grandmother, for five nights?

Dd1 keen to go and not scared. Have never done this before, but as I understand it airline will look after child?

MIL so upset at the thought that she can't even talk about it.

Have to go now, but will check back later.

dd1 is extremely sensible and quite mature for her age btw, and will have absolutely no problem spending the time on the plane colouring/reading/doing wordsearches etc

i did it as a child

You have someoone looking after them

she will be fine

stripey, it's practicalities as well though, I need to stick around here at the time

I went to boarding school when I was 6!!

I think I would. I take it you could drop off at gate and dd would be handed directly over to waiting relative? Would be fine IMO.

Message withdrawn

and if she gets earache or her ear pops or if they hit bad turbulence and she feels sick?

I'm sorry too many variables .. I'm not saying she shouldn't go alone ever, I just really think that 7 is too little

YOu take to check in
nice lady takes over adn puts her on plane
nice lady check her, feeds her, takes her to see captain
an hour and a hold later, nice lady takes her off plane first, gets her baggage and hands her to grandma

simple

BA info

Think it totally depends on the child, you know your DD best.

looking att he luink, it sounds reasonable, but i still wouldent do it for a 6-8year old, but maybe at age 9.

the girls would love the yellow bag though. they have a bag thing.

yes, I probably would.

I couldn't/wouldn't consider it but only you know your own child. Mine would be scared.

dinnae get me started on boarding school bt

She'll be fine emkana, as long as she wants to do it, spoilt rotten probably and, as others have said, far safer than either at school or in your local park (if you want to look at it like that).

If she didn't want to do it you wouldn't even consider it - children are so different, I'd have done it at that age like a shot as would my dd1!

'nice lady I have earache'

oh come here sweetie and lets give you a sweetie'

Fair enough - send her!

if any of this happens twig then I think dd1 would turn to airhostess in charge of her and communicate the problem to her and accept comfort offered.

dd1 very good like that

You know your child. If she's happy--go for it.

'arrrghhhh my ear hurts .. I want mummy'

nope

(i would nto send my kids to boarding school Twig - but I was fine - only went for two years)

I would do it if I MIL had a mobile phone, promised to keep tabs on the flight (which I would try to do from my end, too) and promise to get in touch if she was delayed or the flight had a problem, and I was satisfied with how the airline manages unaccompanied minors.
Can you go with him all the way up to the boarding gate? That would be my preference, too.

Emkana, I did this all the time as a child, and have only happy memories of it. They can go as unaccompanied minors from 6, and there's really no risk. If your dd is happy with the idea, and is being picked up at the other end by someone she knows, there's really no problem. I would be slightly less keen on a really longhaul flight, but flights to W. Germany are a max of an hour -- by the time you're airborn and they've offered drinks, handed out food, it's time to land again.

Dd1 did it for the first time when she was 7, without problems.

Hard one - really depends on your DD - as discoverlife says 7 is borderline, some children will be mature enough (know what to do and who to speak to in an emergency), others would just panic and end up extremely upset.

Do they actually go through customs with her, sit with her at the gate and at the other end take her through arrivals to collect luggage and out to meet your mil?

If she is happy to go and you are happy with the airlines policy, it would disappointing for her if she wasn't allowed.

Out of interest, which airline is it that does this - would be interested for my ds (9)to visit family in Glasgow.

I did it several times when younger parents worked/lived in berlin and would fly alone to london - youngest age was 4.5 - YOU ARE NOT BEING UNREASONABLE sorry CAPS were on