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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

14 yr old girl- flying alone to japan with a stop-over- yes or no?

92 replies

miku · 18/05/2018 08:03

Im having kittens. Father and daughter say its fine. I want her accompanied. Shes independent, but even so........

OP posts:
CarpeVitam · 18/05/2018 08:04

That would be a 'no' from me OP!

athingthateveryoneneeds · 18/05/2018 08:04

Noooo. Can't you pay extra for the airline to supervise/guide her through the airport? This is what we've done before.

BrandNewHouse · 18/05/2018 08:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

UrsulaPandress · 18/05/2018 08:05

I wouldn't have let my dd at 14. And she wouldn't have wanted to. Direct flight as an unaccompanied minor maybe but not with a stop over.

expatinscotland · 18/05/2018 08:06

No. People will tell you about how they climbed Mt Everest solo at that age, but having travelled long-haul many times it can be very disorienting, especially if sleep-deprived. Not with a stopover, nope.

NotARegularPenguin · 18/05/2018 08:06

If she’s sensible I would say it’s fine. There are people who work in the airports she could ask for directions if she’s not sure about something. How long would the stop over be? Has she flown a bit before and knows the airport routine?

Brokenbiscuit · 18/05/2018 08:07

What exactly do you mean by stopover? Overnight?

Andijustknew · 18/05/2018 08:08

Not with a stopover, no. Direct flight, probably.

Surpriseeggsforbreakfast · 18/05/2018 08:08

My sister and I flew unaccompanied with a stopover at 14 and 12 and it was fine, this was before WiFi.

toocool4cats · 18/05/2018 08:08

That's a no way from me

ScreenQueen · 18/05/2018 08:10

No to stopover; yes to flying direct I think.

QuoadUltra · 18/05/2018 08:10

Yes, that is fine, provided that you discuss it with the airline and they identify her a a vulnerable traveller or whatever it is that they do.

caoraich · 18/05/2018 08:14

Overnight or just change of planes stopover? I think that makes a difference.

I did this from about that age (am 30 now) from UK to Australia, usually a few hours in Heathrow or Schipol then Singapore. It was always fine but I didn't stay overnight during the journey til I was much older.

HoppingPavlova · 18/05/2018 08:16

With stopover, nope. Direct flight, yes.

Todamhottoday · 18/05/2018 08:16

Is she a sensible more mature 14 year old? Has she flown before?

You say stop-over is that a few hours between flights in an airport before the next flight? If so depends on how long.

Which airline are you thinking of using , some are better than others with unaccompanied minors and looking after them, and getting them to where they need to be.

And of course at the other end, assuming she is being met at the airport.

I would regularly travel from the UK and other countries on my own to Japan and dependant on which airport for transit would either be a pain or a smooth connection, even for an adult.

Bumblealong1 · 18/05/2018 08:18

Really depends on the maturity of the child. I flew at 13 long haul with a stopover, with a 4 year old and a two year old to look after.
I was fine.
There are less decisions to make on a plane than say walking to school and crossing roads.. and much less danger of anything going wrong.

Bumblealong1 · 18/05/2018 08:19

My stopover was a transit in an airport. Not staying overnight somewhere. I’m pretty sure I would never have been allowed to do that.

penguinsnpandas · 18/05/2018 08:21

If she's sensible and being taken / met both sides I would be OK with flight as she is but not a stopover. Remembering flying alone at 18 and a fairly wealthy businessman with 3 different passports trying to persuade me to come to Thailand with him for 2 weeks and he would pay for everything and I would just stay with him and his wife in a seperate room and it would be a free holiday. I was sensible enough to say no but many students that age said I should have said yes. It was in the day pre phones too at the airport. I think that age girl would potentially be targetted but on a flight nothing much they can do.

AnyFucker · 18/05/2018 08:21

Could not handle that, no

TheSecondOfHerName · 18/05/2018 08:25

I used to do this at her age (not to Japan but similar distance). I travelled as an unaccompanied minor until the age of 12, then travelled as an adult.

The stopovers were fine, apart from one occasion when I was bumped from the connecting flight as it was overbooked. The next flight was the following day. The airline offered me accommodation in a hotel near the airport. I explained that I was under 16 and they found me a seat on the original flight.

How well would your DD cope if there was a problem, e.g. if connecting flight was cancelled? If the stopover is in a country where she knows no one, it might be better to wait until she is 16.

Direct flights are a different matter and should be fine.

expatinscotland · 18/05/2018 08:28

Even the most sensible and mature 14-year-old is vulnerable because she is, well 14. Nope, nope, nope.

Original poster
miku · 18/05/2018 08:28

its a change of planes, in Incheon, S.Korea. Yes, she has been there many times, and its about 1-3 hours before connecting flight.
She is quite streetwise, its not her Im worried about, its everyone else. I personally haven't been to that particular airport, but she has , with her dad.....

OP posts:
pinkmagic1 · 18/05/2018 08:29

Direct flight not an issue, but not one with a stopover.

Vangoghsear · 18/05/2018 08:30

No. What if something goes wrong in the stopover airport? A 14 year old however mature would not be equipped to deal with it.

OutsideContextProblem · 18/05/2018 08:33

No. The admin side should be fine if she’s used to the journey but 14 year old girls will be targets for dodgy men and I wouldn’t be happy.