This is something I worry about with unaccompanied flyers. A little boy’s flight from Auckland to Rarotonga was cancelled. He was flying as an unaccompanied flyer, so his mother contacted the airline to find out if accommodations would be provided for him.
She was assured they would be.
His mother was vigilant though and followed through on what was happening. She found out five hours after the flight cancellation that they decided not to give out hotel vouchers to the stranded travelers–her son included.
“But when I told the guy that he kind of went ‘Oh … ah … well, hold on a second’ and put me on hold for 10 minutes.
“When he came back he was with a manager who said ‘no, Virgin isn’t offering accommodation for anybody’.”
That was almost five hours after Malakai’s flight was due to depart, and two hours after airport weather restrictions were lifted.
Ms Miles said cancellation and lack of accommodation were not the problem – it was the misinformation.
Granted, the cancellation type does not usually warrant vouchers. The issue here was that she was told her son would be taken care of.
Luckily, this was the originating airport, so she was still there, but it makes me wonder what would happen in the case of a connection. What would happen if the minor was caught in a fight cancellation that wasn’t the airline’s fault (and therefore, no flight vouchers were warranted)?
But from everything I searched, airlines will provide accommodations for cancelled connecting points.
I just hope a Home Alone never happens.
What would happen in case of a connection?
Nothing. Thats’s because unaccompanied minors regulations require minors fly only in nonstop routes.
I guess in some countries that might be true. But I omhave flown numerous times from taiwan to US and vice versa as an unaccompanied minor back in the Northwest days with a connection in Japan.
Will you please correct the heading of your article and mention “Virgin Australia” in this case and not “Virgin Airlines”
I fixed it, thanks!
. So he wasn’t actually stranded at the airport. He was with his mom. The title makes it sound like the kid was wandering around the airport alone.
Yes the title is misleading..maybe for click bait. Also as a flight attendant no um”s can be booked on connecting flights, nor the last flight of the day.