fishead1

First of all I want to let everybody know I work for FEDEX (very lucky to be at the right place at the right time). I do not travel much on the airlines,and when I do it is on a company bought DH ticket or Jumpseat.
That being said, my wife brings the kids to ATL airport yesterday to put the kids on a flight to Denver to visit their dad during Christmas,they are 16 and 13. She gets to the ticket counter because she always gets a pass to walk the kids down.(we have been doing this several times a year for the last 2 years). The ticket agent tells my wife since one is 13 there will be a 100.00 charge for a minor. The other child is 16 and my wife will be walking him to the gate and their Dad will be at the gate to get him and he will be with his sister the whole time.So what is the 100.00 for and the ticket agent says for DAL's liability. So my wife says okay because this is not the time to argue so she pays 100.00 and gets a gate pass and walks them down and puts them on the plane and their Dad is there at the gate to get them.Pretty shocking and oh on top of that they charged 50.00 for an extra bag that weighted about 25lbs.
Is this normal?

ACEAV8R

that is normal. the 13 year old is considered an unaccompanied minor therefore must be in the hands of the delta crew(airport and flight) from time you drop them off to the time you pick them up. of course you are to stay at the gate until the aircraft gets off the ground and the dad is suppose to be at the airport about 1 hr before arrival. before one could have gotten away from paying but with times the way they are, i'm sure they will be looking into that.

fishead1

I know times are tough they are here also, and I really do not mind paying the fees but it just kind of caught us off guard.

Justdoinmyjob

I'm sure that there are going to be a lot of people caught off guard this coming week by ticketing rules and fees that weren't enforced in the past but are being enforced nowadays.

74carg

They doubled all their fees this year, along with added new fees. Unless you are in Business you pay $15 for your first bag, and $25 for the second. If the bag weight is over 50, they get you again, for an additional $25. The kids should have been allowed each a bag @ $15. (UM on a non-stop use to be $50, $75 with a conx). Not sure if/when they will bring these fees down.

DALFA

From Delta.com
General Guidelines
Unaccompanied service is required for all children 5–14 years old when not traveling in the same compartment with an adult at least 18 years old or the child's parent/legal guardian.
Children ages 5–7 years can only fly on nonstop or direct flights with no change of planes.
Children ages 8–14 years can fly on nonstop or connecting flights, but may not connect to other airlines, with the exception of Delta Connection carriers (excluding AA Eagle), Northwest Airlines, KLM, and Air France.
Children 15–17 are not required to have unaccompanied service but we will provide it when requested.
An unaccompanied child can not be booked on the last connecting flight of the evening. This is to prevent the need for an overnight stay in a hotel. Contact Reservation Sales before you book here at delta.com if you have questions about connecting flights.
Effective November 1, 2008, unaccompanied minors will not be permitted on red eye flights greater than 2 hours in duration departing 9pm-5am. Exceptions:
Flights departing from Alaska or Hawaii
Unaccompanied minors connecting to/from and international flight

ACEAV8R

it's been a few months but i know um rules are different if they are non revs(buddy pass, etc). if it hasn't changed, i think the nonrev 12 and older doesn't need to be a registered um(don't quote me). either way, before it was easier to waive fees and get around things than i imagine it being now.

Romulus

The extra charge works both ways. It's to cover their liability for losing your kid if he decides to walk off or there is a problem enroute and they landed at MCI or STL with a mechanical, but it is also a contract where you can hold them liable for being a guardian to your kid.

TwoDogs

I can understand your argument, it makes sense, but the reality is that you're not paying for things to go normal, it's simply the reality that there are multiple reasons that getting from Point A to Point B may not work out, or the fact for whatever reason the parents picking up the kids are not there. In the interim, somebody has to watch your kids. I remember an example where a flight diverted due to weather, and the two kids were bunked together, problem was, the older kid molested the younger kid, so logistically, at first glance it seems trivial to you, and in most cases things proceed normally, but that's not what you are paying for, it puts a burden on the airline to serve as surrogate escorts on top of their regular duties.

DALFA

Non-revs don't have to pay for the UM fee so I don't think it really makes a difference.