Need logistical advice flying from ATL with 2 minors going on different flights

[junglejane]

We will be on the June 1 crossing of the QM2. We had previous booked flights home to Phoenix on the BA nonstop from LHR-PHX on June 14 using our American Award miles.

 

But now our plans have changed because our DD needs to go to the National Speech & Debate Tournament in Birmingham, AL from 6/15-6/22. We have rebooked our flights so that DH will still fly home to Phoenix. However, I will fly LHR-DFW-BHM with our DD. We'll be spending a week in Birmingham at the tournament. So far so good.

 

Here's where it gets complicated. Our DD's debate partner (let's call her Rachel) will be meeting us in Birmingham. Rachel's family has a previously planned trip to Italy. They have arranged for Rachel, who is 15, to meet us in Birmingham for the tournament. After the tournament, I have agreed to drive Rachel to Atlanta so she can fly on the Delta ATL-FCO nonstop [DL Flight 240 leaving at 3:45 pm] to meet her parents in Rome. At age 15, Rachel is old enough not have to travel as an unaccompanied minor. In fact, Delta told her parents that they can't pay to have her treated as an unaccompanied minor because it's the last flight of the day.

 

I need to book return flights ATL-PHX for myself and my DD. My nonstop choices are DL #1115 which leaves at 4:30 pm or US Airways #140 which leaves at 5:55 pm.

 

I will need to drop off our rental car at ATL. Then, I want to escort Rachel to get checked in for her 3:45 pm international flight and (ideally) take her to the gate for her flight. Then, my DD and I will eventually need to head off for our domestic flight ATL-PHX. Several questions have occurred to me:

 

1 Is there a separate check in counter for international and domestic flights?

 

2. If so, will I need to have my DD wait outside the security area with our baggage until I have delivered Rachel to the gate?

 

3. Then how do my DD and I get ourselves and our bags over to the area for the domestic check in ?

 

4. Anything else we should consider?

 

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

[6rugrats]

Rachael's parents are quite foolish, IMO, and I have plenty of experience with children flying as UMs and not as UMs. Consider what you wil do if this "last flight of the day" is cancelled or has some other problem. Are you prepared to take care of this child and miss your flight? I honestly would not even get involved with this. Her parents should book her as an UM on an eligible flight, and you should remove yourself from this situation. To answer your questions,

 

1. No

 

2. Just depends on the agent at the ticket counter. I haven't ever had a problem getting a gate pass for myself and one of my children, when taking another child to the gate, but YMMV.

 

3. Carry them? Not sure exactly what you mean by this.

 

4. Reconsider this entire thing?

[junglejane]

Yes, I am totally prepared to cancel my flight and take charge of Rachel if something happens that causes her flight to be cancelled. (Remember, I will have been chaperoning her for the entire preceding week at the tournament.) She is my daughter's friend and debate partner, and will be my responsibility and there's no way I will leave her stranded in Atlanta. That's one reason why I am looking at booking the later US Airways flight, to give myself extra time to be certain Rachel's flight has gotten off okay. There's an even later Delta flight that I could book.

 

Remember, my DD and I will have our own airline tickets so getting through security is not the issue. The issue I am wondering about is baggage check. If I get Rachel checked in for her Rome flight at the Delta counter, will the Delta and/or US Airways counters for domestic flights be in the same area so I can check my bag and DD's bag? I'm hoping I can check all the bags and then go with Rachel to her gate, wait to make sure she can board, and then take the inter-terminal train over to wherever my gate is.

 

If not, I guess I will have to make my DD wait outside the secure area with our bags, take Rachel to her gate, and then back track to reunite with my DD. There seems to be an exterior airport shuttle that you can take to go from one terminal to another. That would be inconvenient but we will do whatever is necessary. Our top priority will be getting Rachel safely off on her flight.

[waterbug123]

 

Remember, my DD and I will have our own airline tickets so getting through security is not the issue. The issue I am wondering about is baggage check. If I get Rachel checked in for her Rome flight at the Delta counter, will the Delta and/or US Airways counters for domestic flights be in the same area so I can check my bag and DD's bag? I'm hoping I can check all the bags and then go with Rachel to her gate, wait to make sure she can board, and then take the inter-terminal train over to wherever my gate is.

 

 

Officially, terminal F is where you are supposed to check in for international flights at ATL, and terminal T is where you check in for domestic flights. I believe there is a shuttle that runs land-side between the 2, and I know for a fact that you can take the underground train between the 2 if you are airside (i.e. through security) However, though I'm a DL frequent flyer I only transit through ATL, so I can't say whether or not you would be able to go with her to check her in at F and then also check yourselves in there for a domestic flight. I would guess so, but can't say with certainty. If you can, then it's a simple train ride from F to whichever concourse your own flight departs from (T, A, B, C, D or E)

[junglejane]

Thanks Waterbug123 and 6rugrats. I thought about this more overnight. It seems to me that the simplest solution is to convince Rachel's mom to have her fly ATL-Rome with only a carry on. She won't want her debate clothes on the rest of her trip anway, and I can take those back to Phoenix. Her parents can take some of her other clothes on ahead when they go to Italy.

 

This way, I assume we can check in at the domestic terminal, check bags for me and DD, then take the airside train over to the international terminal and find Rachel's gate. We can wait with her until she boards, then head back over to our terminal.

 

Going to this tournament is hugely important to these girls. So much so that Rachel is choosing to spend a week in Birmingham, AL instead of the Amalfi Coast with her family!

[frugaltravel]

Don't be offended by the comments about being foolish, etc. The same culprits post such negative things all the time :confused:

 

You can certainly check in for domestic flights at the F (international) terminal as well as for international flight. Rachel's flight to Rome will depart from E or F. There is some walking involved between F and E (at least there was when I was there several months ago - no direct train service airside to F). You can take her to the gate in E or F then take the train to your concourse and to your gate. Her flight will start boarding about 3pm or maybe slightly earlier, but if you want to be sure her plane takes off, you probably don't want to take the 4.30pm flight. That starts boarding at 4pm and it might take you 15-20 minutes to get from F or E to your concourse and your gate. So plan on the 5.55pm departure for you. USAirways always uses the same concourse in ATL for all their flights, so you should be able to find that info pretty easily just looking at current departures.

[PRWeezer]

One rule I've heard about calling Delta, if you don't like the first answer you get, hang up and call back. :) Per Delta's website there is an exception for unaccompanied minors on International flights. If Rachel's parents want to reconsider enrolling her as an UNMR here is a link to that information:

 

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/special-travel-needs/children.html

 

Travel is not permitted on Red Eye flights (Red Eye flights are between 9pm-5am). Exceptions below apply only if a qualifying connection flight is not available from the airport.

• International flights
  
• Domestic short haul flights (2 hours or less, non stop)
  
• Flights to/from Alaska and Hawaii
  
• Markets with only one connection and it is the last flight of the day
  

 

If they go this route, my understanding is that as her 'escort' you would be required to remain at her departure gate until the flight is in the air. So you should plan your own flights accordingly to allow extra time for a possible delay on her flight plus taxi/takeoff time.

 

ETA: Of course only her parents can decide if the UNMR process is needed for their daughter. I'm simply providing a link to information that suggests the agent they spoke with was misinformed on the policy.

[junglejane]

Thanks Frugaltravel. I agree that I should book the 5:55 pm US Airways flight. I will feel much more comfortable if I see her flight to Rome take off before I board my own flight. I definitely feel responsible for Rachel. If something causes her flight to be cancelled or significantly delayed, I will still send my DD home on the 5:55 pm flight but stay behind myself.

 

Believe me, there is a lot more background info that went into the decision making process, but I didn't detail it here because it's not germane to the question I was asking about checking in baggage. I appreciate the helpful non-judgmental advice.:)

 

You say that I can check in for domestic flights at the F (International) terminal, but is there a US Airways check in desk there? I'm not sure if US Airways has international flights from ATL since that's not one of their hubs.

 

PRWeezer, I will pass on that link about unaccompanied minors. Thanks!

[waterbug123]

There is some walking involved between F and E (at least there was when I was there several months ago - no direct train service airside to F).

 

 

Not exactly true. The airside "plane train" runs in each direction and stops at each terminal/concourse. If you can check in at F with Rachel, you can go through security, take her to her gate, and then catch the train to E, or to any other concourse.

What frugaltravel may be thinking of is when international flights arrive at E instead of F; when that happens I believe the pax must walk along a special, secure walkway that runs specifically between E and F in order to clear immigration/customs at concourse F.

[frugaltravel]

You say that I can check in for domestic flights at the F (International) terminal, but is there a US Airways check in desk there? I'm not sure if US Airways has international flights from ATL since that's not one of their hubs.

 

You must check in for USAirways at the main terminal. If Rachel only has carry on, she should be able to check in for the Rome flight at the main terminal as well. She only needs a boarding pass and for someone to check her passport. She might even be able to check in online and print a boarding pass (though that might not work for international - someone else might have more info on that).

 

Not exactly true. The airside "plane train" runs in each direction and stops at each terminal/concourse. If you can check in at F with Rachel, you can go through security, take her to her gate, and then catch the train to E, or to any other concourse.

What frugaltravel may be thinking of is when international flights arrive at E instead of F; when that happens I believe the pax must walk along a special, secure walkway that runs specifically between E and F in order to clear immigration/customs at concourse F.

 

No, I was thinking exactly what I said. Maybe at the time I went the train was not operating yet. It was just a couple of months after F opened. But I started in F, went to the Delta SkyClub in F then had to use several moving walkways to get to E. It sounds like the airside train is now operating between E and F.

[6rugrats]

Don't be offended by the comments about being foolish, etc. The same culprits post such negative things all the time :confused:

 

I don't call being realistic negative. Try having a child under the age of 18, for whom you did not purchase unaccompanied minor service, stuck in an airport when something goes wrong, and you might see it differently.

[waterbug123]

No, I was thinking exactly what I said. Maybe at the time I went the train was not operating yet. It was just a couple of months after F opened. But I started in F, went to the Delta SkyClub in F then had to use several moving walkways to get to E. It sounds like the airside train is now operating between E and F.

 

Interesting. Terminal F opened last May, and in June I was able to take the train from A or B all the way to F and back again. I had a couple of hours to kill between flights so went down to take a look at F since it was brand new.

[frugaltravel]

Interesting. Terminal F opened last May, and in June I was able to take the train from A or B all the way to F and back again. I had a couple of hours to kill between flights so went down to take a look at F since it was brand new.

 

I am trying to think when I went. It was probably Aug or Sep. My guess is that the airside train must have just been down that day between E and F. I know it was a fairly long (though easy) walk.

 

I don't call being realistic negative. Try having a child under the age of 18, for whom you did not purchase unaccompanied minor service, stuck in an airport when something goes wrong, and you might see it differently.

 

In any case it was a pretty judgmental comment. I don't believe it is being "realistic" to call anyone foolish (but it sure is easy to do on an anonymous internet forum, isn't it?). But then people who makes such comments usually don't realize how foolish the comments are :-).

[ghulett]

...Going to this tournament is hugely important to these girls. So much so that Rachel is choosing to spend a week in Birmingham, AL instead of the Amalfi Coast with her family!

 

Of course she would rather go to Birmingham and be with her friend than be at the Amalfi Coast with her family...she is a TEENAGER! ;)

[UKBayern]

Don't be offended by the comments about being foolish, etc. The same culprits post such negative things all the time :confused:

 

Now THIS is a ridiculous comment. Rugrats never posts negative things. In fact, his opinion is valued on the air forum.

 

And in this case, I think he is absolutely right. I have worked for airlines and major hotel chains for many years, and see these schemes go wrong all the time because people did not think it through properly. He is just playing the devils advocate, as I and many others would have done too. There are too many posters on CC already who post "you'll be fine" all the time. I think it is a complicated plan too, especially since it is the last flight of the day and there is no backup plan.

[kenish]

OP- Adding a few pragmatic comments from personal experience. I've been on a few flights where the plane pushed back from the gate on time but a problem was discovered as the pilots did their pre-takeoff checklists or a problem developed at the destination airport. Airlines try to resolve the problem before they cancel the flight and delay passengers even further. In the 3 or 5 flights I've been on where this happened, it was 1-2 hours between pushback and being back in the terminal with the flight cancelled.

 

Also as a parent with UM experience, the gate agents will want you to hang around until they can confirm the flight has actually taken off. Of course they can't force you to stay. Point is, simply waiting for Rachel to board is not absolute insurance her flight will actually take off. So, your daughter will be waiting outside security with your luggage until the Rome flight takes off (if I understand your plan correctly).

 

In any case, you *must* have a letter signed and notarized by *both* of Rachel's parents giving their consent for you to put Rachel on the flight. I always had my son's mom provide one when I took my son on international trips. That said, I was never asked to show the letter. Rachael's situation is more likely to draw scrutiny since neither parent with legal custody is with her. (The letter is an international requirement to try and stop international child custody or trafficking problems).

[epixx]

Good luck to the girls in the tournament! Please come back in June to report on how they did.

[junglejane]

Thanks Epixx for the good wishes. Thanks also to Kenish for the tip about the notarized letter. I also think this is a good idea because I will be Rachel's chaperone at the tournament for the entire preceding week.

 

I have no objection to 6rugrats or anyone else playing the devil's advocate or pointing out potential pitfalls. However, I do think that people should recognize that when someone comes to this board with a travel dilemma, it's probably because they've been backed into a corner because of an unexpected confluence of circumstances, not all of which may have been in their control.

 

6rugrats advises that I not get involved with this and remove myself from the situation. That is not a possibility. The only way that my DD can go to Nationals is with her partner, Rachel. Their event is a 2 person team event so either they both go or they both forfeit their spot.

 

Was there some poor planning that led to this dilemma? Yes, that's true. Rachel's parents permitted her to enter the state tournament. The state tournament was called the "National Qualifying" tournament and the whole purpose of it was to decide who will represent the state at Nationals. They let her enter, with a partner, without checking to see when or where the National Tournament was and whether it conflicted with their summer travel plans. They probably assumed it would be held in May.

 

On our side, we knew when and where the National tournament is held, and planned our QM2 trip to give us time to get there even though we believed it was highly unlikely DD would qualify. However, we made the mistake of presuming that Rachel's parents were also on top of the situation.

 

Both sets of parents also underestimated our girls. Even though they are sophomores, they went undefeated through all their rounds at the state tournament, knocking out the favored team in Round 2. When we realized our travel dilemma, there was a lot of consternation, believe me. The upshot, after much discussion, was for Rachel to go and for me to commit to getting her to Rome. I actually offered to fly with her to Rome. Her parents decided that wasn't necessary as long as I get her on the nonstop flight.

 

I've booked me and my DD on the 5:55 pm US Airways flight ATL-PHX. We're pretty sure now that Rachel can fly with carry-ons which will simplify the baggage quandry. I've studied the terminal maps for ATL. If Rachel absolutely has to check a bag, I think I will park at the International terminal and go in with her to check the bag, then go back out and return the rental car. We have the whole day open on the 22nd, so we can arrange to get to the airport many hours before Rachel's 3:45 pm flight.

 

I acknowledge that this plan isn't 100% risk free, but I will definitely be monitoring Rachel's flight to make sure it takes off. If it doesn't, I will send my DD on home, cancel my own fight and stick around the ATL airport.

[frugaltravel]

Rugrats never posts negative things. In fact, his opinion is valued on the air forum.

 

Sorry, but when someone calls someone else "foolish" that already proves your comment incorrect. I am not going to address this foolishness any more :)

 

Some good info from kenish, except the following:

 

So, your daughter will be waiting outside security with your luggage until the Rome flight takes off (if I understand your plan correctly).

 

All flights in Atlanta depart from one large secure area. So no need for the daughter to be waiting with luggage outside security. Everyone checks in for their flights landside and all go through security together. Everyone goes to Rachel's gate to see her off then once Rachel's flight departs the other two head to their gate with USAirways (just take the airside train between terminals).

[4774Papa]

OP- Adding a few pragmatic comments from personal experience. I've been on a few flights where the plane pushed back from the gate on time but a problem was discovered as the pilots did their pre-takeoff checklists or a problem developed at the destination airport. Airlines try to resolve the problem before they cancel the flight and delay passengers even further. In the 3 or 5 flights I've been on where this happened, it was 1-2 hours between pushback and being back in the terminal with the flight cancelled.

 

Also as a parent with UM experience, the gate agents will want you to hang around until they can confirm the flight has actually taken off. Of course they can't force you to stay. Point is, simply waiting for Rachel to board is not absolute insurance her flight will actually take off. So, your daughter will be waiting outside security with your luggage until the Rome flight takes off (if I understand your plan correctly).

 

In any case, you *must* have a letter signed and notarized by *both* of Rachel's parents giving their consent for you to put Rachel on the flight. I always had my son's mom provide one when I took my son on international trips. That said, I was never asked to show the letter. Rachael's situation is more likely to draw scrutiny since neither parent with legal custody is with her. (The letter is an international requirement to try and stop international child custody or trafficking problems).

You should get a special power of attorney.

[UKBayern]

What I would do is have the check-in agent in ATL add #MAAS# behind Rachel's name. This comment is added for passengers who need a bit of extra attention, for example because they are first-time flyers, young people who are not UM travelling alone, passengers who might have language problems, elderly people who might get confused in big airports on their own. All these people have in common that there is nothing physically or mentally wrong with them, just that they might be a little insecure or in need of a little extra attention. "Meet and Assist" would be a good idea for Rachel, assuming she has never been to FCO and does not speak italian. Somebody from the airline will then just help her on her way or walk with her to the exit where she can be reunited with her parents. There is no paperwork to be filled out or any fee to be paid, since the airline is not legally responsible if they lose sight of a "Meet and Assist" or the person decides he does not need any assistance after all.

[junglejane]

Thanks. These are genuinely helpful suggestions, and I appreciate them.

[jdvmd]

junglejane, hope it all works out for you. As the mother of a son who joined the speech and debate team this year, as a freshman, I know what an accomplishment your daughter and her partner have made. We were made aware of when the national finals would be back in September as we have several contenders. Unfortunately, none will be going but were named alternate delegates. Good luck to them and to you.

[junglejane]

junglejane, hope it all works out for you. As the mother of a son who joined the speech and debate team this year, as a freshman, I know what an accomplishment your daughter and her partner have made. We were made aware of when the national finals would be back in September as we have several contenders. Unfortunately, none will be going but were named alternate delegates. Good luck to them and to you.

 

Thanks very much. Speech & Debate is such a great activity. When we were making our travel plans last fall, our DD said that her only hope of qualifying for nationals would be in Oratory, which as you know is an individual event. She said there was "no way" she and Rachel would qualify in debate. That's basically why we made our plans so that DD could make it to nationals, but neglected to discuss it with Rachel's parents. It's been complicated to work this out, but both families are committed to making it happen.:)

[SadieN]

Look on the Europe-Italy board for info about arriving on international flights to FCO.

 

FCO can be confusing. When flying thru FCO I follow the crowds.

 

Depending on the plane/line she could have to deplane onto the tarmac the bus it to the terminal, up an escalator. OR deplane on a jetway into the terminal.

Then she will probably have to take a train to passport control, getting into the non-EU line. Then collect her luggage (or not) then directly out the 'Nothing to Declare' doors. Right outside these doors is where everyone meets up.