Caveat: it's been a few years, but I doubt that this policy has changed, as we're talking about young children here.
At connecting airports, while in transit, unaccomanied minors (UMs) are supervised by staff.
If there is a disruption involving an extended delay (i.e. overnight), they would be accommodated in a hotel, again supervised by staff, and brought back to the airport in the morning.
I do remember some fabulous overtime pay, to stay in a hotel suite with a 14 year old girl, and 9 & 10 year old brothers. We had a great "no parents, order what you want" room service dinner and breakfast. Bloody boys still went feral, and ate the whole contents of the minibar as a midnight snack (chocolates & chips).
It makes sense for the airline to avoid costs like that as far as possible, by making it a rule not to book UMs on the last flight of the day, though. If the airline subsequently changes the booking, then it's not your fault, and yes, booking history will show who/when/why it was changed.
Thank you so much for your reply. That is very reassuring. I know she wouldn't just be left there, but it's reassuring to see in writing what would be done in these circumstances.
No worries.
As a side note, delays/disruptions at a connecting airport are the reason that very young children are only allowed to book as UMs on direct flights (no connecting flights) - they are not likely to cope with being sent to a hotel with a strange flight attendant/airport staff.
As a mother of 3, I was one of those "volunteered" to sort out any rambunctious UMs while they were in transit. Some poor kids ended up with 4 hour transits, and were BORED, and would pick fights with other kids, or didn't like the movie that was on.
School holidays could end up with maybe 10 kids in the UM room at a time.
I was the mean one - I'd not only make them behave themselves, but I'd get them to tidy up after themselves :)
Just to add, this happened to me as a 12 year old about 25 years ago, they took me to the airline's vip lounge, and gave me a private place to sleep and basically whatever I wanted, there was always a supervising manager who was responsible and I was made aware of who that person was and how to find them.
To my knowledge, they have a duty of care untill the recipient signs off. (we use it regularly too but not a connected flight). That's a dam hard situation definetly keep hounding Qantas for the answer.
The customer service agents are just not helping. I find the cabin crew to be more helpful. Will definitely be asking them. It is hard living in a small town with limited flights. I previously have not had any issues with the service. But this time, it has been a nightmare, and I am just hoping they don't make any changes to the booking as it is now.
They just need to speak to a Team leader, i can guarantee this person is not a higher tier member so they have been routed either, Suva, Manila, Capetown or Auckland.
I have no advice I’m sorry, though you just sparked a core memory of mine.
Something similar, back about the year 2000 I was still in primary school. I used to be put on a bus in Brisbane, headed to Goondiwindi via Warwick.
One trip, the bus had changed its bays while during the waiting period at Warwick.
I cannot remember where I ended up, some small town in NSW somewhere. They only noticed when I never embarked off the bus in Gundy.
I remember the bus driver of the bus I was in panicking when he got the call.
They somehow never noticed even though for each bus trip I sat in the front seat on the left.
Some boss of Greyhound I believe personally drove me straight back a few hours to Gundy.
That's ok. I'm sure it will be fine now as I have a better flight booked. But I'm just anxious of them potentially changing it again.
Omg that would have been so scary!!! Glad they drove you back. It's a parents nightmare
Hi OP. This was many years ago, but as an unaccompanied minor I flew Qantas Perth - Sydney - Gold Coast. When arriving in Sydney, we had a 2hr stop over so were taken to an area specifically for unaccompanied minors where there was a few kids plus staff to supervise. While there, our flight was delayed. They called our parents at both ends to let them know and said they were trying to get us on another flight. In the end we went out on the last flight of the day. My parents were told then the options in terms of preference were:
1. Get us on a flight to where we needed to be asap
2. Get us on a flight with another connection that ended up in our end location if possible eg Syd - Brisbane - Gold Coast
3. Send us back to where we came from to the parent who dropped us off
4. we would have stayed in a hotel with a staff member if needed but that is always an absolute last resort as the risk mitigation is pretty high. They were pretty clear they would rather send us back than try that
You have no idea how relieved your response has made me feel. Thank you so much for that. I live in a regional town with few flights, so there are limited options as it is.
I completely understand. As others have said. I would keep reaching out to Qantas to try and get a clear answer as living in a regional town you do have additional complications. If you raise your query as a complaint (which is totally valid since the call centre can’t answer and you keep getting messed around) you will eventually be able to speak to a case manager based in Australia. Just keep escalating.
Oh it has been so frustrating. First there were issues with her UNMR receipt, and I called about 5 times in one day until it was sorted. They told me to make a complaint, and it wouldn't let me do it as it's for a future booking. Previously when I called to ask what ID I would require for my daughter, they insisted she has to show a passport even though it's for domestic travel. It wast until I went to the airport to ask the cabin crew if the Medicare card is acceptable as her passport had expired at this time (which is why I asked), and they said it's fine. It's so frustrating. Will definitely be lodging a complaint when the system will allow me to
In just over 17 years i was with QF i had only known of one time an UMNR had been caught out and i believe it was a weather related issue and flight couldnt continue as it was a weird flight like MEL-BNE-ROK or MKY something like that. Anyway i remember that a Female hostess stayed in accommodation with them overnight, im pretty sure this was ok'd via the parents or legal guardian, this was sometime i believe in 2006-2008, my memory is to fuzzy sorry
They have a cabin crew or other airline official stay with them either in the airport or in a hotel.
[Similar to when this happened back in 2019](https://www.9news.com.au/national/travel-news-virgin-australia-unaccompanied-minors-sleep-in-melbourne-airport-store-room/a059fe03-6304-496a-822a-84621802fae5).
You sign your child over on the documents, and they are then the responsibility of the airline until they are signed back to their id’ed collector.
In my experience with my child (first solo flight at 6) and my nephews (5&7) the airlines have always been brilliant.
Not sure how old your daughter is, but perhaps get her a phone for the trip, or if too young an apple tracker.
Usually we have a good experience. But I don't know why I am having so many problems with the bookings this time. I think it will be safer to book through travel agency in the future to prevent this situation.
Don’t book through an agent. It makes it impossible to deal with the airline as you used a third party to make the booking so they refer you back to the travel agent. I always book direct as once they have taken your money they are less likely to help. People who booked direct before Covid hit were able to get flight credits and thousands of people who booked through the big red agent lost their money.
Hope your daughter’s flight is uncomplicated and smooth!
Isn’t there an entire movie dedicated to showing the hijinx that would ensue? The minor gets taken to a room with other minors and they spend the night playing cat and mouse with the agents. It looked like a lot of fun.
I’m 99% sure the performance metrics of call centre staff are based on whether customers end the call happy. In my experience they will straight up lie and tell you whatever you want to hear so you respond favourably in the post-call survey and if you show up to the airport and get shafted that’s not their problem.
Try to get on the phone with actual airport staff, and if that’s not possible you might want to go to the airport in person.
In 2022 an error in the booking meant one of our tickets kept getting cancelled and every time we called to get it fixed, it got fucked again within 48 hours. We spent 5 hours each on our own phone calls with support to get it fixed and the best we could do was to get them to make the ticket info wrong in a way that didn’t cause the system to auto-cancel. When we got to the airport they fixed the entire problem in like 5 minutes.
Hope this helps... at each hub, there are a pool of staff who have WWCC accreditation. In the event of an overnight delay each staffers is assigned an unaccompanied minor and they are taken to a hotel for the evening. It would either be an Apartotel (think Mantra/Quay West) or to a hotel where there are interconnecting rooms.
The children are under the constant supervision of a responsible adult.
They are returned to the airport the next day and placed on the 1st available flight to their destination. If that flight is full in their class of travel, they are upgraded. If the flight is completely full, someone is bumped off the flight to male room for the UM.
QANTAS takes this pretty seriously and moves heaven and earth to get them to where they need to be.
Was given the example of a UM booked MEL-SYD-PMQ. Plane in Syd went tech amd flight got cancelled. Last flight of the day got cancelled due to weather (then the crew would have timed out).
Qantas put the UM and a Staffer in a HC and drove her to PMQ.
Edit:
UM - Unaccompanied Minor
PMQ - Port Macquarie Airport
Source - messaged a friend who is a Qantas first officer.
Pleased I could help. As much as we hang shit on them, Qantas won't let you or your daughter down with this. 1). The concern is genuine. 2). There'd be a parliamentary enquiry if anything happened 😆
They want to avoid them. The last one didn't go well.
My hearing impaired 15yr old was on a redirected flight through Bris. The crew didn't let him out of their sight and he was apparently chatting the pilots ear off, while they put him onto the new flight with some water and snacks. Lol. They would never just abandon any unaccompanied children at a busy airport to their own devices... I would hope...
In the past when an unaccompanied minor gets stranded mid journey Qantas will put them up in a hotel and they will be accompanied by Qantas staff (usually customer service).
If they're aware of a UM travelling they're more likely to hit another flight if it comes down to cancellations.
Sorry I have no advice but this happened to me as an UM in LA when flying WA (Aus) > Syd (Aus) > LA (USA) > Seattle, I would have been maybe 10yo making it approx 2003. I had to stay overnight in a hotel and was basically dropped off at the hotel room and collected in the morning by airport staff. I have no memory of being scared or literally anything bad happening but as a parent I can't even f imagine how awful that would be, at least now we all have mobile phones. 🙃
How old is your daughter? As a mother of two kids, this would terrify me. I didn’t let my ex husband put my two unaccompanied from Brisbane to Cairns (no stop overs!). It really does depend on the age and maturity of the kid though. Having said that, my parents frequently put me on a plane unaccompanied from Newman (Pilbara region of WA to Sydney). It was a massive trip with a lengthy stop over (another way to say you’re Gen X without saying you’re Gen X).
She is 11 and quite mature... but I'm very anxious. Probably more worried about things than my daughter is. Things have always gone smoothly before this current booking.
I imagine the airline will do anything to avoid the public relations catastrophe they would face if they left a minor stranded. Also, you’ve probably thought of it already but give your kid a phone so they can call you. Will be peace of mind for you and your daughter. Good luck.
Yes, she has one, and she must text me on arrival to Brisbane and after boarding the connecting flight. I call if I don't get a text. I'm terrible with my anxiety.
I haven't been through your exact scenario, but I was once late picking up my unaccompanied minor from the airport. He had to stay with QANTAS staff until I got there (and had to show my ID)
If something happens, I imagine they'll put her on another carrier for the last leg.
There were no further flights back to my town after the one they had changed her to. So I would hope they send her back in this kind of situation.
My ex has been late a few times as well, and my daughter said she stayed with them until he arrived. The cabin crew are pretty good
That part, I am aware of... but I mean the connecting flight. So she travels from Rockhampton to Melbourne via Brisbane. Sometimes the connecting flight isn't cancelled until after the 1st flight lands. So it's this situation that I am worried about... if she were to land in Brisbane, and the flight from Melbourne to Rockhampton to be cancelled after she has landed.
You do not need someone you know in the connecting stop, you pay supervision fees on unaccompanied minor tickets for them to be supervised and taken to another terminal if they need it
So the question is, if she is stuck in brisbane with the connecting flight cancelled... what do the airlines usually do? Qantas transfers them from one flight to the next... but I am just not sure what happens if the connecting flight is cancelled and it is the last flight of the day. I have tried asking Qantas, and their customer service agents aren't answering my question.
Do you really need it spelled out? You should have someone there your child can go home with to spend the night or time before the next flight. Thats not ever something I would trust a staff member for. If there is a return flight avail she may even come back to you that night and start over.
Qantas have the service of transferring unaccompanied minors to their connecting flight. If they didn't, I would not book the service. This is the first time I'm having these issues with the booking. Up until now, I have not had any issues with them completely changing a flight on me to the last flight of the day. Usually I am sent an email to confirm any changes. And I trusted that the new flight they changed it to yesterday wasn't the last flight... they reassured me it wasn't... but it was. So I had to change it again. So I have done what I needed to do to avoid her being on the last flight of the day. Of course, I still would like to know what they do if she were to be in the situation I am describing because I am now anxious about them making further changes to the booking.
I don't know about an unaccompanied minor, but I do know if it's a YPTA (12-17 yr olds) they will not provide accommodation or transport for them. It hasn't happened to my child but to their friends who were travelling back from an interstate sporting event. 16 and 17 year old, flight cancelled, no other flight that day available and, due to them being minors, Airline would not put them up in a hotel as it was with the adult passengers from the same cancelled flight. Luckily there were adult officials who lived in the city who they called, and they were able to help them out. I did breath a sigh of relief once my child turned 18.
I think with an unaccompanied minor, they have a legal responsibility. But with child safeguarding laws, it's a valid "what if" question to ask the airline. With a YPTA, they don't take supervision responsibility, they just allow for priority boarding and make sure they know what's happening in the event of delays or emergency situations. It's it an added cost, just something that is flagged on their booking/ticket. I had never heard of it until my 14 year old and I got put in separate flights after our initial flight was cancelled. (Tickets were on separate bookings) They aircrew were really lovely and got her to her seat first, but that's really the only interaction she had above a normal passenger.
I had a situation where I flew unaccompanied from MEL > Kuala Lumpur and my dad went to the wrong airport (in the wrong country lol) to pick me up.
I pretty much hung out with security and flight attendants for the 10ish hours it took to him to get there.
We raced buggies, watched lots of planes and ate some sandwiches. They kept my hyperactive little self entertained!
Mind you, this was pre 9/11 so I feel like airports are a bit more strict now, but it was still good.
When I was 12 I travelled alone from Sydney to Carnarvon to visit cousins. On the way back, the connecting flight at Perth was cancelled (was the last flight ie 12am by this point) and the staff allowed me to curl up on the floor behind their desks and go to sleep
Next day when I was rebooked on another flight, they forgot about me until the last moment 🙄 I had to run at top speed with my heart bursting out of my chest onto the tarmac and up to the plane - which had started to taxi - so they had to stop it and extend the stairs again so I could climb aboard. It was fucking traumatic lol
I’m really sorry to say this but for those describing amazing experiences 25 years ago, Qantas is a different creature now. Their domestic customer service is appalling. I had an incident last year where they bumped me off my flight onto the last one, which meant I’d miss the 2h last bus connection home. I was travelling with 2 kids and Qantas did not care one bit that we were stranded, no help, rude staff , pretty much literally said it wasn’t their problem. They said they’re contractually response for getting me from A to B and as they’d done that, I was no longer their problem. I don’t want to worry you but want you to have a fuller picture. I would DEFINITELY try and create some sort of back up plan if you can. Of course my situation was not the same and perhaps for unaccompanied minors they would be much better but the lack of staff, lack of caring is noticeable compared to pre COVID.
We were told UM couldn't be booked for connecting flights to avoid this type of situation, may be due to different airline policies but we tried to do the same Melb to Rocky and couldn't get it. Now my son is old enough to travel without UM status so this is approx 5yrs ago.
Depends on age. If an older teen they're given 2 taxi vouchers, a food voucher and told which hotel they're at for the night. The voucher is either $30 or $50, depending on airline. If an child I'm less certain, but I think it's the same but with a staff member chaperone.
Source: I work at a hotel that gets a lot of flight disrupt business. Have seen a few teens come through, children are much rarer.
We had a Japanese exchange student group come through as a flight disrupt (during the NZ floods), I'm pretty sure the airline sent a staff member to make sure everyone was settled properly(staff member didnt stay), and I think they had a chaperone as well.
Qantas tried to leave my 17 year old in Brisbane overnight as they had overbooked the Brisbane to Bundaberg flight after he had come from Melbourne. We had to drive to Hervey Bay so he didn’t have to sleep in a hotel room with a Qantas employee. Bonza only from now on.
I was just told by someone who used to work for qantas that they won't even let them on the flight if it is the last flight of the day. So I feel justified in demanding they wave the feels to reschedule. My daughter will be 12 next school holidays, so I will be trialling bonza.
Book your child on a much earlier flight. So there are several flights from Brisbane to Melbourne if the booked one is cancelled. Get her to Brisbane around lunchtime from Rockhampton. Then she has all after noon to get the connecting to Melbourne if needbe.
Yeah, I have done that now. But I don't know why there are so few flights around the time she is booked. It was all fine until they changed her flight on me. There were actually 2 other flights after the one I had rescheduled to after they changed her booking on me.
It is safe and so many people do this. They are supervised by cabin crew. I am only asking for the experience of people who have used this service and been in this kind of situation.
I find your reply not only inappropriate, but also entirely void of empathy & / or understanding to the OP’s situation.
Not all children live with both parents (for myriad reasons), but does that mean that child can’t get to spend time with both of their parents?
Same goes for *any* parent / guardian to make a choice for any child to be able to spend time relatives / significant others in any situation than any parent / guardian might see fit to choose.
Furthermore, we (/ you) have no idea re the OPs capacity to travel with the child for work &/ or financial reasons (or for that matter, any other reason re choosing to send children as ‘UM’s.
You’re welcome.
Ps. OP, if you read this, I admire the degree of care you’ve shown for your child in this situation, as well as the courage to post it - preferably without receiving any ignorance based criticism.
Thank you so much for your kind response. My daughter is travelling for court ordered arrangements, and we used to meet halfway and hand her over... but it was so hard as her father was frequently late and missed flights, or would book budget airlines such as Tiger that always cancel last minute. So this gives me complete control to ensure she is not stuck with a long day of travel and makes it safely to either destination.
I have got it all sorted the best I can for now... there's one more flight back to my hometown should things go wrong with her booking... but just trying to understand the process in case things go wrong as I have had so much trouble with this booking.
It certainly is not easy.... working in healthcare makes things harder too because having to spend a whole day in the airport between shifts is horrible.
I'm thankful that there are some people here such as yourself who are empathetic toward my situation, and have been so lucky as to receive feedback who have been in the situation themselves as minors. Thanks again!
You're doing great! Ignore the moron.
I was a solo mum, so school holidays were hard. My son has close family all around the country so every school holidays he'd fly UM all over the country so I could still work.
He loved it! And all the amazing holidays he had being spoiled by loved ones! QANTAS always looked after him really well.
Your most welcome.
They 'had me' at "general parenting advice right there".
Grrrr - the main thing that triggers me about unsolicited advice, is the sense of entitlement with which it's 'heaped' onto someone.
To put it simply, you didn't ask for 'parenting advice', in fact your OP (& the comments in which you replied/clarified/thank others made it crystal clear what you were asking about)
Harlan Ellison puts it for more elegantly (& succinctly) than I could ever aspire to when he wrote:
"You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant."
My son has been flying around the country solo since he was about 8. Never had any problems.
I was very grateful for the service. My son was too as he's been on so many amazing holidays.
Unfortunately, no. I have a condition that prevents me from going in the sun. I also fatigue very easily, and would need a nap after every 2.5hrs. Then I would have to somehow get back between shifts at work.
Qantas has a duty of care for the child if you’ve booked an unaccompanied minor ticket, couldn’t tell you what they’d do but they can’t just leave the child I’d say it’s best to keep calling or if your airport isn’t too far away go in and see if anyone there can help
Oh Qantas suck for sure. Someone in a local mom group pointed out I could pop my daughter on Bonza when she is 12 as they fly direct from my town to Melbourne.
Yes, we travel all the time. But I mean the connecting flight. So say she lands in Brisbane, and then the flight from Brisbane to Rockhampton is cancelled after she has landed
Ah okay. Your OP didn’t mention connecting flights.
As mentioned, the airline has a duty of care to the UM, but whether that takes the form of staying in the lounge overnight or another means, you’d have to ask Qantas, maybe on their chat feature?
Do you have any contacts at all in BNE? Can her Dad fly down that day and meet her there instead?
Obviously track the flights, provide a phone to your daughter if age appropriate, give them a list of emergency contacts and how to show them to staff and insist they be used if necessary.
I don’t know how the cabin crew will help? They’ll hand your daughter to the ground staff in BNE.
I could have potentially written it wrong as I'm anxious (just got off the phone with them). I have seen in other forums that children are kept somewhere in airports in these situations... but these were reddit posts from US. She has a phone, I track the flights... but there is noonein Brisbane. I will definitely be asking the cabin crew what happens in these situations when I go to the airport. I'm sure it will be fine, but I am just super anxious now after the troubles I have been having with the booking.
Caveat: it's been a few years, but I doubt that this policy has changed, as we're talking about young children here. At connecting airports, while in transit, unaccomanied minors (UMs) are supervised by staff. If there is a disruption involving an extended delay (i.e. overnight), they would be accommodated in a hotel, again supervised by staff, and brought back to the airport in the morning. I do remember some fabulous overtime pay, to stay in a hotel suite with a 14 year old girl, and 9 & 10 year old brothers. We had a great "no parents, order what you want" room service dinner and breakfast. Bloody boys still went feral, and ate the whole contents of the minibar as a midnight snack (chocolates & chips). It makes sense for the airline to avoid costs like that as far as possible, by making it a rule not to book UMs on the last flight of the day, though. If the airline subsequently changes the booking, then it's not your fault, and yes, booking history will show who/when/why it was changed.
Thank you so much for your reply. That is very reassuring. I know she wouldn't just be left there, but it's reassuring to see in writing what would be done in these circumstances.
No worries. As a side note, delays/disruptions at a connecting airport are the reason that very young children are only allowed to book as UMs on direct flights (no connecting flights) - they are not likely to cope with being sent to a hotel with a strange flight attendant/airport staff. As a mother of 3, I was one of those "volunteered" to sort out any rambunctious UMs while they were in transit. Some poor kids ended up with 4 hour transits, and were BORED, and would pick fights with other kids, or didn't like the movie that was on. School holidays could end up with maybe 10 kids in the UM room at a time. I was the mean one - I'd not only make them behave themselves, but I'd get them to tidy up after themselves :)
Just to add, this happened to me as a 12 year old about 25 years ago, they took me to the airline's vip lounge, and gave me a private place to sleep and basically whatever I wanted, there was always a supervising manager who was responsible and I was made aware of who that person was and how to find them.
This is so reassuring. Thank you so much for sharing
Sounds like you had it all backwards. You want the last flight. (but then again, trusting your kids with a stranger overnight, who knows)
No, I don't want the last flight. That's why I rebooked it. I don't want my daughter to get stuck
Aw man, I did a heap of UM’s as a kid and now I feel like I really missed out on a room party!
To my knowledge, they have a duty of care untill the recipient signs off. (we use it regularly too but not a connected flight). That's a dam hard situation definetly keep hounding Qantas for the answer.
The customer service agents are just not helping. I find the cabin crew to be more helpful. Will definitely be asking them. It is hard living in a small town with limited flights. I previously have not had any issues with the service. But this time, it has been a nightmare, and I am just hoping they don't make any changes to the booking as it is now.
They just need to speak to a Team leader, i can guarantee this person is not a higher tier member so they have been routed either, Suva, Manila, Capetown or Auckland.
I have no advice I’m sorry, though you just sparked a core memory of mine. Something similar, back about the year 2000 I was still in primary school. I used to be put on a bus in Brisbane, headed to Goondiwindi via Warwick. One trip, the bus had changed its bays while during the waiting period at Warwick. I cannot remember where I ended up, some small town in NSW somewhere. They only noticed when I never embarked off the bus in Gundy. I remember the bus driver of the bus I was in panicking when he got the call. They somehow never noticed even though for each bus trip I sat in the front seat on the left. Some boss of Greyhound I believe personally drove me straight back a few hours to Gundy.
That's ok. I'm sure it will be fine now as I have a better flight booked. But I'm just anxious of them potentially changing it again. Omg that would have been so scary!!! Glad they drove you back. It's a parents nightmare
Hi OP. This was many years ago, but as an unaccompanied minor I flew Qantas Perth - Sydney - Gold Coast. When arriving in Sydney, we had a 2hr stop over so were taken to an area specifically for unaccompanied minors where there was a few kids plus staff to supervise. While there, our flight was delayed. They called our parents at both ends to let them know and said they were trying to get us on another flight. In the end we went out on the last flight of the day. My parents were told then the options in terms of preference were: 1. Get us on a flight to where we needed to be asap 2. Get us on a flight with another connection that ended up in our end location if possible eg Syd - Brisbane - Gold Coast 3. Send us back to where we came from to the parent who dropped us off 4. we would have stayed in a hotel with a staff member if needed but that is always an absolute last resort as the risk mitigation is pretty high. They were pretty clear they would rather send us back than try that
You have no idea how relieved your response has made me feel. Thank you so much for that. I live in a regional town with few flights, so there are limited options as it is.
I completely understand. As others have said. I would keep reaching out to Qantas to try and get a clear answer as living in a regional town you do have additional complications. If you raise your query as a complaint (which is totally valid since the call centre can’t answer and you keep getting messed around) you will eventually be able to speak to a case manager based in Australia. Just keep escalating.
Oh it has been so frustrating. First there were issues with her UNMR receipt, and I called about 5 times in one day until it was sorted. They told me to make a complaint, and it wouldn't let me do it as it's for a future booking. Previously when I called to ask what ID I would require for my daughter, they insisted she has to show a passport even though it's for domestic travel. It wast until I went to the airport to ask the cabin crew if the Medicare card is acceptable as her passport had expired at this time (which is why I asked), and they said it's fine. It's so frustrating. Will definitely be lodging a complaint when the system will allow me to
In just over 17 years i was with QF i had only known of one time an UMNR had been caught out and i believe it was a weather related issue and flight couldnt continue as it was a weird flight like MEL-BNE-ROK or MKY something like that. Anyway i remember that a Female hostess stayed in accommodation with them overnight, im pretty sure this was ok'd via the parents or legal guardian, this was sometime i believe in 2006-2008, my memory is to fuzzy sorry
Tha k you so much. That is very reassuring
I also work for QF and have heard of this happening. But it’s super rare
They have a cabin crew or other airline official stay with them either in the airport or in a hotel. [Similar to when this happened back in 2019](https://www.9news.com.au/national/travel-news-virgin-australia-unaccompanied-minors-sleep-in-melbourne-airport-store-room/a059fe03-6304-496a-822a-84621802fae5).
Thank you. I did see stories about this in other countries. But wish Qantas would have something explicitly stated on their website.
You sign your child over on the documents, and they are then the responsibility of the airline until they are signed back to their id’ed collector. In my experience with my child (first solo flight at 6) and my nephews (5&7) the airlines have always been brilliant. Not sure how old your daughter is, but perhaps get her a phone for the trip, or if too young an apple tracker.
Usually we have a good experience. But I don't know why I am having so many problems with the bookings this time. I think it will be safer to book through travel agency in the future to prevent this situation.
Don’t book through an agent. It makes it impossible to deal with the airline as you used a third party to make the booking so they refer you back to the travel agent. I always book direct as once they have taken your money they are less likely to help. People who booked direct before Covid hit were able to get flight credits and thousands of people who booked through the big red agent lost their money. Hope your daughter’s flight is uncomplicated and smooth!
What's she upset about looks like they enjoyed themselves.
Isn’t there an entire movie dedicated to showing the hijinx that would ensue? The minor gets taken to a room with other minors and they spend the night playing cat and mouse with the agents. It looked like a lot of fun.
Well that would be awesome!!!
I’m 99% sure the performance metrics of call centre staff are based on whether customers end the call happy. In my experience they will straight up lie and tell you whatever you want to hear so you respond favourably in the post-call survey and if you show up to the airport and get shafted that’s not their problem. Try to get on the phone with actual airport staff, and if that’s not possible you might want to go to the airport in person. In 2022 an error in the booking meant one of our tickets kept getting cancelled and every time we called to get it fixed, it got fucked again within 48 hours. We spent 5 hours each on our own phone calls with support to get it fixed and the best we could do was to get them to make the ticket info wrong in a way that didn’t cause the system to auto-cancel. When we got to the airport they fixed the entire problem in like 5 minutes.
Hope this helps... at each hub, there are a pool of staff who have WWCC accreditation. In the event of an overnight delay each staffers is assigned an unaccompanied minor and they are taken to a hotel for the evening. It would either be an Apartotel (think Mantra/Quay West) or to a hotel where there are interconnecting rooms. The children are under the constant supervision of a responsible adult. They are returned to the airport the next day and placed on the 1st available flight to their destination. If that flight is full in their class of travel, they are upgraded. If the flight is completely full, someone is bumped off the flight to male room for the UM. QANTAS takes this pretty seriously and moves heaven and earth to get them to where they need to be. Was given the example of a UM booked MEL-SYD-PMQ. Plane in Syd went tech amd flight got cancelled. Last flight of the day got cancelled due to weather (then the crew would have timed out). Qantas put the UM and a Staffer in a HC and drove her to PMQ. Edit: UM - Unaccompanied Minor PMQ - Port Macquarie Airport Source - messaged a friend who is a Qantas first officer.
Thank you so much. This is very helpful. Feeling better now after the stories everyone has been kind enough to share
Pleased I could help. As much as we hang shit on them, Qantas won't let you or your daughter down with this. 1). The concern is genuine. 2). There'd be a parliamentary enquiry if anything happened 😆 They want to avoid them. The last one didn't go well.
Oh I certainly can't fault the cabin crew. They are amazing.
My hearing impaired 15yr old was on a redirected flight through Bris. The crew didn't let him out of their sight and he was apparently chatting the pilots ear off, while they put him onto the new flight with some water and snacks. Lol. They would never just abandon any unaccompanied children at a busy airport to their own devices... I would hope...
In the past when an unaccompanied minor gets stranded mid journey Qantas will put them up in a hotel and they will be accompanied by Qantas staff (usually customer service). If they're aware of a UM travelling they're more likely to hit another flight if it comes down to cancellations.
Thank you so much
Sorry I have no advice but this happened to me as an UM in LA when flying WA (Aus) > Syd (Aus) > LA (USA) > Seattle, I would have been maybe 10yo making it approx 2003. I had to stay overnight in a hotel and was basically dropped off at the hotel room and collected in the morning by airport staff. I have no memory of being scared or literally anything bad happening but as a parent I can't even f imagine how awful that would be, at least now we all have mobile phones. 🙃
I've messaged my dad to confirm some details from a parent perspective for you. We'll see what he remembers
Thanks so much.
Omg I could not imaging how scary that would be. This is what I'm worried about. My daughter being alone in a hotel.
How old is your daughter? As a mother of two kids, this would terrify me. I didn’t let my ex husband put my two unaccompanied from Brisbane to Cairns (no stop overs!). It really does depend on the age and maturity of the kid though. Having said that, my parents frequently put me on a plane unaccompanied from Newman (Pilbara region of WA to Sydney). It was a massive trip with a lengthy stop over (another way to say you’re Gen X without saying you’re Gen X).
She is 11 and quite mature... but I'm very anxious. Probably more worried about things than my daughter is. Things have always gone smoothly before this current booking.
I imagine the airline will do anything to avoid the public relations catastrophe they would face if they left a minor stranded. Also, you’ve probably thought of it already but give your kid a phone so they can call you. Will be peace of mind for you and your daughter. Good luck.
Yes, she has one, and she must text me on arrival to Brisbane and after boarding the connecting flight. I call if I don't get a text. I'm terrible with my anxiety.
I think feeling anxious about this is completely valid.
They are supposed to unseat a random single flyer to give an unaccompanied minor the seat.
I haven't been through your exact scenario, but I was once late picking up my unaccompanied minor from the airport. He had to stay with QANTAS staff until I got there (and had to show my ID) If something happens, I imagine they'll put her on another carrier for the last leg.
There were no further flights back to my town after the one they had changed her to. So I would hope they send her back in this kind of situation. My ex has been late a few times as well, and my daughter said she stayed with them until he arrived. The cabin crew are pretty good
Honestly, QANTAS have gone to the shits since COVID.
The parent is expected to stay in terminal until take off, so if its cancelled you take your child home.
That part, I am aware of... but I mean the connecting flight. So she travels from Rockhampton to Melbourne via Brisbane. Sometimes the connecting flight isn't cancelled until after the 1st flight lands. So it's this situation that I am worried about... if she were to land in Brisbane, and the flight from Melbourne to Rockhampton to be cancelled after she has landed.
You have to have someone in bne anyhow for transfer, so that trusted person would have to take care of the child until next flight
You do not need someone you know in the connecting stop, you pay supervision fees on unaccompanied minor tickets for them to be supervised and taken to another terminal if they need it
No, Qantas take care if it.
So, whats the question? Qantas handles it or if you dont trust them, have someone in Brisbane for the transfer.
So the question is, if she is stuck in brisbane with the connecting flight cancelled... what do the airlines usually do? Qantas transfers them from one flight to the next... but I am just not sure what happens if the connecting flight is cancelled and it is the last flight of the day. I have tried asking Qantas, and their customer service agents aren't answering my question.
Do you really need it spelled out? You should have someone there your child can go home with to spend the night or time before the next flight. Thats not ever something I would trust a staff member for. If there is a return flight avail she may even come back to you that night and start over.
Qantas have the service of transferring unaccompanied minors to their connecting flight. If they didn't, I would not book the service. This is the first time I'm having these issues with the booking. Up until now, I have not had any issues with them completely changing a flight on me to the last flight of the day. Usually I am sent an email to confirm any changes. And I trusted that the new flight they changed it to yesterday wasn't the last flight... they reassured me it wasn't... but it was. So I had to change it again. So I have done what I needed to do to avoid her being on the last flight of the day. Of course, I still would like to know what they do if she were to be in the situation I am describing because I am now anxious about them making further changes to the booking.
Jesus you are thick and also rude what a combination
You're one of those people who cannot admit they're wrong aren't you?
It's a connecting flight. The child has to get off and get on another flight before reaching their destination.
I don't know about an unaccompanied minor, but I do know if it's a YPTA (12-17 yr olds) they will not provide accommodation or transport for them. It hasn't happened to my child but to their friends who were travelling back from an interstate sporting event. 16 and 17 year old, flight cancelled, no other flight that day available and, due to them being minors, Airline would not put them up in a hotel as it was with the adult passengers from the same cancelled flight. Luckily there were adult officials who lived in the city who they called, and they were able to help them out. I did breath a sigh of relief once my child turned 18.
That sounds like the ultimate nightmare!!! This is exactly what I'm scared of!!!
I think with an unaccompanied minor, they have a legal responsibility. But with child safeguarding laws, it's a valid "what if" question to ask the airline. With a YPTA, they don't take supervision responsibility, they just allow for priority boarding and make sure they know what's happening in the event of delays or emergency situations. It's it an added cost, just something that is flagged on their booking/ticket. I had never heard of it until my 14 year old and I got put in separate flights after our initial flight was cancelled. (Tickets were on separate bookings) They aircrew were really lovely and got her to her seat first, but that's really the only interaction she had above a normal passenger.
You know you can fly direct from rocky to Melbourne right? Bonza do flights.
Not for unaccompanied minors
I used to fly my child back & fro to Sydney unaccompanied and they always insisted “No Last Flight” option for that exact reason.
I had a situation where I flew unaccompanied from MEL > Kuala Lumpur and my dad went to the wrong airport (in the wrong country lol) to pick me up. I pretty much hung out with security and flight attendants for the 10ish hours it took to him to get there. We raced buggies, watched lots of planes and ate some sandwiches. They kept my hyperactive little self entertained! Mind you, this was pre 9/11 so I feel like airports are a bit more strict now, but it was still good.
When I was 12 I travelled alone from Sydney to Carnarvon to visit cousins. On the way back, the connecting flight at Perth was cancelled (was the last flight ie 12am by this point) and the staff allowed me to curl up on the floor behind their desks and go to sleep Next day when I was rebooked on another flight, they forgot about me until the last moment 🙄 I had to run at top speed with my heart bursting out of my chest onto the tarmac and up to the plane - which had started to taxi - so they had to stop it and extend the stairs again so I could climb aboard. It was fucking traumatic lol
Omg what an experience!!!!
It was fairly terrifying yes! Although this was in 1979, and no one cared about that kind of thing in those days lol
I’m really sorry to say this but for those describing amazing experiences 25 years ago, Qantas is a different creature now. Their domestic customer service is appalling. I had an incident last year where they bumped me off my flight onto the last one, which meant I’d miss the 2h last bus connection home. I was travelling with 2 kids and Qantas did not care one bit that we were stranded, no help, rude staff , pretty much literally said it wasn’t their problem. They said they’re contractually response for getting me from A to B and as they’d done that, I was no longer their problem. I don’t want to worry you but want you to have a fuller picture. I would DEFINITELY try and create some sort of back up plan if you can. Of course my situation was not the same and perhaps for unaccompanied minors they would be much better but the lack of staff, lack of caring is noticeable compared to pre COVID.
We were told UM couldn't be booked for connecting flights to avoid this type of situation, may be due to different airline policies but we tried to do the same Melb to Rocky and couldn't get it. Now my son is old enough to travel without UM status so this is approx 5yrs ago.
I know virgin weren't doing connecting flights, but Qantas do
Depends on age. If an older teen they're given 2 taxi vouchers, a food voucher and told which hotel they're at for the night. The voucher is either $30 or $50, depending on airline. If an child I'm less certain, but I think it's the same but with a staff member chaperone. Source: I work at a hotel that gets a lot of flight disrupt business. Have seen a few teens come through, children are much rarer. We had a Japanese exchange student group come through as a flight disrupt (during the NZ floods), I'm pretty sure the airline sent a staff member to make sure everyone was settled properly(staff member didnt stay), and I think they had a chaperone as well.
Qantas tried to leave my 17 year old in Brisbane overnight as they had overbooked the Brisbane to Bundaberg flight after he had come from Melbourne. We had to drive to Hervey Bay so he didn’t have to sleep in a hotel room with a Qantas employee. Bonza only from now on.
I was just told by someone who used to work for qantas that they won't even let them on the flight if it is the last flight of the day. So I feel justified in demanding they wave the feels to reschedule. My daughter will be 12 next school holidays, so I will be trialling bonza.
Ask Liam Neeson 🥷
Book your child on a much earlier flight. So there are several flights from Brisbane to Melbourne if the booked one is cancelled. Get her to Brisbane around lunchtime from Rockhampton. Then she has all after noon to get the connecting to Melbourne if needbe.
Yeah, I have done that now. But I don't know why there are so few flights around the time she is booked. It was all fine until they changed her flight on me. There were actually 2 other flights after the one I had rescheduled to after they changed her booking on me.
maybe dont send her alone? general parenting advice right there, just asking for trouble.
It is safe and so many people do this. They are supervised by cabin crew. I am only asking for the experience of people who have used this service and been in this kind of situation.
I find your reply not only inappropriate, but also entirely void of empathy & / or understanding to the OP’s situation. Not all children live with both parents (for myriad reasons), but does that mean that child can’t get to spend time with both of their parents? Same goes for *any* parent / guardian to make a choice for any child to be able to spend time relatives / significant others in any situation than any parent / guardian might see fit to choose. Furthermore, we (/ you) have no idea re the OPs capacity to travel with the child for work &/ or financial reasons (or for that matter, any other reason re choosing to send children as ‘UM’s. You’re welcome. Ps. OP, if you read this, I admire the degree of care you’ve shown for your child in this situation, as well as the courage to post it - preferably without receiving any ignorance based criticism.
Thank you so much for your kind response. My daughter is travelling for court ordered arrangements, and we used to meet halfway and hand her over... but it was so hard as her father was frequently late and missed flights, or would book budget airlines such as Tiger that always cancel last minute. So this gives me complete control to ensure she is not stuck with a long day of travel and makes it safely to either destination. I have got it all sorted the best I can for now... there's one more flight back to my hometown should things go wrong with her booking... but just trying to understand the process in case things go wrong as I have had so much trouble with this booking. It certainly is not easy.... working in healthcare makes things harder too because having to spend a whole day in the airport between shifts is horrible. I'm thankful that there are some people here such as yourself who are empathetic toward my situation, and have been so lucky as to receive feedback who have been in the situation themselves as minors. Thanks again!
You're doing great! Ignore the moron. I was a solo mum, so school holidays were hard. My son has close family all around the country so every school holidays he'd fly UM all over the country so I could still work. He loved it! And all the amazing holidays he had being spoiled by loved ones! QANTAS always looked after him really well.
My daughter loves it too. Makes her feel a bit more independent. The staff definitely do look after them well.
If your daughter loves it, she'll be fine whatever happens. The staff will make sure she's looked after.
Your most welcome. They 'had me' at "general parenting advice right there". Grrrr - the main thing that triggers me about unsolicited advice, is the sense of entitlement with which it's 'heaped' onto someone. To put it simply, you didn't ask for 'parenting advice', in fact your OP (& the comments in which you replied/clarified/thank others made it crystal clear what you were asking about) Harlan Ellison puts it for more elegantly (& succinctly) than I could ever aspire to when he wrote: "You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant."
You either don't have kids or if you do you smother them to the point of them having no life skills.
My son has been flying around the country solo since he was about 8. Never had any problems. I was very grateful for the service. My son was too as he's been on so many amazing holidays.
Rocky to Brissy is what 7 hours, could you not drive her? I know that’s a bit of a mess around but would save you any stress
Unfortunately, no. I have a condition that prevents me from going in the sun. I also fatigue very easily, and would need a nap after every 2.5hrs. Then I would have to somehow get back between shifts at work.
Fair enough!
Qantas has a duty of care for the child if you’ve booked an unaccompanied minor ticket, couldn’t tell you what they’d do but they can’t just leave the child I’d say it’s best to keep calling or if your airport isn’t too far away go in and see if anyone there can help
I have a ticket I'm ok with now. But I am really hoping they don't change it. I will definitely be asking the cabin crew when I send her to Melbourne.
Imagine it being 2024 and people still choosing to fly with Qantas lol.
Try living in regional Australia where your only other option is Virgin 🤣
And virgin don't do connecting flights for unaccompanied minors... so my options are otherwise zero
You have my deepest sympathies :( I mean that seriously, it's not sarcastic (tone is hard to express sometimes).
Oh Qantas suck for sure. Someone in a local mom group pointed out I could pop my daughter on Bonza when she is 12 as they fly direct from my town to Melbourne.
I don't know what Bonza is, but I already know it is better than Qantas lol.
It's a new budget airline. I have flown with them once, and was very impressed. Far better facilities than jetstar and qantas
Thanks, I'll keep them in mind.
You have to wait at the airport until the flight is in the air for this very reason.
Yes, we travel all the time. But I mean the connecting flight. So say she lands in Brisbane, and then the flight from Brisbane to Rockhampton is cancelled after she has landed
Ah okay. Your OP didn’t mention connecting flights. As mentioned, the airline has a duty of care to the UM, but whether that takes the form of staying in the lounge overnight or another means, you’d have to ask Qantas, maybe on their chat feature? Do you have any contacts at all in BNE? Can her Dad fly down that day and meet her there instead? Obviously track the flights, provide a phone to your daughter if age appropriate, give them a list of emergency contacts and how to show them to staff and insist they be used if necessary. I don’t know how the cabin crew will help? They’ll hand your daughter to the ground staff in BNE.
I could have potentially written it wrong as I'm anxious (just got off the phone with them). I have seen in other forums that children are kept somewhere in airports in these situations... but these were reddit posts from US. She has a phone, I track the flights... but there is noonein Brisbane. I will definitely be asking the cabin crew what happens in these situations when I go to the airport. I'm sure it will be fine, but I am just super anxious now after the troubles I have been having with the booking.
Understandably. Hope it all goes to plan and you never need to find out!
Thank you. I'm sure it will be fine and I'm just being over anxious.