Going Solo

Written by Leher Kala

November 28, 2011 03:47 AM IST

4 min read

The star in my eight-year-old sons class isnt the best soccer player or the prettiest girl,its a kid whos been catching a flight alone to Kolkata during school holidays since the age of six,to meet his grandparents. Its a cumbersome process for children travelling alone on flights an adult has to do the check-in,take the child to security and identify luggage before an airline attendant takes over. The parent also has to wait till the aircraft takes off. At the destination,the child is handed over to the assigned adult,after signing all sorts of disclaimers.

There can be few things more exciting or adventurous for a child than a trip alone on a plane,being fussed over by airline attendants and bombarded with candies and Coke. Besides the bragging rights,of course. This child looks forward to it and hes done it so often its no longer a big deal. And hes hardly the exception there are many children as young as five catching flights alone,out of necessity,since working parents dont get time off busy schedules. Different airlines have different policies regarding unaccompanied minors. In India,they are allowed only on non-stop flights,they require an earlier check-in and usually,theres no extra charge. Another eight-year-old kid I know went to Paris with his horse riding class,accompanied by their teacher. However,on the way back,his parents had to pay a full-price ticket for an escort since the airlines policy didnt permit kids that young alone on international flights. A six-year-old I know travels between Bangalore and Lucknow,again,to meet aunts,uncles and grandparents.

Brave parents,I say. Their faith in Indias flailing aviation industry is most encouraging. But one of the moms,whose kid has travelled alone several times in the past,tells me she wouldnt send him in the current scenario. Though far from being a nervous flier,I have never got onto a plane without thinking that if God wanted humans to fly,he would have given us wings. Sure,air travel,statistics-wise is way safer than travel by road or rail. Call me paranoid,but I shelved the idea of my child catching a flight alone to Goa for his winter vacations the fog,flights getting delayed,diverted,or cancelled like they do so often these days,makes the process very dicey. Another issue right now is that airline employees are a disgruntled,disillusioned lot,who are thankful just to receive their pay cheque every month and are living with the constant threat of unemployment. These are not factors conducive to taking pride in your job. In these circumstances,when airlines have run out of money for jet fuel,whos to know whether the checks and balances to ensure planes are in tip-top condition,are even happening?

A few years ago,a cousin of mine told me how he stopped flying low-cost carriers after the company he works for did a thorough analysis on aviation practices in India. They discovered that low-cost carriers were meeting safety criteria alright,but they were five times more likely to cut corners on due diligence for example,if top airlines were hiring engineers from IIT to service planes,the low-cost ones were hiring cheaper staff from less-reputed institutes. The security drills,too,were more lax. Of course,it doesnt make them dangerous but it certainly makes the overcautious among us a tad uncomfortable. With vacations around the corner,lets hope our airlines make a recovery and restore passenger confidence,somewhat. Irrespective,we will philosophically continue to take our chances and leave our safety to our fate. Thats the only option besides staying home.

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Going Solo

The star in my eight-year-old sons class isnt the best soccer player or the prettiest girl,its a kid whos been catching a flight alone to Kolkata during school holidays since the age of six,to meet his grandparents.

The star in my eight-year-old sons class isnt the best soccer player or the prettiest girl,its a kid whos been catching a flight alone to Kolkata during school holidays since the age of six,to meet his grandparents.