[prettyfrequentflyer]

Recently I purchased tickets for my three grand daughter to come to visit us. All are 14. Two were to travel on AA the third on NWA. It was a mistake to put any of them on either of these airlines. My mistake, because both of these carriers consider 14 year olds unaccompanied minors, no different than 8 year olds. Many other airlines end this restriction at 12. This was my error, and I knew it would cost me to change. However, the difference between how AA and NWA handled it was completely opposite. When I asked, AA issued the refund voucher in my name so that my wife and/or I could use the money for future flights. We will pay (dearly) in cancellation fees, but that is non negotiable and, except for SWA, industry wide.

NWA would not budge on issuing the voucher to me, the person who paid for the ticket. Three emails, and it was as if there was an auto response. I got the same idiotic response each time. What was the most aggravating was that they had copies of AA's mail, so see how a competitor adjusted the issue, but kept insulting me by saying they were "being fair in how they applied their rules". Fair to who? Why would I use this airline ever again?

[Leatherboy2006]

Would the child flying alone fee had been more of then the cancel fee. To be honest with everything you hear about on the news today, I would have much rather had then go as unaccompanied minors then be on their own. It might have been embarrassing for the girls, but in the long run this is not the same world it use to be...sadly.

[PHXFlyer]

Your post is not completely clear. Did you cancel the tickets because of the unaccompanied minor fee or because something changed with the travel plans?

In any case, you must accept that the the tickets were both non-refundable AND non-transferable. AA and NW are two different companies. Just because AA made an exception and issued the vouchers for the girls' tickets in your name doesn't mean that NW automatically must or will. You can keep sending e-mails but you've already received NW's response several times and they're not likely to budge on the matter.

Regarding the UM rules and fees, all airlines are indeed different. I'm sure your 14 year old granddaughters are perfectly capable of traveling alone. Not all 14 year olds are. The airlines are simply "covering their butts" with a blanket policy that if a child hasn't reached their 15th birthday, they can't travel alone unless declared an unaccompanied minor. I think they chose this age with the FAA exit row restriction in mind. A 15 year old can occupy an exit row seat. I guess the airlines figure if they're old enough to sit in the exit row they're old enough to travel alone.

[prettyfrequentflyer]

The girls have traveled coast to coast before, just on different airlines. I had no worries about them doing it again.

It's not just the fee, it's the other restrictions that made the tickets useless. No last flights out, no code share transfers. The NWA flight was last one out of the day, the AA flights had a code share on the way home. Booking these was my error, and I have no issue with the airlines on these rules.

HOWEVER, to say that I must accept the rules is being, pretty much, being an apologist for the airline. Sure, I must except them in the sense that I can't start a law suit. However, if the name of the game is customer service, and I explain to two different companies that I realized my error, and that I don't expect a full refund, but would appreciate the consideration of issuing the voucher in my name so that it has a, reasonable, expectation of being used, and one company can understand the situation, and the other does not, why would I want to do accept their position and do future business with them? Why have a human read the emails if all they can do is respond with a pat answer that a computer could have done? Sorry, but that's not customer service, pure BS, it's nonsense.

[bah humbug]

Originally Posted by prettyfrequentflyer

Sorry, but that's not customer service, pure BS, it's nonsense.

Once again...someone not getting their way equals poor customer service.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by bah humbug

Once again...someone not getting their way equals poor customer service.

+1! Completely agree. She's two for three with getting the airlines to bend the rules because her situation is so unique and special but is still not happy with the outcome. This is a fantastic illustration of why the rules aren't generally bent and that exceptions are rare. When the customer is given a free pass it then becomes an expectation. She convinced someone at AA to issue the voucher in her name and EXPECTED NW to do the same. The mere fact that AA had granted the exception was even presented to NW as a reason for why they should grant the same exception.

prettyfrequentflyer - why can't you just be happy with the outcome with AA and chalk NW's decision up to a learning experience. Restrictions on unaccompanied minors are al on the airlines' websites. A little prudent research on your part would have gone a long way.

[justme]

As much as it pains me to say so, I agree 100% with PHX and Humbug. Just because one airline bent their rules doesn't mean that the next one should automatically do it as well. Especially when it was due to you making the mistake in the first place by not reading up on the policies about UMs.

[The_Judge]

reported 9e284 spam

[getoutthere]

This post is a result of what can happen when you "bend the rules."