OK, so I'm hoping to get my son in the States here for a visit. He'd be flying from an airport where there would be no direct flights to Zurich, so his best option is to fly to London and change there. He's 17, so old enough and smart enough to figure this out, but the fact is, it would take him longer to get through security and/or customs than most people for a particular reason, and he's usually got me to help.

So I'm wondering: do airlines have a service to help people like that? And does it cost? Would the best option be for me to take a cheap flight to London and meet him there? I'd do that, but only if absolutely necessary.

it may just be me, but "a particular reason" could be many things in my mind. Care to elaborate?

I will be happy answer that via PM if anyone is curious.

Check with the airline.

Delta allows it optionally:

http://www.delta.com/planning_reserv...lone/index.jsp

why not let him do it by himself? if the reason is non medical etc.
he is 17, time to do it himself and if that means waiting at security a little more then so be it.

I started my travels when I was 17 (year off after highschool) and last thing I would want is to be accompanied .

So if it is not an absolute must, let him experience it by himself. He is not always gonna have you guys to stand by him.

just my 2 cents

OK, so it is a medical reason. He has to carry a lot of medications with him. He gets stopped often.

If he gets stopped to check the medications, being accompanied by airline staff won't help much. The customs staff would still need your son to explain his baggage contents.

Maybe ensure he has a letter from the doctor confirming the meds are necessary / copies of the prescriptions. Make sure the meds are in their original packs, to alleviate suspicions (and if they have prescription stickers on, so much the better).

If son is not confident explaining his baggage, maybe prepare a short note for him to present, describing briefly the condition, the meds carried and your phone number for questions.

Most airlines will not provide support of this kind for non minors (and even a minor would need to be able to explain / present a note if unusual items are carried). Airlines will provide physical assistance (wheelchair, buggy), but the person assisting will not help with questions at customs/security.

Good luck to Xlator junior with his travels.

If he is 17, he is still technically a minor, so he may still be eligible for these types of programs, depending on the airline.

OK, thanks for your suggestions. I guess I'm making more of this than I need to. I think I'm more concerned about Xlator Jr. getting detained/harassed because of his big bag o' drugs and longish hair and age than about anything he could do, and then missing his connecting flight. There are people just waiting for kids like him to come along so they can throw their weight around. I do see that he can still get some assistance at age 17, so that might help with getting his connecting flight. Thanks, all.

My father is an insulin dependent diabetic and gets stopped all the time.

He carries copies of his prescription, letter from his doctor and makes sure he has no more than needed (in terms of needles) in his carry on luggage for the duration of the flight (and a little more to allow for delays). But actually he is rarely asked for his paperwork .. they just want to hear his explanations and look at the stuff.

Since he retired, he has developed a wander lust and has travelled the world many, many times. But he still says there is no airport he has ever visited that is as fussy with his meds and equipment as Basel Airport

Your anxiety is really understandable but if this is going to be part of your son's life, then I suppose at some time or other, he will have to face this problem .. but being parents we all prefer it was another time, right?

Oh and as for not being stopped with airline staff .. this does not seem to affect my father who frequently visits my brother in Dubai. My brother has a very senior position within Emirates. He always accompanies my father airside or sends someone with him, but my father still gets checked. I suppose its a good thing really ...

I would just give him more time between flights. Instead of say the 11am flight from London to Zurich, put him on the 1pm flight. I think it would be much better for him to do it alone.

At 17 he's really not going to want to have someone babysit him.

Good luck!

While I agree with others that your son can probably manage on his own, there are optional, escorted services that you can use with Lufthansa to transit through their hubs:

http://www.lufthansa.com/ch/en/Lufth...Family-Service

Hope this helps.

Bless you for being concerned about him. I think parents never stop worrying about their kids and wanting to protect them. Yes, he may get stopped because of his appearance but no doubt you've raised him to handle the situation as required.

I do agree with others that he needs to fare on his own. Copies of prescriptions and contact information for his doctor should suffice.

I'm not sure which airport in London he's going through. If it's Heathrow, I generally find them very strict but they are efficient and reasonable where you need to explain items going through security.

For instance, I flew through Heathrow three times recently, bringing with me a lead hospital vest. Of course it was flagged since they can't see through it. But once I explained why I had it, they were very understanding and quite sweet, in fact.

For peace of mind send him as UM (unaccompanied minor). I've sent my daughter dozens of times on trips all over Europe by herself on Swiss without a worry.

UM info for Swiss: http://www.swiss.com/web/EN/services...ed_minors.aspx

Are you sure he has to even go through security a second time (i.e. in London)? If he's transferring then I don't think he does, as long as he stays the "right" side of security.

If he changes terminals in London, he will go through security a second time.

Yes, there is a checkpoint in the "Flight Connections" channel. If you arrive in the morning when the overnight flights from the US and Asia arrive, it can be a nightmare.

medications aren't a reason for a person to be stopped by Customs unless a person has a history of smuggling illegal steroids are large quantities (greater than a 90 day supply).

Even still, requesting airline facilitation won't take away any scrutiny. It will just make sure he gets from A to B with an escort.

Regardless, you can always request passenger assistance from the airline. They have people whose job it is specifically to make sure any passenger who wants the help gets it. Usually it's the very young, the very old, or the disabled who use these services. Feel free to talk to the airline about what they can offer your son.

Not according to Airlines, children aged 15 or above (or so at least the last time I chekcked) can travel alone and do not need a companion provided by the airline.
Back OT I guess if he has never done ift before it wpuld put more stress on him so just ckech with the airline would be my advice and I am sure they will provide a solution...

We travel with our son, who has type 1 diabetes, and I can't say it takes any longer to get through security - we have a letter from our doctor explaining the medication and equipment, and that we are carrying additional supplies plus it must be carried as hand luggage.

I guess the USA is tough (I haven't been there but have heard plenty of stories) but we didn't find it raised any eyebrows in Heathrow, Singapore, Paris, Barcelona or Birmingham airports.

The only one where we had to unpack everything was singapore, and it was a senior staff instruction a new staff member, and by their manner (the singaporean was formal but polite) it really was for the new staff training purposes (he was talking her through the procedure) rather than because they were querying the gear.

Hope that helps. The main thing in my opinion is to stay calm, precise, and have a 'can you help me' attitude. I always go to the first staff member on the security counter and say "oh, we have diabetes gear in here - do you need to see it?" - usually they just wave me through and everything goes through the scanner.

I have heard of kids with pumps being asked to unplug them and put them through the scanner - I'm not sure if that's a problem for the pump, but I'm sure by now there are enough insulin pumps around that the security team should be able to recognise one if they saw it...