So we discussed this at length (my wife and I) and we agreed that our son could fly to see his mother for Christmas provided what ever flight he would be on was straight through, no layovers, no stopping or anything like that and that the ticket was for an unaccompanied minor. Paying that extra fee would allow the aircrew to help him as need be and someone would be keeping an eye on him through the flight and then when they landed they would escort him to meet who was picking him up. My ex-wife handled making all the reservations and then I would just send my 1/2 of the cost with our son. When I last spoke with her about it she said she understood and agreed and would take care of it all.
One thing that would be happening is that over Christmas she and her family would be flying from their home to California to spend Christmas with her mother. What she thought would be better is if our son flew straight out to his grandparents house and had a few days with them before she showed up, which I have no problem with at all. In fact I have been trying to get her mother (her dad passed away before we met) to have more time with Edward and have told her several times that she is more then welcome to ask if he can come out and visit during some of his school breaks. I figure my parents get plenty of time with him, she should have the same opportunities.
So far so good right? Not quite.
My ex-wife sends me an email letting me know that she has purchased the ticket for him to fly out to California which is great. She was able to get a good price on the ticket and even better she told me that the airline does not charge a fee for unaccompanied minors, which is even better as that is usually $50 or so and it has to be paid by me when I drop him off. You cannot include it in the ticket price but I have no problem whatsoever paying it as it for my child's safety.
You would think something should have sent a warning off in my head when she told me there was no fee, but I have been trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. So yesterday when my wife took our son to the airport to fly I figured all was well and then I got the call from my wife. Apparently the reason there is no fee is because this airline does not consider kids 12 and older as unaccompanied minors. That's right, my ex-wife knew this and instead of telling me the truth or finding an airline that would allow us to pay the fee she lied to me. She understood quite well that if I knew the truth, that they would not watch him, I would have told her find a different flight. So, forsaking out sons safety she just flat out lied to us about it and that PISSED ME OFF.
What's the big deal you ask? Well on the plane itself there really is not one, after all his flight would not be stopping or changing planes. However, he would be flying into one of the busiest airports in the country. One where the terminals are not in the same building as baggage. Not having someone helping him would mean after leaving the plane he would have to find out where to catch a tram to the baggage terminal, then fight through the crowd of people to link up with his luggage and his grandmother. I have no idea what the hell my ex-wife was thinking, or perhaps she wasn't. No big surprise there though.
Now my wife and I sat down with my son and developed a plan long before he took off on what he was to do should he become separated (at that time we thought he would have someone from the airline helping him) or lost. In fact we sent him on the trip with my cell phone so he would be able to call us no matter what and especially if he needed some help. Before he took off my wife told him that once he landed to go to the ticket counter at the gate and request some help and should they not be able to then he was to call me right away.
Meanwhile while he was flying I called the airline and tried to find out what we could do to get him some help on the other end. Of course the people I spoke to all told me the same thing, "This airline does not provide that service and you should have thought about that before you bought your ticket." Of course not one of them seemed sympathetic to the fact that I did not buy the ticket or that he was far to young to be wandering that airport alone but then I spoke with one person who gave me some information that would help. If my former mother in law took the reservation confirmation number and her ID she would be allowed to get a security document that would allow her to get through security and meet our son at the gate. Naturally I called her to let her know, gave her the information and then felt the weight of the world fall off my shoulders.
There is no feeling in the world like being completely helpless, sending your child off on a journey like this that for him while exciting could turn quite scary in a heartbeat. I mean a busy airport and a lone pre-teen looking very out of place. That is the making of a missing child story and I cannot for one second comprehend the fact that my ex-wife would put him in that position all over a few freaking dollars. Of course I also learned that from now on there will be either no flying or I will personally verify any tickets she buys before he flies.
My son however picked up on all this and while he was sitting at the airport with my wife he actually asked, "So mom lied again?" The boy is smart, he picks up on this stuff without us having to say a word to him. Of course he still remembers the time he was visiting his mother and against my distinct wishes she flew him from her house to her mothers (unaccompanied)then LIED to me about it. She then told him to lie as well or I would get mad at him. That's right, I would get mad at him. I had asked her to not let him fly alone because he was far too young to go by himself. Instead she told me that they had driven out to see her mother and he had not flown. She got busted when she used the suitcase we had sent him with as a checked bag and then never removed the name tape they affix to the handle. When we saw it we asked him about it, not suspecting anything wrong or perhaps someone else had used it. It took all of 2 seconds for him to breakdown in tears and explain what had happened. That's right, his mother had gone ahead and done whatever she pleased (even though I have custody) and then lied to me and instructed her own son to do the same. ARRRRGH!
Anyway, enough babble on this subject. We were able to jump through some hoops get him squared away. Of course the next time my ex-wife asks if he can fly to save time and I say no she will wonder why....
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