When 14-year-old Camryn Larkan was dropped off at an airport by her father last month, he had no idea he would soon be rushing back to the airport to pick up his daughter. Larkan was flying home to Victoria, British Columbia, on August 30 after visiting family in Toronto, Ontario.
Larkan boarded the Porter Airlines flight without issue and quickly took her assigned seat. However, a flight attendant soon approached the minor and asked her to grab her belongings and follow her off the plane.
“I was kind of just like really confused … I thought I was coming back to my seat. I thought that they were just going to take my bags,” Camryn told the CBC. “As soon as I got off the plane and I saw that the door had closed, that’s when I started to like get really anxious.”
A Plane Imbalance Led To Her Removal
It wasn’t until after the flight had departed that Camryn learned of a weight imbalance, which forced an uncommon deplaning of a customer to occur.
While it’s rare to deplane customers, smaller flights are often forced to make a last-minute decision to ensure the safety of the remaining passengers.
At the same time, unaccompanied minors should not be removed from aircraft, a fact that didn’t sit well with her mom.
“They put my child in imminent danger,” Catherine Larkan said. “It was completely negligent and it shouldn’t happen to any other minor.”
The Airline Industries Confusing And Conflicting Policies Are Largely To Blame
When CBC News spoke with an official at Porter Airlines, they learned that the airline was unaware that the passenger was only 14 years old. The flight attendant never bothered to ask her age, and the teenager wasn’t explained what was occurring, a simple task that could have led her to reveal that she was a minor.
Making matters worse, Porter Airlines’ own policy clearly states that “all passengers who appear to be 18 years of age or older are required to present “one piece of valid Canadian government-issued identification that includes a photograph and the passenger’s full name and date of birth.” If they had followed that policy, they would have quickly realized Camryn was a minor.
The company’s statement has attempted, at least partially, to pass some blame onto Camryn’s parents. The company stated that they offer an unaccompanied minor service. According to the airline’s website, that policy includes a mandatory $100 unaccompanied minor charge for children aged eight to 11, a service that becomes optional for travelers between 12 and 17.
Porter Airlines is not alone in offering this type of service. The U.S. Department of Transportation notes that most airlines have similar policies.
Most airlines charge a fee for the unaccompanied-minor services discussed in this pamphlet. At the
time this pamphlet was issued, most carriers’ fees were $50 to $100 each way ($100 to $200 round trip).
These fees are in addition to the air fare. The fee is sometimes higher on international flights. On some
carriers a fee might be charged only when the child is taking a connecting flight. If you have two or more
children traveling on the same flight to the same destination, most airlines charge only one fee.
The Vacation Gals website reported in 2023 that United Airlines charges a one-way fee of $150 per minor aged five to fifteen.
While that fee is steep, it does include several helpful perks. The Vacation Gals outlined the following services provided by United Airlines:
- Personally greet your child
- Introduce your child to the cockpit, time permitting
- Take your child to their seat and assist with carry-on items
- Orient your child to the safety features of the aircraft
- Point out lavatory locations
Some airlines go a step further, making sure unaccompanied minors are connecting with their family and friends at their destination while also providing layover assistance during flights that require more than one leg.
While United Airlines requires the service for children under 16 years old, Porter Airlines is far more lax with its policy.
According to Porter Airlines in an email to the CBC, anyone over 12 years old is considered an “independent adult” and subject to “adult passenger situations such as the weight and balance and offloading situation experience.”
The airline went one step further, blaming her father’s quick and responsible decision to pick her up as the reason they couldn’t resolve the situation. “It was not known to our team at the time that Camryn was a minor. Camryn quickly left the airport, and there was limited opportunity for our team to discuss options with her.”
International Travel Can Be Even More Troublesome
In June 2024, Tessa Hadlock recalled a trip to Spain where her 13-year-old son could board an international flight without questions about his age. While the first leg of the trip was a success, he was subsequently denied return access home, with the airline refusing entry because he was an unaccompanied minor.
Consumer Resuce revealed, “This travel fiasco ended up costing Hadlock almost $2,000 and hours of worry. And now, she wants a simple question answered: How was her son old enough to fly alone to Madrid but not old enough to fly home from Barcelona?”
Hadlock’s experience highlights another major issue with unaccompanied minors. While her original flight was booked on Iberia Airlines, which allows children over 12 years old to fly unaccompanied, she didn’t realize the return flight was being hosted by a different airline with different policies.
Both children in this story were able to return home, albeit with some tense moments along the way.
For any parents with children flying alone and under the age of 16, we highly recommend that you read all of the airline’s literature and purchase the unaccompanied minors service at the time of booking. If you’re still confused by an airlines policy, speak to a live customer service agent to ensure the safest trip possible for your child.
