July 8, 2000

Leo Mullins
Delta Air Lines
Customer Care
PO Box 20980
Atlanta, GA 30320

On June 18, 2000, my daughter, Courtney, flew as an unattended minor on your airlines. Courtney is 8 years old and was flying for the first time by herself. Since Delta does not offer a non-stop flight from SeaTac to the Charleston, SC airport, she was forced to change planes in Atlanta, with approximately an hour layover. Your reservations people assured us that the change of planes would not be a problem; we could pay an additional $60 fee to hire one of your staff to escort her to her next plane. With this assurance, my parents (with whom Courtney is visiting in South Carolina) purchased the tickets and sent them to me here in Washington State.

A few days before Courtney was due to depart, I called your reservations line to ask some general questions regarding her flight. One of the things I asked was whether the escort that we were paying for would stay with her until she boarded the next plane. I specifically asked the following question: "They won’t just take her to the next gate and leave her there, will they?" I was assured that this would not happen, and based on that assurance allowed the planned flight to take place.

Upon arriving at SeaTac, we checked in at the ticket counter and filled out the necessary paperwork for Courtney to fly alone. At this time, I also paid the $60 fee and again was assured that Courtney would not be left at the gate in Atlanta. We were processed and sent off to the wrong gate (the clerk wrote B7 on the envelope and the flight was at gate B5) and almost missed her flight. Thankfully, I started looking around for the proper gate when there was no plane at gate B7 by the time we should have been boarding. With that little mishap avoided, I hugged my only child goodbye and watched her plane take off, trusting in your company to take proper care of her and keep your promises.

Courtney arrived in Charleston very late and so it was not until the following day that I had the opportunity to talk to her and ask how the flight went. She said that the flight from SeaTac was very long but that they were all very nice to her and it was ok. The problem arose when she changed planes in Atlanta.

Courtney was met at her arriving gate and was escorted by one of your staff to the gate for her next flight. Then this person sat my 8-year-old down in a seat, told her to stay there, AND LEFT HER THERE ALONE. Keep in mind that this was approximately an hour layover. Courtney is thankfully an obedient child and did stay, but the potential for disaster is apparent. She finally went up to the people at the ticket counter when they came on duty, and when they discovered that she was an unattended minor with no supervision, they took very good care of her. She tells me that they sat her up on the counter with them and let her see how the computers work. Let me pause here to thank you for those ticket agents. They stepped in and did a wonderful job of preventing a possible disaster.

When I heard how my daughter was treated, I immediately called your customer service number, expecting to be told that it was a mistake and would not happen again. Imagine my surprise when I was told that this was COMPANY POLICY. When I tried to explain to your customer service agent how dangerous that is, I was told that if he were me he just wouldn’t let his child fly alone – insinuating that I was a negligent parent. I requested to talk to someone a little higher in the company and ended up playing phone tag with a supervisor for a day or so before she just stopped returning my calls. I finally got a number which was supposed to get me through to your office, and was told that you wouldn’t talk to me and that one of your assistants would call me to discuss this matter. To this date, I have never received that call.

Mr. Mullins, your company appears to have a policy of leaving children – who have been entrusted to your care - unattended in airports. What’s more, you put a large orange button on them that advertises that they are unattended! And when questioned about how our children will be treated, we are lied to and told that they will not be left alone! You are lying to parents and endangering our children. Those ticket agents did not even know she was there until she went and talked to them! What if she had decided to go browse the shops, or go to the bathroom, and gotten lost, or worse? This is the year 2000, Mr. Mullins, and there are predators everywhere, who are just waiting for an opportunity like the one you are presenting.

I strongly suggest that you change your policy. I don’t think it would be too much to ask to have a member of your staff (one who has been through stringent security screenings) stay with an unattended minor for the duration of the layover and not leave the child’s side for any reason until they are boarded on the next flight. You are already charging $60 for this service. I think that should easily pay for an hour of your staff’s time. I work for an architectural firm and our associates charge $65.00 per hour for their services. Seems to me that $60.00 per hour is more than enough to pay for a glorified babysitter.

My daughter is scheduled to return in August. Thankfully, my mother will be flying back with her so this will not be an issue on the return flight. However, this will happen again next summer, and the summer after that, and on and on for the next 10 years or so. Since her return ticket is already paid for, she will fly with Delta in August. However, this will be her last flight on Delta until this policy is changed.

This will also be my family’s last flight with Delta until this policy is changed, and I will also urge my father - who has been a member of your Million Mile Club – to change airlines as well. I will also do everything within my power to advertise this policy to every parent I encounter, including all of those in my online parenting group, with members in every state of the union, as well as Canada and England.

Your policy is dangerous, and threatens the safety of all children which fly with you. Changing this policy will show parents that you value the children which fly on your airlines. Not changing this policy will show us all that concern for children is not a high priority for Delta. The choice is yours. Please let me know what you decide, in writing. Thank you for your time.