I'm kind of bothered by this.

MoonMama wrote: Now maybe its just me, or maybe someone isn't doing their job etc, and please correct me if I am getting the wrong info. Ok one of my best friends who I have seriously known for 23 year. Called me today and was telling me about how excited she was that her daughter was coming home today etc. I had know idea she was gone so I asked her about it. Her Aunt (my friends) and family from Mississippi came and picked her up and drove back to Mississippi and then they flew back here with her today. Now I had no issue with that at all. I bet my friend enjoyed a week to herself and I know her Aunt spoils the heck out of her daughter, so a great week all around. But I got to thinking so I asked my friend what kind of documentation, paperwork, info or whatever is needed for someone other then a parent to fly with a child. And she tells me oh non at all absolutely nothing. Now given her daughter is almost 7 but she has let her Aunt take her before and fly to and from Mississippi at a much younger age. This really bothers me! So your saying ANYONE could take my child and just fly anywhere in the US with them? This REALLY bothers me! Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy and down right scary?

mckayleesmom replied: Nope...your not crazy. I thought the same thing the first time I flew with Mckaylee. I thought they would at least ask for her birth certificate or something, but I called and they said no.

MoonMama replied: See I have always had to show my ID and Braedin's birth cert. when I've flown with him.

Calimama replied:
Me too. That's scary.

mckayleesmom replied: Mckaylee and Russell have both flown about 10 times each and I have never been asked for anything.

AlexsPajamaMama replied: What the heck is wrong with this world? With all the wackos and terrorism I would think the security would be better than that!

Kirstenmumof3 replied: Whenever I've flown with Spencer they need to see my identification (for me it's just my health card). And when we book the tickets, they ask the relation to the child.

Bamamom replied: They always ask us the relationship but I've never had to show anything.

If you fly out of the country all you have to show is the child's passport - it's implied that if you have their passport you have permission to take them abroad. Crazy huh?

AlexsPajamaMama replied: anyone could say that the child was their daughter or son or neice though. They just take your word for it and hope you are telling the truth!

MommyToAshley replied: Yes, I am bothered by this. However, a birth certificate won't prove anything either. Anyone can go and get another person's birth or death certificate. It's public record... you just have to pay the $21 fee (or whatever it is in your state). I found this out when I needed a copy of my birth certificate a few years ago. It's kind of scary because with the birth certificate you can get a copy of a persons social security card and then with those two items you can get a pictured ID such as drivers license. Talk about scary.

my2girls replied: My 2 dd's have flown by themselves round trip to see their grandparents in CA several times now ( last time was when they were 9 and 11 at the time).
Southwest airlines were VERY srtict with us. We had to show my dd's birth cert, my dh and I had to show our driver's license ( addresses had to match each other), we had to give information on the person(s) that would be picking them up EXACTLY, name, address and birth date HAD TO match what the other person driver's license said and the girls were assigned a flight attendant.
When it came time to have the grandparents pick them in CA they both had to show id, match what was in the computer, got the pass, and the flight attendant that were with my children double checked the id's of the grandparents and then released the girls to them.
We had to do the same thing on their return flight, even when the girls were waving and saying "Hello" to us , the flight attendant still checked our id to make sure it matched what the printout on our girls flight info said!!
Southwest airlines will have my business for life because of the way they treated my dd's and for their strict policy with minors.

Jamison'smama replied: I think most airlines are strict when kids fly alone but I have flown with my kids many times and I was never asked anything other than their names.

luvmykids replied: We flew on SW and didn't have to show a thing besides their boarding passes. It was nice that I didn't have to dig out the copies of everything I'd made just in case but at the same time, it would be nice if they didn't assume a child and adult were automatically parent and child.

HuskerMom replied: Wow that is scary.

MoonMama replied: