Families left scrambling after Delta bars minors from flying alone in wake of outage

Scott Darling and his wife drove their 17-year-old son, Asher, to the San Jose, California, airport Sunday morning and saw him off at the check-in counter. They were back in their car and pulling out of the airport when they got a frantic call: Delta Air Lines wouldn’t let Asher check in because he didn’t have a parent accompanying him on the flight.

“I was perplexed,” Darling said. Asher had flown by himself on several occasions, he said, and “we were never notified about this.”

Delta has been the slowest U.S. airline to restore its operations, canceling over 1,000 flights each day from Friday to Monday. More than 450 others had been canceled as of midday Tuesday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

On Tuesday, the secretary of transportation, Pete Buttigieg, said his agency was opening an investigation into Delta’s ongoing response “to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions.”

Delta began to ban children younger than 18 from traveling without a guardian as it struggled to recover from the global technology outage Friday that affected Microsoft users and systems across the world, and forced airlines around the world to ground flights.

Its suspension of travel for unaccompanied minors, a measure implemented with little notice, left some children stranded across state lines or even in different countries, and it left families scrambling to book last-minute flights on other airlines or arrange alternative transportation.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) A plane lands at Salt Lake City International Airport, on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. (Rick Egan/)

The Department of Transportation was “extremely concerned” about reports of unaccompanied minors being stranded at airports, it said in an email. “We are seeking answers from Delta as part of our investigation and have made clear that we expect Delta to prioritize getting kids safely and swiftly to their destinations,” it said.

Some families, like the Darlings, said that they were not notified of the change until their children were turned away at the check-in counter, and that Delta offered little support or assistance.

The travel suspension, on top of the airline’s continued cancellations and delays, has shaken some customers’ long-held loyalty.

Delta initially suspended travel for unaccompanied minors until Sunday, but the suspension was later extended through Tuesday. “Those already booked will not be able to travel. Please do not book new travel for unaccompanied minors during this time,” its website said.

In an email statement early Tuesday, Delta Air Lines said that it implemented the suspension to “protect minors from being separated from their families and caregivers in the event of flight disruptions or cancellations” following the outage.

“We take seriously the trust caregivers place in us with their children’s travel, and sincerely apologize that that trust was compromised through confusion around the embargo,” the statement said.

For many parents, particularly those with young children, the situation has been distressing.

At about 3 a.m. Tuesday, Patricia Starek was waiting at her home in New York City for the news that her 12-year-old son was finally on his way back to her after being stuck in Colorado for three extra days.

Her son, Ellis, was visiting her sister in Boulder, Colorado, on the first solo trip he’d ever taken and the longest time he’d been away from home, Starek said. He was supposed to fly back to New York on Saturday, she said, but Delta informed her sister on Friday that he would not be able to.

Delta said he could fly Monday when the suspension was lifted, she said. Then, when it was extended, that became Wednesday. She tried speaking to Delta’s customer service, waiting for hours on hold on the phone, she said, but was told nothing could be done.

On Monday, she gave up and scrambled to find a flight on another airline, ultimately booking a JetBlue flight that night for about $650, she said.

Although Ellis was safe and staying with family who were looking after him, Starek said it was still distressing to be separated from her son for longer than she should have been while navigating a confusing and chaotic situation.

“It was a complete nightmare,” she said. “I can’t wait for him to be home.”

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Families left scrambling after Delta bars minors from flying alone in wake of outage

Families left scrambling after Delta bars minors from flying alone in wake of outage

Families left scrambling after Delta bars minors from flying alone in wake of outage

Families left scrambling after Delta bars minors from flying alone in wake of outage

Families left scrambling after Delta bars minors from flying alone in wake of outage