Airline restricts children flying solo

PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- America West Airlines plans to change its chaperone procedures for unaccompanied minors traveling on the airline, allowing them to fly on direct flights only, company officials said.

The announcement comes after two recent, unrelated incidents involving minors traveling alone on America West flights.

The incidents, involving an 11-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, prompted America West to conduct an audit of its "unaccompanied minor travel program."

Effective September 10, America West will transport unaccompanied children between the ages of 5 and 11 on non-stop, direct flights only.

"Our policy and procedures were very sound, but in the turn of recent incidents, there were human errors," said Jim Sabourin, vice president of communications for America West.

On July 14, Aunnalise (ANN-ah-LEESE) Woods, 11, traveling alone from Los Angeles to Detroit with a plane change in Phoenix, was mistakenly put on a connecting flight to Orlando instead of Detroit, despite being accompanied by an America West chaperone.

When Woods arrived in Orlando, airline officials put her on a flight through Las Vegas to Detroit.

She finally arrived in Detroit at 7 a.m. EDT July 15, more than 18 hours after her original flight left Los Angeles and more than 12 hours after her father, William McDaniel, expected her.

McDaniel said an America West gate agent told him his daughter had been placed on a 10 p.m. EDT flight. She wasn't on that flight, and he said it wasn't until 3 a.m. that he learned she had been put on the wrong plane.

A "handful" of America West employees were reprimanded for that incident, said Sabourin. He would not disclose what the reprimand was.

One week later, a 10-year-old boy traveling alone from Columbus, Ohio, to San Diego was placed on a later-than-planned flight, but the airline neglected to tell the boy's father, who was waiting in San Diego.

Miscommunication, human error

Miscommunication and human error were cited in both cases. Sabourin said the overview of the unaccompanied minor program showed America West's procedures were adequate, but there was a potential for problems in instances when unaccompanied minors had connecting flights.

"We looked at unaccompanied minors, and the majority are on direct flights. When you look at the potential for these instances, all of that is tied directly to connecting flights," Sabourin said.

The infrastructure requirements, cost and complexity associated with supervising and escorting children on connecting flights is not consistent with America West's primary function as a low-fare carrier, he added.

The airline said people who have purchased tickets for unaccompanied minor travel involving connecting flights after September 10 will be offered full refunds of both the ticket price and the unaccompanied minor handling fee of $60.