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Naim

Firefly - kid below 18 cannot travel alone?

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My kid, who studies in Pengkalan Chepa, has been traveling alone on Firefly since ever their KBR/SZB service started, but just now I got this message. Is this a new ruling?

 

FY.png

 

 

This is a real nuisance. I have no choice but to revert to AirAsia, which has no age issue, cheaper tickets some more. The only problem is just the distance.

 

:sorry:

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My kid, who studies in Pengkalan Chepa, has been traveling alone on Firefly since ever their KBR/SZB service started, but just now I got this message. Is this a new ruling?

 

FY.png

 

 

This is a real nuisance. I have no choice but to revert to AirAsia, which has no age issue, cheaper tickets some more. The only problem is just the distance.

 

:sorry:

 

Now,I am 18..so still can enjoy riding on ATR.. :D

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Can't you ... ahem ahem...tweak the age?

 

When boarding, only consistency in name will be checked (or IC number)...not dob.

 

Will the IC give away the your DOB?

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sort of standard regulation person under 18 suppose to be accompanied by adults

 

Where? Pls provide ref.

 

Why no such thing till now? The kid last flew home alone 2 weeks ago, for CNY (he has been regularly commuting alone KBR - SZB/KUL since in Form 1 in 2005, on average flew home once every 2 mths). AirAsia does not seem to have such a ruling, so my business goes to AK. :)

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I never had problem when i first flew alone on MH when im just 12.

 

MH used to have this YPTA - 'Young Passenger Traveling Alone' - thingy. I sent my kids, when they were in primary school, to KBR this way several times. :D

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MH used to have this YPTA - 'Young Passenger Traveling Alone' - thingy. I sent my kids, when they were in primary school, to KBR this way several times. :D

 

I think most premium airlines would have such service. SQ also, right?

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First six digits represent your DOB. YY/MM/DD

 

If the pax looks close to 18 or thereabouts, the check-in agent will not do the math.

 

Now, going through the legals - FY's general conditions of carriage, section 7 on limitation of carriage, amongst others

- a pax less than 8 days old may not be allowed onboard;

- a pax younger than 12 yrs may also not be allowed onboard unless accompanied by another pax 18yrs & above.

 

So, is Naim sending his (a) 7 day old kid (congratulations on the new baby!!!) to school at KBR; (B) 11-yr old kid to boarding school in KBR © some smarty pants in IT decide to decipher FY's legals and create a new programming line to the booking engine and hope no one notices this subtle economic sabotage attempt of his/hers?

 

 

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I tried FY again just now, and no, I still could not buy tix for my Form 5 kid. :sorry:

 

FY2.png

 

In that case have to buy AK tix, and tonight AK got sale some more. :D

 

AK.png

 

 

 

 

 

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What a ruling. I flew KUL-KBR-KUL countless times on MH in the 1980s without YPTA. My friends do the same as well. No issue then.....until now with this ruling. I wonder what it is all about?

 

I flew to LHR, LAX etc alone, and I was not even 18 yet at that time.

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I don't know how all airlines has it but I belive that UM/YPTA is a service that you can request of for example MH if you feel that the childs needs that.

 

Most airlines can offer that service, and some take a fee too. But it isn't mandatory to be registred as YPTA if you don't request it as far as I know.. but it depends on age too.

 

http://malaysiaairlines.custhelp.com/cgi-b...amp;p_topview=1

 

It's not much information that I found on MH's website, but anyway.

 

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Naim, can u try again or use a different computer? I entered a dummy booking and went all the way until the payment page and it was OK - I submitted a pax aged 15, and then a 16...both went through.

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Naim,

 

May I suggest you make this an issue by writing letter to national press and send a copy to Firefly. Hope their management wake up to the fact many Malaysian below 18 years old are mature enough to travel alone (I'm sure teenagers flying alone doesn't belong to the Mat Rempit group). To add weight to your issue, why not ask the school (MRSM Pengkalan Chepa?) to provide supporting letter.

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When I was a secondary school student, didn’t have problem to travel alone on MH. Don’t see why FY need such a age restriction. May be this is a bug in their java program. :nea: :pardon:

 

:drinks:

Edited by KK Lee

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Naim, can u try again or use a different computer? I entered a dummy booking and went all the way until the payment page and it was OK - I submitted a pax aged 15, and then a 16...both went through.

 

Thanks for the tip, Mushrif. Will try. Probably my pc + chrome browser screwed up the Javascript. :)

 

Anybody got same prob as mine?

 

 

 

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I think the correct rule is as follows: Infants and Children must be accompanied by an adult.

 

Airlines would define Infants and Children as those flying under the infant and child fare eligibility.

 

Most Airlines would define Infants to be below 2 years of age and not occupy a seat.

 

Most airline would define Children as below 12 years of age (at the point of booking).

 

YPTA facility is airline dependent i.e. whether the airline has the organizational infrastructure to accept unaccompanied minor for travel and even if they do, this is limited to Children and not Infants.

 

I dont think the title that "Firefly - kid below 18 cannot travel alone?" to infer that one cannot fly if one is below 18 year of age is correct. I have flown my teenager children on their own many times with no issues.

 

I also believe that some online booking engine does not allow booking for infant or children but allows this over the counter. Don't know if this is the case with Firefly. I know once we cannot book infant thru MH Online Booking Engine.

 

Why not call Firefly and ask.

Edited by Tim Lee

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When I was a secondary school student, didn’t have problem to travel alone on MH

Maybe it's cause where we were, survival skill/instinct was paramount and our reputation preceeded us :D

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My kid, who studies in Pengkalan Chepa, has been traveling alone on Firefly since ever their KBR/SZB service started, but just now I got this message. Is this a new ruling?

 

FY.png

 

 

This is a real nuisance. I have no choice but to revert to AirAsia, which has no age issue, cheaper tickets some more. The only problem is just the distance.

 

:sorry:

 

try to use mozilla firefox

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I rang FY Call Centre just now and was told this age restriction was a new ruling by FY. So no more sub-18 kids traveling alone on FY from now on. I told the call centre lady, in that case I had no choice but to use AK, and she said, no problem. Sure way to drive away business, because I've seen many school kids using FY for the KBR/KUL run. Ah well, back to AK. :sorry:

 

End of Story, thanks for all the tips, folks.

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I rang FY Call Centre just now and was told this age restriction was a new ruling by FY. So no more sub-18 kids traveling alone on FY from now on. I told the call centre lady, in that case I had no choice but to use AK, and she said, no problem. Sure way to drive away business, because I've seen many school kids using FY for the KBR/KUL run. Ah well, back to AK. :sorry:

 

End of Story, thanks for all the tips, folks.

 

But, as of yesterday, their Conditions of Carriage has not been changed to reflect this.

 

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I rang FY Call Centre just now and was told this age restriction was a new ruling by FY. So no more sub-18 kids traveling alone on FY from now on. I told the call centre lady, in that case I had no choice but to use AK, and she said, no problem. Sure way to drive away business, because I've seen many school kids using FY for the KBR/KUL run. Ah well, back to AK.

How could a company turn away business and potential revenue like this, in this kind of economic climate some more? Is the CEO Eddie Leong aware about this?

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