Fly Alone Again Don't be afraid of flying!

　　I found an encouraging headline on the recent New York Times; "Kids return to the Skies in aftermath of Sept. 11."
　　Since the terrorists attacked the Pentagon and the World Trade Center on  September 11, 2001, the number of the children who would fly solo has rapidly decreased. Recently, however, some airlines have restarted the unaccompanied-minor service, a program in which children under 17 are supervised from the time they board until they are met by a parent or guardian at their destinations. As a result, children are returning to the skies. Is it a good sign that America's aerial industry, which was battered by the terrorism, is going to revive?
　　The U.S. is such a broad country that people cannot move without flying. Even children have many opportunities to fly alone, when they visit their relatives far away from their home or go to the summer schools held in the other states. At least a million children fly solo each year. They are good customers for airline companies.
　　My daughter, 15 years old last summer, flew alone from Japan to the U.S. for the first time. We handed her over to the airline staff at the check-in counter of the Kansai International airport. The designated supervisor accompanied and took care of my daughter when she boarded and got off a plane. She would have protected her if necessary. The fee was $90 one way.
　　My daughter was in such a complete custody that the supervisor stayed with her all the time waiting for a connecting flight at the airport. She complained later to me, "She followed me even into a restroom, and never gave me a chance for shopping alone."
　　However, after Sep.11 the security check in each airport has been tremendously strengthened. The recent security measures have presented new obstacles for parents and children. Although visitors had been allowed to get to the gate before, new rules restricted gate access to ticketed passengers, so parents and children may have to say their good-byes at the security check point. Parents who are worried to send their children alone must be more worried in the new conditions.
　　To relieve their anxiety there has appeared another new rule; "Children who make a trip alone should have a cell phone or know how to call home in case of emergency."
　　It is my experience that when I was in a junior-high school, I enjoyed traveling alone from Kyoto to Kyushu province by a night train to visit my relatives. That was very exciting. The Japanese proverb says, "Let your dear children make a journey alone." It means that a solitary journey, though sometimes dangerous, gives them a lot of good experience. But now I add another lesson to it: "Don't forget to let them have a cell phone."