My son going on a long plane ride....

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My son Jake, he's 8, will be flying to Montana this Spring Break then to Costa Rica with his dad this summer. It is a very long plane ride for both trips.

I was going to make him a bag of new games (PSP and Gameboy) and some books and such.

He gets stressed really easily and since this will be his first plane ride..to Montana..I worry so much about him.

Should I talk to him about the plane ride, what do I say? I am terrified to fly, so not sure what to tell him, not sure I am the right one to explain it. LOL!

Are new games and such good to send in a carry on bag? Can you even play the computer games on a flight?

well if he dies then he has nothing to worry about and if he doesnt then mission accomplished.

that usually keeps me calm.

and yea you can play those games on the flight after the plan reaches a certain altitude.

i played Yu-Gi-Oh! last flight.

Last edited by Shayne on 23 Feb 2008, 2:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

U.S. laws DO allow computer games to be played above a certain altitude(So he has from perhaps 15 minutes into to flight up to about 15 minutes from the end). The one exception is if it is "in transmit mode". BTW they are idiots, so ALL radios are generally banned, EVEN if they don't transmit.

Explain the basics to him, try to get a good seat AND, if he is unaccompanied, tried to get a good custodian and explain the deal WELL!

Teach him sudoku or hanjie. Very logical games. They give me just about as much peace as lining up toys, but they're acceptable in a way that lining things up is not.

GEE, ad I thought soduku was just lining up numbers 1-9!

Heh. Logic. All logic.

Whatever you do, don't make your fears his fears. Approach this like it is a fun, new experience and get him into a positive mindset about this. Do not discuss your fears with him, at all. The only thing this can accomplish is making the trip a huge source of anxiety and fear for him. Games are a great idea, books are great too. Pack snacks! Airline food sucks.

When discussing it, tell him how flying in a plane is really cool because it is always a beautiful sunny day up above the clouds. That was a bonus for me, since last time I flew it was winter, cold and very dreary until we got above the cloud cover and it was so beautiful. I even took a photo of the clouds from above. Pack him a little disposable camera for fun and tell him he can see some amazing things up there. If he flies over clear skies, the scenery can be pretty cool to look at from that altitude (especially as the plane is ascending and descending).

Earphones to distract from engine noise, a soft sleep mask that gets rid of light, and a pillow to lean on, all help for napping. Falling asleep is the best way for me to shorten a long trip.
Chewing gum for air pressure change during takeoff and landing is essential.

get a lollypop or one of those ginger lollies and suck on it when u take off and land. helps with the ear pop problem. get up and walk around every couple of hrs or so if u are on a long haul flight, feels good and prevents DVT. also get headphones from the airline so that u can listen to the music they have playing.

Flying can be a stressful experience for anyone at any time, even for me (and I love it!) Frankly I am concerned that his first plane trip alone is such a long one. From my own personal experience as an ASD adult, I don't think it such a good idea. Not because it isn't safe, but there are so many new (unknown) factors, the noise, the crowds, changing planes. I don't know what sort of things sets your son off; but a big airport can be a frighening place. It is also not uncommon for gates to be changed at the last minute and there may be only one announcement. I had that happen in O'Hare on my first flight there; if I hadn't been paying attention I would have missed my flight. Then there is security to deal with and they may or may not be sensitive to your son's needs. The last time I flew (Thanksgiving) Northwest was announcing that due to weight limitations they were restricting what passengers could carry on certain planes, for example, women were allowed a purse and nothing else; everything had to be checked. Believe me there were a lot of NT passengers who were PO'd about that!

My recommendation is to try a shorter flight from a small airport first and see how your son handles it. A meltdown at 30,000 feet is something cabin crews don't want to deal with and these days the consequences can be quite severe. Last summer I believe there was an incident where a 3-year-old had a meltdown on a plane and delayed the takeoff 15 minutes and in the end had to be forcibly removed from the plane. She was with her parents at the time. It made the news because the father was complaining that the airline was "not sympathetic". Well, no, they are not. That's not their job. What if there had been an emergency and they needed to evacuate the plane quickly and could not because someone was having issues? That is the same reason they don't allow wheelchair patients to sit in an exit row. It is hard enough getting off the plane after a normal landing, with people standing in the aisles and getting their carryons, let alone having to do it in a hurry. I am not trying to scare you, but just being realistic about what is involved in air travel. Especially since you say that you yourself do not fly.

On the other hand this could be the start of a great new interest for your son--I know it has for me. There are a number of books on flying, I recommend "This is Your Captain Speaking: Flight Training for Passengers" by Ray Stark, "The Flying Book" by David Blatner; and if you can find it, "Holding Pattern: Airport Waiting Made Easy" by Harry Knitter. "Airways Magazine" also has excellent articles on all aspects of commercial air travel, and there is a website, http:\\randsaviationphotos.blogspot run by a Northwest Airlines B-757 captain that I find very informative.

Just let him know that it will feel different, being in the air; the engine will be noisy; he'll be close to a lot of people...stuff like that. For me, the "fear of the unknown" is the worst.

If you could get him interested in airplanes, that would be good.

Maybe take him to a smaller airport a few times to show him what it is like. In the bigger airports, they have security right up by the entrance so you can't really get into the terminal itself unless you have a ticket; but the smaller regional airports do have areas where you can at least see something. That way it won't be completely new.

Associate completely banal issues with the flight, such as, "don't give the flight attendants any trouble," or, "make sure that you wash your hands before eating anything." Warn him not to eat too much airline food. In short, bring up the realistic, practical issues that would concern a rational parent.

Gosh, I must be really neurotic but I would NEVER let my son fly alone and at 8 years old, he seems so young. It's just not worth it. My sister was stuck on a plane for 3 hours due to some airplane problems, what would happen who would he be with for that time? Just to many what if's for me. Just not worth it.

ditto. 8 is WAY too young to fly alone. i never even let him out of my site when we are at the mall. i've heard too many horror stories.

Also, there is this to consider: some airports, like Detroit Metro, have tunnels connecting the various terminals that have a continuous psychedelic light and sound display. This could be quite intimidating for someone with sensory issues. Unfortunately the people that design these places aren't thinking of things like this.

And, although it has not happened to me yet (knock on wood), flights often end up diverting to a different airport for various reasons, such as weather. So you may be expecting him to be at one airport when he could be at another several hundred miles away. Last Thanksgiving my 16-year-old niece was flying from North Carolina to Upper Michigan and ended up being stranded in Grand Rapids, 400 miles south of her destination, because Northwest told her "there were no more planes available for the entire holiday weekend!" that were going to her destination. Her parents had to make an 800 mile round trip by car over snowy two-lane roads to pick her up. Now picture your son being told that after an already long, stressful flight, in a strange location. You aren't there and you have no way of getting there quickly. Neither is there anyone else available. And the next flight out--who knows?

Don't get me wrong, I love flying, even with all the things that can happen. But I am an adult and pretty much self-reliant. And I know what kind of things to expect and can make a backup plan. Your son isn't in that position. If you are still determined to send him, find a reliable, trusted adult to go with him. Don't leave it to the airlines to provide that person.