The Editor, Sir:

In July 2008 I took a trip overseas with my six-year-old grandson for the first time. This was an activity we had been planning for some time and were looking forward to it greatly. Upon our early arrival at Norman Manley airport we checked in at the American Airlines counter where the agent confirmed our flight information and our relationship and completed the process uneventfully. So off we went for a wonderful holiday with family in Florida.

Our return flight was the first one in the morning so we arrived at the airport early and proceeded to check in. Once again I was asked to confirm our relationship and then 'out of the blue' asked for a letter from his mother giving me permission to bring the child back to Jamaica. To my amazement, in the absence of this letter, I was advised that I could not travel/return home with my grandson!

After asking for the supervisor and making quite a fuss, I was told that this was a requirement of the Jamaican immigration authorities for all children travelling to the country.

Separation not an option

Suggestions made by the agent included my getting someone to keep my grandson while I returned home, this said with my grandson crying and begging me not to leave him. After advising them that separation from the child was not an option, I was told that the only way he could travel was as an unaccompanied minor, which would require a payment of US$100.

I won't go into the details of the struggle to get the American Airlines agents both in Fort Lauderdale and Jamaica to understand that we would not be separated at any point through customs, immigration, or on the flight, but needless to say the whole experience spoilt all our holiday memories.

The question I asked then and am still asking is: whose responsibility is it to inform travellers of this requirement? American Airlines says it's not them even though there was more than enough time for them to do this at check-in when they verified our relationship and return travel details.

Not again!

Maybe not their responsibility but certainly a very useful service to share this important information with their valued clients!

So why am I writing this almost a year later? Well, once again I am making plans for the summer and wanted to take my grandson for a trip ... his response: 'No way grandma, I'm not going through that again!'

So all persons planning to travel this summer with any child who is not your own, be warned. Get a letter from the mother giving permission for you to bring them back home! Or at least make sure you have the US$100 to pay the airline.

By the way, I am not absolving the Immigration Department in all of this. What have they done to inform the public about this requirement?

I am, etc.,

RUTH JANKEE

Discombobulated grandma

rjankee@yahoo.com

Kingston 6