Traveling by Air

Please read through each step very carefully before making travel arrangements for your child. If, after reading through each step, you still have questions please contact admin@awesomemath.org

Step 1: Determine if your child is REQUIRED to travel with a parent or chaperone

Depending on a child’s age, an airline may require a family to purchase unaccompanied minor service when they travel without a parent or chaperone. Each airline has their own rules about how old a child must be to travel alone. They also have age restrictions for traveling overseas, rules about times of day children can fly, and rules about connecting flights. It is very important that you understand the airline rules about this BEFORE you book a flight because AwesomeMath does NOT provide assistance with children classified as unaccompanied minors. NO EXCEPTIONS!

If a child is too young to travel alone and the airline requires you to purchase unaccompanied minor service (UAM), then
  1. a parent or other qualified chaperone, MUST accompany the child to/from camp
    OR
  2. the parent will be responsible for finding someone (other than AwesomeMath Staff) to meet their child at their arrival gate and escort them to our staff in baggage claim. This also means the child’s parent must find a qualified chaperone (other than AwesomeMath Staff) to wait with their child at their departure gate until an airline agent can assume care of their child.
Chaperone alternatives for students traveling by air who require UAM services:
  • Consider flying an alternate airline that allows a child to fly alone at a younger age.
  • AwesomeMath is happy to connect you with parents of other older students who have been accepted to our camp from your local area. You may be able to coordinate flying with another student who is of age to be considered your child’s chaperone on a flight.  Please email admin@awesomemath.org, any time after March 27, 2020.
  • Consider attending a different camp location/session which has a flight option to allow your child to fly alone or with older students attending camp.

Step 2: Review dates, times, and airports we serve BEFORE booking your flights

Flights should be SCHEDULED to arrive/depart according to the table below:

UT Dallas Cornell
Session 1		 Univ. of Puget Sound Cornell
Session 2
Arrival Date June 22, 2020 June 24, 2020 July 12, 2020
Arrival Times 8:00am – 4:00pm 8:00am – 4:00pm 8:00am – 4:00pm 8:00am – 4:00pm
Airport DFW (Dallas Ft Worth) or
DAL (Dallas Love Field)		 SYR (Syracuse Intl) or
ITH (Ithaca Regional)		 SEA (Seattle-Tacoma Intl) SYR (Syracuse Intl) or
ITH (Ithaca Regional)
Departure Date * July 10, 2020 ** July 12, 2020 ** July 30, 2020 **
Departure Times 3:00pm – 7:00pm 8:30am – 2:00pm 8:30am – 2:00pm 8:30am – 2:00pm
* Classes for UT Dallas end at 12:15pm on departure day (December 2)
** No class or activities are scheduled on departure day for students attending Cornell and Univ. of Puget Sound

Step 3: Learn more about our student shuttle service to/from campus

  • We offer free shuttle service (for students only) to and from the airport but only if the student’s flight is scheduled to arrive/depart according to the dates, times, and airports listed in the table above.
  • On arrival day students will be transported to campus by shuttle service that is arranged ahead of time according to scheduled arrival times. Students should be prepared to wait in the airport, under the supervision of a staff member, until the next available shuttle can take them to campus.
  • On departure day, we arrange for groups of students to leave for the airport together on a bus or large van. Transportation is arranged ahead of time based on flight departures times. The bus or van must leave early enough for the person with the first departure time to make their flight, so please expect that some students may have a longer than usual wait time at the airport prior to departure. To minimize wait time in the airport, we recommend you book an earlier flight rather than a later one when possible.
  • UT Dallas – first shuttle to the airport will depart from campus approx. 12:45pm. For students traveling alone, we strongly encourage parents to book a flight that is earlier in the day to avoid long waits at the airport.  In other words, if your child’s flight is scheduled to depart after 7pm it means they will be waiting at the airport unaccompanied for a longer period of time.
  • Cornell/Univ of Puget Sound – on departure day our last shuttle will leave campus for the airport at approximately 11:45am. We strongly encourage parents to book a flight that is earlier in the day to avoid long waits at the airport.  In other words, if your child’s flight is scheduled to depart after 2pm it means they will be waiting at the airport unaccompanied for a longer period of time.

Step 4: Read carefully answers to the most frequently asked questions

Q:
What if I can’t find a flight that arrives on this date and during these times?
A:
Parents will be responsible for arranging transportation for their child (scheduling and all costs) to/from campus for flights scheduled before/after the stated times.
Q:
What if a flight is scheduled to arrive/depart within an hour or two of the stated times?
A:
Arrival day – if they arrive earlier than stated times then this means the child will have to wait longer until the first scheduled shuttle arrives at the airport. If a flight is scheduled after the stated times, we cannot guarantee shuttle service for your child. Shuttles are arranged ahead of time based on a final arrival time of 4pm. When in doubt, please contact us before booking the ticket.
Departure day – if the flight is scheduled to depart earlier than the stated time, then this means the parent would have to make alternate arrangements to get their child to the airport. Our first shuttle is scheduled to depart from campus at a time that will ensure those with 3:00pm (UTD) / 8:30am (Cornell/UPS) flights get to the airport with plenty of time to make their flight. If the flight is scheduled to depart later than the stated time, then this means the child can get on the last shuttle from campus to their airport but then they will be waiting at the airport unaccompanied for a longer period of time.
Q:
What if I choose to have my child fly into an airport not listed above?
A:
Parents will be responsible for arranging transportation for their child (scheduling and all costs) to/from campus from any airport not listed above (e.g. JFK airport). No exceptions.
Q:
What if the arrival/departure flight is delayed or cancelled?
A:
Arrival day delays and cancellations – AwesomeMath will provide free shuttle service for the student to campus if the flight is delayed, as long as the original flight was scheduled according to our guidelines. However, we recommend families book their child’s flight early in the day so in the event a flight is delayed or cancelled, you can find other flight options that will allow your child to make dinner, the opening ceremony and avoid traveling to campus late at night.
If a flight is cancelled and there are no other flight options for that same day, parents will be responsible for making alternate arrangements and will assume any costs associated with transportation to camp.  We understand this is out of one’s control, but our staff will be busy with scheduled activities after arrival day.
Departure day delays and cancellations – Our staff does not wait at the airport with the students.  Flight delays and cancellations can happen; therefore, it will be the parent’s responsibility to make appropriate arrangements for flight changes or overnight accommodations (if required).  Parents should strongly consider whether a student should travel unaccompanied for this reason.
Q:
If I plan to fly with my child, will I be able to take the shuttle to campus?
A:
The shuttle service is for students only. An AwesomeMath Staff member will meet you and your child in baggage claim for your flight. We will then escort them to the shuttle and ensure they get to campus safely. In other words, parents are not required to accompany their kids to campus for check-in, but if this is something you would like to do, you will need to rent a car or make other arrangements to get yourself (or you and your child) to campus.
IMPORTANT: if you plan to have your child ride with you to/from campus and they do not need shuttle service, please be sure to select “NO” for “student shuttle service” when completing the student’s travel information form (this is one of several required online forms you will complete prior to attending camp).
Q:
We are flying with our child and plan to escort them to campus on arrival day (they will not need the free shuttle service to campus). Where do we check in and when?
A:
If you plan to have your child ride with you to/from campus and they do not need shuttle service, please follow the traveling by car steps for more information.
IMPORTANT: be sure to select “NO” for “student shuttle service” when completing the student’s travel information form (this is one of several required online forms you will complete prior to attending camp).
Q:
What if, based on our travel plans, my child needs to arrive a day or two early before the start of camp?
A:
It is not possible for your child to be taken care of by AwesomeMath staff before the camp starts. Even though staff arrives early, they will be very busy preparing for camp.
Q:
What if my child needs to depart from camp a day or two early?
A:
Parents will be responsible for arranging transportation (scheduling and all costs) if the student needs to leave any time prior to the dates and times on departure day. Parents should contact us at admin@awesomemath.org so we can help your child prepare for early departure (i.e. on campus check out procedure, gather teaching materials, etc.)
Q:
Who should I contact if I still have questions about air travel?
A:
Please email us at admin@awesomemath.org

Step 5: Review our procedures for meeting our staff at the airport

  • Upon arrival, students should head directly to baggage claim for their flight.
  • Our staff will meet students at baggage claim for their flight and they will be wearing AwesomeMath T-shirts.
  • If no staff member is immediately visible, students should stay at their baggage claim area for their flight until an AwesomeMath staff member arrives.
  • All students traveling alone are required to have a fully charged cell phone that is capable of receiving calls/texts from the United States
  • Our staff will have each student’s flight information, as well as the student and parent contact information.  They will be regularly monitoring the students’ flight information for delays, arrival gate changes, baggage claim information, etc.