The team flight returns at 11:30 PM. The chaperone is picking up six kids from the gate, three of whom belong to families who could not make it to the airport. The handoff at the gate, then the drive home, then the parent pickup at someone else’s house at 1 AM.
Most teams handle this casually and most of the time it works. The cases where it does not work involve preventable confusion at the airline gate, paperwork that was not signed, or adult-minor configurations that did not need to happen.
This is the protocol.
Airline unaccompanied-minor rules.
For kids ages 5 to 14, most major U.S. airlines have unaccompanied-minor (UM) programs. The airline manages the kid through the airport, on the plane, and at the receiving airport. Fee: typically $150 each way per airline.
Kids in the UM program can only be released to a named adult who is pre-registered and presents ID matching the registration. The airline staff confirm identity before release.
For team trips with a chaperone, the kid traveling with the team is generally not in the UM program because they are accompanied by an adult chaperone. But on the receiving end, if the chaperone is releasing the kid to a different adult (a parent’s friend, a neighbor, an extended family member), the same identity-verification principle should apply.
The written authorization.
Before the trip, every parent provides written authorization listing:
The names of adults authorized to receive the kid at the destination.
Phone numbers for each.
A statement of consent for non-emergency situations.
A backup name in case the primary pickup is delayed or cannot make it.
A medical-decision authorization in case of emergency where the parent cannot be reached.
This document goes in the team’s trip binder. The team manager has access. The chaperone has a copy.
Without this document, ambiguity about who is allowed to pick up the kid produces awkward 1 AM phone calls.
The handoff protocol.
The pickup adult arrives at the agreed location (curbside, gate, baggage claim). The chaperone or team manager:
Verifies the pickup adult’s identity. Photo ID. Matches the name on the authorization list.
Confirms the kid recognizes them. For older kids this is easy; for younger kids, the verification matters.
Hands off the kid’s bag and any team items.
Confirms the kid has phone and parent contact info.
Notifies the kid’s parent that the handoff has happened. Text message confirms.
Documents the handoff time and the receiving adult’s name. The team manager keeps this.
For kids being picked up by family friends.
For the parent whose 13-year-old is being picked up by a neighbor or family friend:
The authorization document needs the friend’s name. Surprise pickups by adults not on the list should not happen.
The kid should know in advance who is picking them up. The kid expecting their dad and being met by a different adult creates discomfort and confusion.
The friend driving the kid home should know the kid’s drop-off destination, the parent’s expected arrival time at home, and what to do if the parent does not show up.
For solo drop-offs at the kid’s home.
The protocol when a chaperone or family friend drops a kid at the family home with no adult present:
Confirm in advance the kid is comfortable being dropped off without a parent home.
The kid has the house key, knows the alarm code, has the phone fully charged.
The dropping-off adult waits in the driveway until the kid is inside.
Text confirmation to the parent that the kid is inside.
For younger kids (under 13), this default is questionable. The kid being dropped at an empty house at midnight should not be the routine.
The 11 PM “what if the parent is not there” situation.
Despite plans, sometimes the parent is delayed. The chaperone is at the curb at 11:30 PM with a kid whose parent has not arrived.
The protocol:
Call the parent. Confirm ETA.
If parent is delayed but coming soon, wait. The chaperone stays with the kid.
If parent cannot be reached, call the backup authorized adult.
If neither parent nor backup is available, the chaperone takes the kid back to the team manager’s home or a designated team-manager safe location, not to the chaperone’s own home alone.
The “I’ll just bring them to my house” default, while well-intentioned, creates the kind of adult-minor configuration SafeSport’s MAAPP rules address. A second adult should be present.
SafeSport considerations.
The handoff and post-flight transportation involve adult-minor scenarios. SafeSport’s MAAPP rules apply to NGB-affiliated programs:
No adult alone with a minor in a private vehicle for extended trips, except in narrow exceptions (own-child, emergency, parental consent).
Same-room overnight situations should be avoided.
For team trips returning late, the program should have a written transportation plan that addresses these scenarios.
Communication.
The team manager’s role:
Pre-trip communication of pickup arrangements with all families.
In-flight or pre-landing text to all pickup adults with estimated arrival time.
Post-handoff text confirming each kid is with their pickup adult.
Documented record of handoffs.
For coaches and chaperones.
You are responsible for the kid until handed off to an authorized adult. Document the handoff.
If the situation is awkward (the kid does not recognize the adult, the adult’s name is not on the list, something does not feel right), do not hand the kid off. Call the parent.
Trust your instinct on adult-minor configurations that do not feel right. The protocol exists for the rare cases.
The honest read. Airport handoffs work most of the time without incident. The protocol matters for the moments when something is off. Pre-trip written authorization, identity verification at handoff, backup plans for delays, and SafeSport-aligned adult-minor configurations protect kids from the small percentage of bad scenarios. The 20 minutes spent setting this up before the trip prevents the awkward 1 AM moment.