We’ve heard horror stories about when an airline loses your bag. But what happens if an airline loses your kid? Believe me, the liability issues can be huge. And it happens more often than you think.

If you’re sending your kid on a commercial flight between the ages of 5 and 12, your child is designated as an unaccompanied minor. In fact, you have to pay extra, and some airlines charge as much as an additional $150 to send your kid alone. The presumption is that someone will look after your child and will walk the child from the arriving gate to the connecting departure gate in the case of a connecting flight.

That’s when the legal issues get complicated. While on the airplane, there is minimal supervision. Worse, you have no control over who may be seated next to your kid. So, what are your legal rights if something goes wrong?

Consider the case of Phoebe, 10. In 2012, this little girl was flying on United Airlines from San Francisco, California to Traverse City, Michigan with a connection in Chicago, Illinois.

But, a United representative failed to show up at the arrival gate at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago to walk the child to the connecting gate.

The child missed the flight and was lost. And worse, the airline failed to notify the parents. Luckily, about two hours later, Phoebe was found.

Then there was the 11-year-old boy that Australian airline Qantas lost in 2011.

His flight landed as expected, and he was indeed on the flight but the airline never escorted him to the baggage claim–the designated pick-up area–and he was left to wander around the airport for two hours before his mother spotted him.

So, what happened in each of these situations?

With Phoebe, United Airlines refunded the parents their $99 supplement and issued an apology.  And Qantas gave the mother a $1,000 voucher to use on future flights.

Were the airlines sued for negligence? In every case, the answer is no.

Proving damages was difficult, if not impossible. No one died and no one was injured. As for the pain and emotional suffering, the airlines could argue it was minimal.

Surprisingly, the FAA, TSA and DOT did not have official rules and regulations regarding the treatment of unaccompanied minors. About the most you can hope for is a claim to reimburse you for any inconvenience.

But if you are going to send your young child on a plane alone, there are some things you can do as parents to minimize the possibility of loss.

Encourage your children to speak up if they feel that they need help. Teach them how to read the departure board, and talk to them about the process of boarding and changing planes. Confirm with the airline regarding who exactly will be watching your child.

And last but not least, send your kid onto the plane with a fully charged cell phone and an extra battery as well as a list of numbers to call in case of an emergency. And at the top of that list, put your number.

By Rikki Klieman for PeterGreenberg.com