Parents with busy schedules have discovered that "mailing" children to relatives during the Spring Festival may be the best option.

Li Ying, an employee at a Beijing IT firm, just "mailed" her 11-year-old son to Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Thursday.

"I have lots of work to do in Beijing during the Spring Festival this year but my parents down in south badly need to cuddle their grandson," Li said.

"I decided to let my son fly alone to give him a chance to learn self-reliance."

However, Li's son will not feel lonely in the air because dozens of his peers will also be flying solo, with stewardesses looking after them.

Recognizing a rise in the number of kids traveling alone, many airlines have launched special services for children between 5 and 12.

Air staff take care of the children during their flights, help them find baggage after landing and hand them to their relatives at the doorway of their destination airports.

The Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou of South China's Guangdong Province has received an average of more than 100 children traveling alone every day since January 11, airport staff said on Friday.

The airport in Guangzhou, one of the country's economic and employment hubs, saw a record 147 kids arrive alone on Thursday.

Most of them came from big cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Chongqing.

Some airlines have even established special lounges for children and elderly people travelling alone, airport staff said.

(China Daily January 17, 2004)