Meeting daughter at Gatwick

At the end of May, my nine year old daughter will be arriving at Gatwick from Atlanta, GA for the summer. She is going to be flying Delta and the flight crew will be taking care of her while in the air, as well as on the ground.
My question for anyone out there is where do I go to meet her? Do I get to go thru customs, or does a flight attendant take her thru? Does anyone know who I would get in touch with to find out these questions if they are not known by anyone here..
Thanks!

Did you call Delta?  They should be able to tell you.

Usually (and this isn't international flights, so it may be different) when my hubby goes to the airport to pick up his 10 yo daughter for her visits, he goes to the airline desk.  They check his ID then give him a pass and take him back through the gate so he can get her right off the plane.  (He doesn't go on the plane, but waits right at disembarking point.)

I assume it will be very similar for you (i.e. you'll go through customs with her), but I'd call the airline just to be sure.  If they can't help you, ask them who can.  They should be able to give you numbers to call.

We're regulars at this (international, Gatwick arrivals). The airline staff will accompany her through passport control, baggage collection and customs ... you'll meet her in the "meet and greet" area beyond.  You will need ID ...

I'll come back and complete this post later when I can get to a better connection ...

Edit - later addition to complete the post.  I don't actually think I need to add much as it's all been done for me - thanks folks!  They're *very* used to looking after young people travelling alone ... and the young people adapt to it pretty well too.   Hope your daughter has a great flight and you have a great time together!

Thanks SAF...figured something like that. I just can't wait to see her. I haven't seen my daughter since 1 Dec. and I miss her sooo much! Planning on having a fantastic summer.

Georgia - I have a 10-year-old son and we live the next town over if you're interested in any type of get-together!  

Oh!

"We're regulars at this (international, Gatwick arrivals). The airline staff will accompany her through passport control, baggage collection and customs ... you'll meet her in the "meet and greet" area beyond.  You will need ID ..."

As I posted my response I saw where GrahamE responded to me. I plan on bringing her birth certificate, which has my name on it, as well as my passport. I'm going to bring her birth certificate since my daughter is adopted from China, and it will be pretty obvious that we don't exactly look alike. Anyway, we're excited!

The big clue is when your daughter runs up to hug you. Usually after that they admit asking to see a photo ID is just a formality...they say with a big grin.

SAF, they'll let you go to the gate with permission in the US, but probably not in the UK. But, the staff is very good and we haven't lost a child yet (my son's been doing this 2-3 times a year since he was 9, and he'll be 16 this year).

The thing that astounds me is the NUMBER of kids who travel alone. My son's flight usually has another at the same time, sometimes 5 or 6!

That would be nice peedal. And LisaE, glad to see I am not the only one with someone back in the States. Thanks so much for the info.  

I have two teenage daughters in the states, and have not yet had the courage to let them fly alone, as my younger one is autistic. But hearing these wonderful reports, I feel a bit more confident. Will think about it,, as it would save me an additional airfare that I would normally pay to travel there to bring them back with me.  Has anyone used Continental to fly their youngun over with an escort? That's who I have frequent flyer accounts for the girls with. I told them that once they reach a certain point in their miles, we would use them to fly to DisneyWorld