Minor travelling solo?

The form you link in your question appears to be for international travel, and is not relevant for travel within a country. However, there are still some things to consider.

Every transportation carrier has its own policy regarding youth travel, and you will have to research the policy of the airline or other carrier your child is considering using.

For example, Southwest allows children to travel without a parent or extra fee from age 12; JetBlue from age 14; and United from age 15, so it should be no problem to fly on any of those airlines if you trust your child to do so. However, Amtrak and Greyhound have special check-in procedures for young people younger than age 16, so you will need to verify that these procedures are complied with.

Upon arrival, however, your child may have some more practical difficulties. If by "spend a weekend in the park", you mean "rent one of the park's hotel rooms", this will not be possible as the resort requires the "guest checking in to be at least 21 years of age. A valid, Government Issued Photo ID is required upon check-in along with credit card for incidental charges."

As public transit in the Dallas area is quite poor and your child is presumably not old enough to drive nor to use e-hailing taxi services, they will also need another plan for getting around the area.

A few additional points:

• Not all children are able to handle unfamiliar environments by themselves (even some adults!).

  If your son is used to travelling a lot with you and the least bit curious and attentive, he may be relatively familiar with airport procedures, even if he was not the one having to make any decisions or interactions, or he may not (some children have their nose buried in their phone or console or book and don't take note of anything happening around them, they just act like walking packages being transported from point A to point B). If he isn't used to travel, then it may take a bit more preparation and coaching.

  Likewise, some have a lot more difficulty handling unexpected situations (delays, gate changes, getting lost...).

  That's one of the reasons most airlines have a range of ages (usually around 12-16 or something similar) where you can choose to have him travel completely independently, or be taken care of from origin to destination (below the limit it's mandatory, above the limit they have to travel by themselves and that's it).

• If you need the airline to take care of him, check the specific rules for the airlines. Some do not allow connections in that case. Some will require extra paperwork and/or require you to be at the airport much earlier than usual. They will also need details of someone to pick him up at the destination (parents of his Fortnite friend, I suppose, if you go this route).

• If he travels without the escorting service, you need to go through the whole trip with him, in detail:

  • You should be able to handle check-in with him on departure (but you may need to walk him through the process for the return trip)
  • Going through security (what he needs to take out of his bag, emptying pockets, removing shoes, what if the detector beeps, what if they say something about the contents of his bag, what if he goes through a body scanner, what if they ask to swab his hands...).
  • Getting to the gate
  • Paying attention to boarding time
  • Boarding
  • Heeding instructions on board
  • If there are any connections, how to navigate the airport
  • If necessary, getting to baggage claim
  • What happens next (depends on whether his friend's parents will be able to take care of him or if they really go alone).
  • For the return trip:
    • how to pack, including the relevant points about liquids and what he can have in the cabin or not.
    • how to get to the airport (and the right terminal)
    • how early to get there and thus how early to leave
  • ...

• For some airports and/or airlines you can get a gate pass to go through security and up to the gate with him. Check the relevant details and conditions.

• Looking at the maps of the relevant airports beforehand is useful (not only for him, for also for you if you have to "navigate" him remotely on the phone for whatever reason). Where available, looking at Google Street View inside the terminals may help. Identify important signs, how to read departure boards, etc.

• It would be wise for you to contact his Fortnite friend in person (at least on the phone, ideally video call), and ideally their parents. You want to avoid the supposedly 15-year old friend turning out to be a 40-year old sexual offender.

• Make sure he has a phone with a decent battery. Add a powerbank. Make sure he knows he should not use his phone too much playing or watching videos, lest he run out of battery. Make sure he charges his phone (and power banks). This of course means make sure he has a charger and cable.

• Activate location sharing on his phone (Find My, Google Maps, or many other apps do that) so you can always know where he is.

• Make sure he knows your phone number (or has it written down on something he will carry with him at all times) and does not just rely on the number being stored in your phone. Batteries die, phones get lost.

• Print out boarding passes/tickets and any required details. Possibly even relevant maps or instructions.

• Add trackers (e.g. AirTags if he has an iPhone) to his bag(s) just in case he forgets about them.

• Make sure he has enough cash for his needs. Ideally also an alternate mode of payment (like a prepaid card), but I'm not sure if that is possible in the US.

• Don't forget that many things you can do without even thinking about it may not be possible for him, like using a credit card, driving, using an ATM, staying at a hotel...

• If they do everything by themselves (including getting to the Lodge from the airport, and then back), look up itineraries, how to get to the right station, how to buy the tickets for the train and bus, how to board the right train, where to alight... Of course it's a lot more complex (and long!) if he lands at LOV rather than DFW. Even from DFW, pay attention to the fact that the Lodge seems like it's next door to DFW, but without a car, it's still a long way, with unfrequent service.

• As he is travelling with friends, this can be for better or worse depending on their characters. One disruptive or inattentive child in the mix may ruin the whole trip. Make sure the other kids are correctly prepared as well.

I hope he has a safe and fun trip!

You need to check the rules for "unaccompanied minor" of the specific airline(s) you are considering. They are not all the same.

Typically a 15 year old can fly alone but you can pay extra for supervision services if you want.

You need to work through the details of his itinerary and check what the rules for each step are. For example, many hotels do not allow a minor as the primary guest. How will he get to/from the airport, how will he pay and/or access cash, etc ?

Try to get some form of ID for him. Passport would be great, if he has one. And it's certainly good to have a travel permit with details for and signature for both parents. You may not need one, but it's good to have all these things in your back pocket.