How much does it cost to get an unaccompanied minor at Southwest?
Southwest Unaccompanied Minor Fee is $100 one way per UM. You can either pay the service charge online or at the ticket counter during flight check-in. Southwest UM fee is refundable if you cancel the reservation or UM's flight is canceled.
Southwest Unaccompanied Minor Fee is $100 one way per UM. You can either pay the service charge online or at the ticket counter during flight check-in. Southwest UM fee is refundable if you cancel the reservation or UM's flight is canceled.
Can a child older than 11 years of age be treated as an Unaccompanied Minor? No. Our Unaccompanied Minor program is only for children ages five through 11 years old. Children 12 and older are allowed to travel independently as Young Travelers.
Boarding and takeoff
An adult must take the child to the departure gate and stay until the flight is airborne. When you get to the gate, tell the gate agent you have an unaccompanied minor traveling on the flight. We'll board your child early so they can meet the flight crew and learn about the plane's safety features.
Airline | Allows Unaccompanied Minors? | Cost* |
---|---|---|
Hawaiian Airlines | Yes | $35 to $100 |
JetBlue | Yes | $150 |
Southwest Airlines | Yes | $100 |
Spirit Airlines | Yes | $150 |
Delta Air Lines
The fee for the UM service is $100 each way, with only one fee charged for up to 4 children traveling together. Additionally, Delta offers their “Sky Zone” at Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, New York's JFK, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City airports.
Our Unaccompanied Minor (UMs) procedures do not apply to unaccompanied Passengers ages 12 through 17. A Young Traveler must have the maturity and capability to travel alone, including but not limited to checking in, passing through the security checkpoint, boarding, deplaning, and claiming luggage.
Will minors need an ID to fly domestically? Neither Southwest Airlines nor the TSA require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the United States.
Original or photocopies of government-issued identification (e.g., passport, birth certificate, government-issued photo identification card) are the only acceptable forms of proof of age. Electronic screen shots, phone images, or immunization records are not acceptable.
Book Flights For a Child FAQs
If your child is flying with friends, then you must provide proof of consent as well as any other documentation that the airline requires you to show. If you're looking to book a flight ticket for a child flying solo, then you can do so through Alternative Airlines.
Who qualifies as an unaccompanied minor?
A child who has: No lawful immigration status in the US; Not attained 18 years of age and. No parent or legal guardian in the United States, or no parent or legal guardian in the US available to provide care and physical custody.
Who can fly alone? Most U.S. airlines will permit children who have reached their fifth birthday to travel unaccompanied. Kids ages 5 through 11 who are flying alone must usually travel pursuant to special “unaccompanied minor” procedures.
When your child turns 5, many airlines allow you to pay a fee to register them as an unaccompanied minor so they can fly without an adult. The fee covers additional supervision by the airline, assistance getting on and off the plane, an escort to any connections and assistance in the event of irregular operations.
Keep in mind many airlines impose restrictions on what flights unaccompanied minors can book. For example, some don't permit international travel or layovers longer than two hours, while others only allow travel on nonstop flights.
The Unaccompanied Minor Program requires a fee of $150 USD/CAD/EUR each way, with CAD and EUR used when departing Canada or Europe. This fee applies to travel within the United States and International on both nonstop and connecting flights, in addition to the ticketed adult fare.
Delta's committed to providing safe travel for all — especially children traveling by themselves with our unaccompanied minor program. For a $150 fee each way, up to 4 children between the ages of 5 to 14 will receive an employee escort and special amenities for a reliable and comfortable trip.
What is this? Most US based airlines (but not all of them) offer flights for unaccompanied minors. For a fee, the airline and its employees provide limited supervision on board flights for the child. They also help the child in making flight connections, when applicable.
Southwest Airlines considers children traveling alone below the age of 12 to be Unaccompanied Minors, and children aged 12 through 17 traveling alone to be Young Travellers. We only take bookings for Young Travellers with Southwest at this time.
Children aged 5 – 12 years:
For most airlines children aged between 5 and 12 years old (15 for some airlines e.g. Emirates and Virgin Atlantic) can fly alone using the airline's Unaccompanied Minor Service. Usually an adult fare must be paid.
Typically, minors under the age of 18 do not have to present identification for domestic U.S. travel. Airlines will accept identification from the responsible adult on behalf of the minor(s). For international travel, minors under the age of 18 must present the same travel documents as the adult.
Will Southwest ask for birth certificate?
Employees may ask for age verification at any point, so please travel with a copy or original form of any government-issued ID, such as a birth certificate or passport for your child. A medical release for travel is required for any infant under 14 days old. Does my infant need a boarding pass?
Southwest does not consider a 12-year-old to be an adult. They simply do not allow children 12 or over to travel as an unaccompanied minor ("UM"). The ultimate responsibility for a child lies with the child's parent or guardian.
TSA does not require ID for any traveller younger than 18. Southwest would not be more restrictive than TSA. Then only time an ID might be required is if someone younger than 18 looks to be 18 or older. So if you want to be safe, copies of the documents you listed would be fine - but they probably won't be needed.
The parent/guardian meeting the Unaccompanied Minor at the destination must present a valid, government-issued ID and a copy of the child's itinerary and obtain an escort pass at the ticket counter. The person picking-up the Unaccompanied Minor should be at the gate 45 minutes before scheduled arrival.
Re: Dont have birth certificate yet for infant
ID is no longer required when the child is obviously under 2 years of age. Check-in can be done at the kiosk and you no longer have to talk to an agent for a lap child check-in.
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