Unaccompanied Minors - Smart Travel

Suddenly travel for unaccompanied minors is big news, thanks to Continental's egregious error in back-to-back instances of flying unaccompanied minors to the wrong city! As a mother whose son has flown unaccompanied 12 times already, I'm naturally concerned but glad that both girls are safe (they were never unsupervised and were delivered to the correct destination same-day). I'm also still committed to flying my son out to see me as usual.

Second to safety, the biggest concern for most families is cost, and it's balancing those two that are tricky. I cannot afford to fly out and pick him up, but I also will not book him on an economy airline connecting through some random city.

As I have written about previously, one of the effects of the economic downturn that people don't hear much about is that visitation has gotten more expensive for families separated by distance, as airlines have doubled fees for unaccompanied minors. Just two years ago, my son used to be able to fly with a $40 extra charge, but now most airlines charge between $75 (Virgin, JetBlue) to $100 (Delta, American), each way. And, as we all know, airlines have also added extra fees for checked baggage, which a child certainly needs when going to visit mom for the whole summer! So, while overall plane fares remain low ($350 round-trip from LAX to JFK), the unaccompanied minor fees add almost 60% to the total cost.

In this economy, when every penny counts, I spent hours scanning airfares and airline policies to find the best deal. There are some sites that have old information posted, and I found myself stuck with much higher fees once, when I relied on those sites for info! So, every time I book his flights, I go to each airline's website to get updated info. I thought I would post what I have found here, with links to those pages.


These are general guidelines for domestic US travel. All fees listed are for EACH WAY, meaning if you purchase a roundtrip ticket, the “to” and the “from” flights will be charged separately. Also, most airlines won’t accept children younger than 5 years old, and the “unaccompanied minor service” is often extended to older children but often not to teens aged 15-17. Some airlines charge families only one fee for multiple children.

Airlines usually do not allow children to fly out on the last flight of the day, and are typically strict about offering connections, not allowing travel on any flights that connect to/from other carriers.

JETBLUE
Unaccompanied minor service:
• $75
• Required ages 5-13 (non-stop only)
Baggage Fees:
• 1st Bag FREE (!!)
• 2nd Bag $30


VIRGIN AMERICA
Unaccompanied minor service:
• $75
• Required for ages 5-14
• Nonstop flights only
• Optional for ages 15-17
Baggage fees:
• 1st Bag $15, 2nd Bag $15


SOUTHWEST
Unaccompanied minor service
• $25
• Required for ages 5-11, nonstop only
• NOTE: "Southwest Airlines will not transport Unaccompanied Minors on flights we think might be cancelled or diverted due to weather or other operational situations."
Baggage fee:
• None (first 2 checked bags free of charge)


DELTA
Unaccompanied minor service:
• $100 (if 2 or more minors, only one charge)
• Required ages 5-14; optional ages 15-17
• Ages 5-7 non-stop only; ages 8+ nonstop/connecting
• No red-eye flights longer than 2hrs in duration
Baggage Fee:
• 1st bag $15; 2nd bag $25


AMERICAN
Unaccompanied minor service:
• $100
• Required ages 5-14
• Ages 5-7 nonstop only, ages 8+ nonstop/connecting
Baggage Fee:
• 1st bag $15, 2nd bag $25


CONTINENTAL
Unaccompanied minor service:
• $75 for nonstop / $100 connecting
• Required for ages 5-14
• Ages 5-7 only eligible for non-stop flights
• Service not offered for ages 15-17
Baggage Fees:
• 1st bag $15, 2nd bag $25

ALASKA/HORIZON Airlines (American owned)
Unaccompanied minor service:
• $75
• Required ages 5-12
Baggage Fee:
• 1st bag $15, 2nd bag $25


UNITED
Unaccompanied minor service:
• $99 each way
• Required for ages 5-11; optional for ages 12-17
• Ages 5-7 on non-stop flights only; ages 8+ non-stop or connecting flights
Baggage Fee:
• 1st Bag $15, 2nd Bag $15


US Airways:
Unaccompanied minor service:
• $100
• Required for ages 5-14; optional for ages 15-17 (non-stop only, all ages)
Baggage fee:
• 1st Bag $15, 2nd Bag $15 (airport pricing may be different)


NORTHWEST (delta)
Unaccompanied minor service:
• $100 (up to 4 children may be booked with only one service charge)
• Required for ages 5-14
• Ages 5-7 nonstop only
• No red-eye flights (9pm-5am)
Baggage fee:
• 1st bag $15, 2nd bag $25