Do flight attendants take care of unaccompanied minors?

An unaccompanied minor, or U.M., is typically the first to board the aircraft. Escorted by a badged airline employee, the U.M. is turned over to the lead flight attendant, who then introduces the child to members of the cabin crew. Our job is to periodically monitor the U.M. and ensure all is well during the flight.



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Unaccompanied Minors: in the air A Flight Attendant will check on the child periodically, as duties allow, but will not continuously monitor the child throughout the flight. The child is required to always wear the UM lanyard around their neck.

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The minor is escorted from the plane, going through the immigration and customs process where he or she is handed over to the responsible person. The unaccompanied minor service does not include any additional services during the flight.

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Three or four different airline employees may take responsibility for a minor during one trip — shuffling the child from airline workers at the departing city to flight attendants on the plane to other employees at the destination. And they are typically barred from care-taking tasks like giving your child medicine.

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Unaccompanied minors may travel in economy or first class. Contact reservations to book an unaccompanied minor's flight at 1-800-367-5320.

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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.

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Help the Parents
If a baby is crying and the parents are having trouble consoling them, a flight attendant may offer to help out. This could involve anything from holding the baby for a few minutes so the parents can take a break, have their own bathroom visits, etc.

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On the plane They may be in pain because of pressure changes at takeoff and landing; they may be tired and find it difficult to sleep without their normal surroundings; they might want to move around instead of being stuck in a confined space or they might be disoriented and scared.

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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.

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For now, most of the passenger information flight attendants can access to personalize in-flight service is the sort of thing airlines already track, like frequent flyer status, or details included in every booking, like a passenger's date of birth and connecting flight.

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Japan Airlines has introduced a feature on its seat booking system that shows where young children are seated. A child icon appears when a passenger is travelling with children aged under two years.

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Changing cabin pressure during a flight causes temporary changes in middle ear pressure. This can trigger ear pain. To help relieve the discomfort in your baby's ears, offer your baby a breast, bottle or pacifier to suck on during takeoff and the initial descent.

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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. On some airlines, these procedures are required for unaccompanied children as old as 14.

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Lap children between the ages of 6 to 36 months can travel onboard in car seats. Further, if you prefer this option, you have to pay full fare for that particular seat for the baby, irrespective of the baby's age.

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Traveling with a Child Other than Your Own If you (and possibly a partner) are traveling with someone else's child or children, you will need written consent from the child/children's parents.

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