Do minors have to sit with parents on plane?

On most major airlines, kids must be at least five years old to fly alone, yet recently, infants as young as 11 months have been seated away from their parents. This week, major airlines have finally announced new policies to prevent families from being separated in the air.



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The minimum age for children to travel alone as adults paying adult fares varies: Kids have to be 12 years old to fly alone on domestic flights with Hawaiian, Southwest, Air Canada, and WestJet; 13 years old on Alaska; 14 years old to fly as an adult on JetBlue; and 15 years old on Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, ...

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A Child Travel Consent letter is a legal document that gives permission for minors to travel without their parents or legal guardian. If a child is traveling with an adult who is not their legal guardian, both the parents need to sign the consent letter.

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Children ages 15 to 17 can travel as an unaccompanied minor, but it is not required. Children ages 2 to 14 can travel as an accompanied minor with someone 16 years or older. Reservations must be made over the phone at 1-800-433-7300.

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Children traveling alone We want your child to have a safe and positive trip. For safety, we require children age 5 – 14 traveling alone to use our unaccompanied minor service. This service is optional for children age 15 – 17, but if requested, then the fee applies.

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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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What is Ryanair's Family Seat Policy? For safety reasons, children under the age of 12 must sit beside an accompanying adult, and infants (aged 8 days to 23 months inclusive) must sit on an accompanying adult's lap. It is mandatory for an adult travelling with children under 12 (excl. infants) to reserve a seat.

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Young people aged 12 to 17 may travel unaccompanied without assistance. At the parents' or guardians' request, these passengers may travel under the care of ground crew and a member of the cabin crew.

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Child age at the time of unaccompanied travel Children ages 15-17 are permitted to travel as a standard passenger, Go to footer note, provided they can present a valid ID to security personnel. If parents or guardians prefer, they can also travel as an unaccompanied minor.

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You may visit the UK if you're under 18 and: you've made suitable arrangements for your travel and stay in the UK. you have written consent from your parent or guardian to travel to the UK (if travelling alone) you're able to pay for your return or onward journey.

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Some airlines permit this for kids as young as 12. When a child has reached this minimum age for traveling alone without unaccompanied-minor procedures, the airline does not require evidence of parental permission to travel alone. If the child has a passport, he or she can even travel internationally.

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International travel Some airlines automatically apply the unaccompanied-minor procedures to kids through age 17 on international flights, and charge the standard unaccompanied-minor fee if applicable. Children must usually have the same passport, visa or other international entry documentation required of adults.

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We do not carry unaccompanied children under 16. We cannot provide an escort or special facilities.

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Whilst our seating system will always try to seat families together, seats are allocated on a first come first served basis so the earlier you check in the more likely you are to be seated together.

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British Airways, Tui and Virgin Atlantic all guarantee that children under 12 will be seated with at least one adult from their booking – although the rest of the group might be split up. British Airways also lets you choose your seat for free if you're travelling with a child under two.

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Planning your trip
  • Infants on lap. Children under two can sit on a parent's lap during flights to any destination.
  • Infant seats. Alternatively, infants can have their own seat if you bring an approved car seat.
  • All other kids. Children older than two will need a ticket and their own seat on the plane.


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Children traveling alone For safety, we require children age 5 – 14 traveling alone to use our unaccompanied minor service. This service is optional for children age 15 – 17, but if requested, then the fee applies. The unaccompanied minor fee is $150* each way, plus applicable taxes†, in addition to the ticket price.

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The minimum age for children to travel alone as adults paying adult fares varies: Kids have to be 12 years old to fly alone on domestic flights with Hawaiian, Southwest, Air Canada, and WestJet; 13 years old on Alaska; 14 years old to fly as an adult on JetBlue; and 15 years old on Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, ...

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EasyJet does not accept unaccompanied minors under the age of 16. Children under 16 years of age cannot travel unless accompanied by a person aged 16 years or older who will take responsibility for the minor.

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