Children under the age of five are not permitted to fly as unaccompanied minors, even if they are traveling with an older unaccompanied minor. Young travelers between the ages of 15 and 17 are permitted to fly alone on any United Airlines or United Express trip.
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You'll need to fill out an unaccompanied minor form and any necessary Customs and Immigration documents for the day of departure. This form must remain with your child during their journey. At check-in, parents / guardians will also need to provide: A birth certificate or passport as proof of the child's age.
The short answer to this question is “probably,” as long as your child is at least 5-years-old. The airlines generally consider children between the ages of 5 and 14 flying alone to be “unaccompanied minors.” Once your child is 15, they can fly alone without a special designation.
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.
A parent or guardian must escort an Unaccompanied Minor to the departure gate 45 minutes before scheduled departure and must remain in the gate area until the flight is in the air.
Child age at the time of unaccompanied travelChildren 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.
TSA (Transportation Security Administration) minor travel consent refers to a document that gives permission for a minor child (usually under the age of 18) to travel without both parents or legal guardians present.
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.
Children 12 and under may accompany an enrolled parent or guardian in the TSA PreCheck lanes without restriction. Children 13-17 may join enrolled adults when traveling on the same reservation and if the TSA PreCheck indicator appears on the child's boarding pass.
The legal parent or guardian must stay at the airport until the flight has departed. We offer priority boarding to unaccompanied minors so they can board the aircraft first.
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.
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requests written consent from both parents or the parent who is not accompanying the minor for minors (those less than 18 years of age) traveling to the U.S. alone or accompanied by only one parent. This written consent must be in English.
International travelSome 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.
Children under 18 aren't required to have identification for domestic trips. But to travel overseas, you'll need passports for your grandchildren, no matter how old they are. It's also wise to carry with you a notarized letter that grants you permission to travel with your grandchildren, signed by both parents.
United AirlinesUnited's family seating policy guarantees families with children under age 12 in certain cabins can sit together for free, regardless of fare type.
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.
Although children who have not reached their second birthday are permitted to travel as lap children, the FAA strongly discourages this practice and recommends that you secure your child in an approved CRS in their own seat for the entire flight.