Letting a child travel alone by air is common, and almost all airlines in practice have the same basic rules. Therefore, in this article we help you find the right information and understand what usually applies, so that you as a legal guardian can plan the trip safely and correctly.
What counts as flying alone
A child is considered to be travelling alone when they are not travelling together with an adult according to the airline’s definition. A person who has turned 16 is often considered an adult, which means that children travelling with someone who is 16 years or older in many cases are not regarded as unaccompanied minors. (Note that the definition may differ between airlines.)
Ages 5 to 12: mandatory assistance service required
For a child who is between 5 and 12 years old and who will travel without an adult, it is mandatory to use the airline’s assistance service in order to be allowed to travel alone. Children under 5 years old are not allowed to travel alone. The assistance service usually means that the airline helps the child to get through check-in and security screening, be escorted to the aircraft, and be met on arrival and escorted to the right person.
Many airlines also do not allow unaccompanied minors to fly if the journey involves a connecting flight, or special conditions are required (e.g. only certain types of connections, only the same airline, specific times of day). The reason is that airlines have strict rules in order to be able to guarantee the child’s safety throughout all parts of the journey.
When you book the assistance service, you need to provide details of the person who checks in and leaves the child at the airport and the person who picks up the child at the arrival airport. The persons must show a valid identity card.
Important documentation to bring
When a child travels alone, together with only one legal guardian, or with someone other than their legal guardians, countries require that you can show documents confirming that the legal guardians have approved the trip. The requirement applies to all children under 18 years old. To know exactly what applies for a specific destination, you should check the rules with the country’s authorities.
You can get the travel consent letter from MinorClearPass.com here.