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In 2026, the airlines with a published student program are international carriers: Emirates (ages 16 to 31), Qatar Airways Student Club, Turkish Airlines (12 to 34), Etihad, Air India (12 to 30) and Lufthansa (16 and over, from the US). Among US airlines only United publishes an age-based young adult discount; American, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, Hawaiian, Frontier and Allegiant have no student fare.
Every row was checked on the airline's website in September 2026, with the source page linked. Percentages appear only where the airline itself publishes them. This is the table companion to our guide to flights for students.
Student discounts by airline (last verified: September 2026)
| Airline | Policy / discount | Who qualifies | How to book | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | Not offered / not published. American's special fares pages list no student fare. | n/a | Book any published fare; confirm with the airline or call us. | aa.com |
| Delta Air Lines | Not offered / not published. Delta's fares and discounts page lists senior, military, government and bereavement fares but no student fare. | n/a | Book any published fare. | delta.com |
| United Airlines | Young Adult Discount for MileagePlus members within United's published age band, booked in the United app after age verification. United publishes the age range and discount on its page; our tools could not load united.com in September 2026, so confirm with United or call us. | MileagePlus members in the age band United publishes (student status not required). | Sign in to the United app, verify your age with ID, and choose the young adult discount option before searching. | united.com |
| Southwest Airlines | Not offered / not published. Southwest's fare information page lists no student fare. | n/a | Book any published fare. | southwest.com |
| JetBlue | Not published. JetBlue's fare pages list no student fare; a "student bags" help page exists but its content could not be loaded by our tools. | n/a | Book any published fare; confirm with the airline or call us. | jetblue.com |
| Alaska Airlines | Not offered / not published. Alaska's fare pages list bereavement and military fares but no student fare. | n/a | Book any published fare. | alaskaair.com |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Not offered / not published (shared Alaska and Hawaiian policy pages). | n/a | Book any published fare. | hawaiianairlines.com |
| Spirit Airlines | Not available. Spirit began an orderly wind-down of operations on May 2, 2026 and cancelled all flights. | n/a | Book another carrier. | spiritrestructuring.com |
| Frontier Airlines | Not offered / not published. Frontier's Discount Den is a paid membership club open to all ages, not a student program. | n/a | Book any published fare. | flyfrontier.com |
| Allegiant Air | Not offered / not published. | n/a | Book any published fare. | allegiantair.com |
| Air Canada | Student offers exist in some markets (a UK student offer on Economy base fares and a Student Pass within Canada); no student fare is published for bookings from the US. | Students booking in the markets where Air Canada publishes an offer. | Book on aircanada.com in an eligible market; for US departures confirm with the airline or call us. | aircanada.com |
| British Airways | No student discount on ba.com. Specialist student fares are sold through student travel agencies; BA states you must carry current official international student identification when travelling on one or you may be refused carriage. | Full-time students with an international student ID card, booked through a student fare agency. | Through a student travel agency, or call us to check whether a student fare is filed for your route. | britishairways.com |
| Lufthansa | Student fares from the USA, one-way and return, with one checked bag of 23 kg included. Not offered within Europe; one student per booking. Travel ID verification is valid for one year. | Full-time students aged 16 and over at a higher educational institution, with a student email address and valid student ID or admission letter. | Register for Lufthansa Travel ID, verify student status in the profile, then book on lufthansa.com; carry student ID for check-in. | lufthansa.com |
| Emirates | Student offer: up to 10% discount on Economy Class and up to 5% on Premium Economy and Business Class fares with the code STUDENT, plus an extra 10 kg or one extra piece of baggage, for new bookings made on or before March 31, 2027. | Full-time students aged 16 to 31 with a valid student ID from an accredited school, college or university; Emirates Skywards membership required. | Join Skywards, book on emirates.com with the code, and bring your student ID or acceptance letter to check-in. | emirates.com |
| Qatar Airways | Student Club (part of Privilege Club): 10% discount on the first flight, 15% on the second, 20% on the third and fourth; an extra 10 kg or one extra piece; two complimentary date changes; onboard Wi-Fi; up to three Student Companions share benefits. | Students who join Student Club and verify their status; age limits are in the terms. | Enroll in Student Club online and book through the Student Club booking page. | qatarairways.com |
| Turkish Airlines | Student discount of up to 15% on international flights (up to 20% on Turkish domestic flights), a 40 kg baggage allowance on international routes (2 x 23 kg where the piece concept applies) and flexible changes. | Students aged 12 to 34 on international flights; 12 to 25 on domestic flights. | Book through the Turkish Airlines student page with student verification. | turkishairlines.com |
| Etihad Airways | International student offer: up to 10% discount in Economy and up to 5% in Business, plus savings on extra baggage bought online in advance. | International students meeting Etihad's published eligibility. | Book through the Etihad student offer page. | etihad.com |
| Air India | Student offer: up to 10% discount on base fares, 10 kg extra baggage, and one free date change when booked on Air India's direct channels. | Full-time students aged 12 to 30 on international flights (12 and over on domestic flights). | Book on airindia.com or the app with student verification. | airindia.com |
Student discounts apply to the base fare, not to taxes and carrier surcharges, which are a large share of an international ticket. A student fare with extra baggage can still lose to a public sale fare on a competing airline, so compare both.
How it works
- Enroll before you search. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Lufthansa attach the student benefit to a loyalty or Travel ID profile that must be verified before the fare appears.
- Check the age band and the route. Emirates stops at 31, Turkish at 34, Air India at 30. Lufthansa excludes intra-Europe flights and Air Canada publishes no US offer.
- Value the baggage. The extra 10 kg at Emirates, Qatar and Air India, the 40 kg allowance at Turkish and the included bag at Lufthansa are often worth more than the fare discount for a student moving abroad.
- One student per record where required. Lufthansa's student fares are for one student per booking; friends traveling together need separate bookings.
What documents you need
- Current student ID card from an accredited institution, or an admission or acceptance letter for incoming students (Emirates and Lufthansa both accept the letter).
- Institution email address for Lufthansa's Travel ID verification.
- International Student Identity Card on a British Airways agency student fare; BA may refuse carriage without it.
- Passport and student visa (F-1, J-1, Tier 4 or equivalent), plus proof of onward travel where required.
- Loyalty membership: Emirates Skywards, Qatar Airways Privilege Club or United MileagePlus, created before booking.
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