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Most US airlines require unaccompanied minor service for children aged 5 to 14 (Southwest and Hawaiian: 5 to 11; Alaska: 5 to 12) and charge a published fee each way, typically $50 to $150. Frontier and Allegiant do not carry children under 15 alone at all, and British Airways has no service, so 14 is its minimum age to fly solo.
This table puts 14 airlines on one page; our overview of unaccompanied minor flight policies covers the airport process in more depth. Every row was checked on the airline's website in September 2026. Fees are the airline's published service fees, charged on top of the child's ticket.
Unaccompanied minor rules by airline (last verified: September 2026)
| Airline | Policy / discount | Who qualifies | How to book | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | Required for ages 5 to 14; optional for 15 to 17. Fee $150 each way plus tax (7% on US domestic), covering siblings on the same flight. Connection and time-of-day restrictions apply. | Children 5 to 17 traveling without an adult. Under 5 cannot travel alone. | Phone only; cannot be booked online. | aa.com |
| Delta Air Lines | Required for ages 5 to 14; optional for 15 to 17. Fee $150 USD/CAD/EUR each way, covering up to four children traveling together. Ages 5 to 7 on some nonstop flights only; 8 and up may connect. No red-eye flights and not the last connection of the day. Delta Sky Zone rooms at major hubs. | Children 5 to 17 not traveling with an adult. | Call Delta Reservations to confirm the itinerary; bring photo ID, address and the pickup person's details. | delta.com |
| United Airlines | Required for ages 5 to 14; optional for 15 to 17; nonstop United and United Express flights only. United publishes the fee on its page ($150 each way when we last checked; our tools could not load united.com in September 2026, so confirm). | Children 5 to 17 traveling alone. | Book with United and add the service; provide the pickup person's ID details. | united.com |
| Southwest Airlines | Service for ages 5 to 11: $100 one-way per child on the US mainland, $35 one-way between the Hawaiian Islands. Nonstop or same-plane flights only; no international, no connections. Ages 12 to 17 fly domestically as Young Travelers without the service. | Children 5 to 11 traveling without someone aged 12 or older. | Online, by phone or at the ticket counter. Bring the adult's photo ID, the itinerary and the UM form. | southwest.com / fees |
| JetBlue | Required for ages 5 to 13 ("5 and under 14"). Fee $150 per person, per way, paid at booking. Nonstop only; maximum three unaccompanied minors per flight; not on flights to or from the UK and Europe. | Children 5 to 13 flying alone. | Book on jetblue.com; complete the Unaccompanied Minor Form in three copies and bring photo ID at drop-off and pickup. | jetblue.com |
| Alaska Airlines | Junior Jetsetter service required for ages 5 to 12, optional for 13 to 17. Fee $50 each way per child on nonstop or direct flights, $75 each way on connecting flights. Waived for children with elite loyalty status. | Children 5 to 17 traveling without an adult aged 18 or older. | Book online or by phone, then pay the fee at web check-in, a kiosk or the ticket counter. | alaskaair.com |
| Hawaiian Airlines | On the shared Alaska and Hawaiian policy page: $100 each way for up to two children on the same reservation, $50 each way within Hawaii. Hawaiian's contract of carriage treats ages 5 to 11 as unaccompanied minors on domestic flights; confirm the current age band when booking. | Children 5 to 11 flying alone on Hawaiian-operated flights. | Book by phone with Hawaiian or Alaska Reservations and request the service. | alaskaair.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 | No unaccompanied minor service. "Frontier Airlines will no longer accept children traveling alone under the age of 15." Any child under 15 must be on the same reservation as an accompanying adult. | Ages 15 to 17 fly alone as adult passengers. | Book a normal ticket for a traveler aged 15 or older. | flyfrontier.com |
| Allegiant Air | No unaccompanied minor service. "Children 14 years and younger must be accompanied by a passenger that is at least 15 years old." A birth certificate or ID with date of birth is strongly recommended for minors. | Ages 15 to 17 may fly alone. | Book a normal ticket for a traveler aged 15 or older. | allegiantair.com |
| Air Canada | Under 8 must be accompanied by someone 16 or older. Mandatory for ages 8 to 11, optional for 12 to 17. Fee $100 to $118 CAD/USD each way per child per flight. Nonstop flights only; not on connecting or codeshare flights. | Children 8 to 17 traveling alone on nonstop Air Canada flights. | Contact Air Canada Reservations or your travel agent; complete the Request for Carriage form. | aircanada.com |
| British Airways | No unaccompanied minor service. Minimum age to travel alone is 14. Ages 14 and 15 must be booked by a parent or legal guardian, by phone, and cannot check in online. | Young people aged 14 and over. | Phone booking for 14 and 15 year olds; bring the signed Young Flyers Travelling Alone consent form and a copy of the parent's photo ID. | britishairways.com |
| Lufthansa | Care service mandatory for ages 5 to 11 (unless traveling with someone 12 or older); optional for 12 to 17. Fee USD 60 to 120 per direction by destination, plus an extra fee for transfers in Vienna. Direct flights and connections via Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Geneva, Brussels and Vienna. | Children 5 to 17 flying alone. | Book the service separately by phone; the fee can be paid up to 24 hours before departure. | lufthansa.com |
| Emirates | Ages 5 to 11 travel on an adult fare with the Unaccompanied Minors service included. Ages 12 to 15 may fly alone or add the service for USD 50 per leg. Dedicated lounge and escort at Dubai. | Children 5 to 15 flying alone. | Book the flight and arrange the service up to 12 hours before departure. | emirates.com |
Fees are per direction, per the airline's fee page, in addition to the child's fare; rows note where a page could not be loaded by our tools.
How it works
- Check the age band first. A ten-year-old flies alone on Southwest for $100 each way, needs a $150 service on American, Delta or JetBlue, and cannot fly alone on Frontier or Allegiant.
- Choose a flight the airline allows. JetBlue, United, Air Canada and Frontier accept unaccompanied minors on nonstop flights only. Delta lets children 8 and older connect but bans red-eyes and the last connection of the day.
- Book the way the airline requires. American, Delta, Air Canada, BA and Lufthansa want a phone booking; Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska accept online bookings with the service added.
- Arrive early with the paperwork. The drop-off adult stays until the flight departs; the pickup adult must be the person named on the form and show ID.
What documents you need
- The airline's unaccompanied minor form, completed in advance where possible (JetBlue wants three copies; Air Canada a Request for Carriage form; BA a Young Flyers consent form).
- Government photo ID for the drop-off and pickup adults, names matching the form exactly. Delta also records the address on the ID.
- Proof of the child's age, such as a birth certificate or passport, strongly recommended by Allegiant and useful everywhere.
- Passport, visa and a notarized consent letter from any non-traveling parent on international trips. Southwest does not carry unaccompanied minors internationally.
- Contact numbers for both adults, plus medication or dietary notes for the crew.
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