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Sending a Child Flying Alone? Compare the Airline Before the Fare

Quick Take: Unaccompanied-minor service on major U.S. airlines generally costs $100 to $150 each way, but the fee is only the beginning. The required ages, connection rules, sibling pricing and booking methods differ enough that the cheapest fare—or even an available award seat—may not be usable. United, Southwest and JetBlue limit covered children to nonstop or direct itineraries, while American, Delta and Alaska allow some older children to connect under specific rules. Confirm the exact flight and operating carrier before transferring points, then plan the drop-off, pickup and disruption backup as carefully as the ticket.

Booking a child’s first flight alone isn’t a normal airfare search with one extra box to check.

Every airline writes its own age bands, route restrictions and handoff process. A 12-year-old is an unaccompanied minor on American but a “Young Traveler” on Southwest. United requires a nonstop flight for children using its service, while Delta may allow an older child in the program to connect. Two siblings can share one fee on some airlines and pay separately on others.

That means the airline can matter more than the fare. Start with the child’s age and a flight that qualifies. Only then should you compare cash, miles and fees.

What the Major U.S. Airlines Currently Charge

The comparison below reflects published policies available on August 25, 2026. Taxes may apply, and optional service for older teenagers can use the same fee.

Unaccompanied-Minor Snapshot:

American Airlines: Required for ages 5–14 and optional for 15–17. The fee is $150 each way plus applicable taxes and covers additional siblings on the same flight. Ages 5–7 may fly nonstop only; ages 8–14 may use certain connections.
Delta Air Lines: Required for ages 5–14 and optional for 15–17. The fee is $150 each way for up to four children traveling together. Ages 5–7 may use eligible nonstop flights; ages 8–14 can use some connections.
United Airlines: Required for ages 5–14 and optional for 15–17. The fee is $150 each way for one or two children, $300 for three or four, and $450 for five or six. Eligible children must use nonstop United or United Express flights.
Southwest Airlines: Required for ages 5–11. The fee is $100 each way per child on mainland U.S. itineraries or $35 each way between Hawaiian islands. Only nonstop or same-plane direct domestic flights qualify.
Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines: Required for ages 5–12 and optional for 13–17. For tickets booked on or after October 14, 2025, the fee is $100 each way for up to two children on the same reservation, or $50 for eligible travel wholly within Hawaii. Ages 5–7 may fly nonstop or direct only.
JetBlue: Required for ages 5–14. The fee is $150 each way per child, and the itinerary must be nonstop.

Fees are generally charged in addition to the fare or award-ticket taxes. On a round trip for one child, that’s $300 on American, Delta, United or JetBlue, $200 on Southwest’s mainland routes, or $200 on Alaska and Hawaiian outside the lower interisland-Hawaii price.

Sibling pricing can change the winner. Delta’s $150 one-way charge covers as many as four children traveling together, while United and Alaska cover as many as two at their base price. Southwest charges each child separately. Don’t compare the published fare until you’ve added the fee for the entire party.

The Age Rules Aren’t Standard

Children younger than five can’t travel alone on these airlines. From there, the definitions split.

American, Delta, United and JetBlue generally require the service through age 14. Alaska and Hawaiian require it through age 12. Southwest stops requiring its unaccompanied-minor service after age 11 and treats passengers ages 12 and older as Young Travelers.

“Optional” doesn’t mean unnecessary. A 15-year-old may be legally allowed to travel as a regular passenger, but the family might still want the airline’s supervised handoff and irregular-operations process. Compare what the optional program actually provides with the teenager’s experience, the airport, the flight time and the chance of disruption.

Also check whether a younger sibling changes the booking. Airlines commonly apply the service rules when all travelers in the party are under the minimum accompanying-adult age. A teenager who can fly alone isn’t automatically old enough to serve as the responsible companion for a younger child.

A Connection Can Make the Ticket Ineligible

Nonstop is the cleanest choice even when a connection is technically permitted. It removes the most difficult handoff: getting a child from one gate to another when the inbound flight is late or the next flight changes terminals.

United, Southwest and JetBlue keep the rule simple for children using the service: no connections. Southwest does allow a direct flight that keeps the same flight number and aircraft through an intermediate stop.

American permits ages 8–14 to connect only through specified airports, including Charlotte, Dallas–Fort Worth, Miami, Chicago O’Hare, Philadelphia and Phoenix, plus certain New York, Los Angeles and Washington airports. It prohibits partner and codeshare flights, overnight connections, ground or co-terminal transfers and, in most cases, the last flight from the connection city.

Delta allows some connections for children ages 8–14 but restricts late-night and last-flight options. Alaska and Hawaiian permit ages 8–12 to connect with limits on departure times, layover length and the last connecting flight of the day.

Check the operating carrier: A ticket sold on one airline’s website may include a flight operated by a partner. Unaccompanied-minor service often can’t cross airline boundaries, and American explicitly bars partner and codeshare itineraries. Confirm every flight number, airport and operating carrier before paying or moving points.

Points Can Cover the Fare, Not the Parenting Logistics

Most airline programs let a member redeem miles for someone else, including a child. The unaccompanied-minor fee, however, is normally a separate cash charge rather than an extra mileage amount.

The booking channel differs by airline:

American: Call reservations to book a child traveling alone.
Delta: Call the dedicated unaccompanied-minor reservation line.
United: Book through United’s website and select the correct child traveler information; United says this booking isn’t available in its app.
Southwest: Book online, by phone or at the ticket counter.
Alaska and Hawaiian: Eligible simple itineraries can be booked online by selecting children and no adults; multi-city or multi-airline trips require assistance.
JetBlue: Eligible reservations can be made online.

Phone-only booking creates an extra award-travel step. Find the flight first, record the date, number, cabin and mileage price, then call while the space is still available. Ask the agent to confirm the unaccompanied-minor eligibility before completing the redemption.

The Tools of the Trade guide can help identify award availability, and the Award Trip Planning Checklist provides a place to record the fare, fees and cancellation rules. If the miles are spread among family accounts, review the program’s pooling and nominee rules rather than assuming balances can be combined. The United pooling guide and Qatar Family and Friends guide show how different those systems can be.

Don’t confuse an unaccompanied minor with a lap infant. Lap-infant awards concern a child traveling with an adult, and the rules are entirely different. The recent Alaska Atmos lap-infant award update isn’t a shortcut for a child flying alone.

Don’t transfer points first: Transfers from flexible bank programs are usually irreversible. An award seat can appear online but still fail the airline’s age, connection, departure-time or operating-carrier rules. Confirm that the exact itinerary can accept the child before moving points.

Schedule Choice Is a Safety Net

A 6 a.m. nonstop may be less convenient than a noon connection, but it can leave the airline more ways to recover if something goes wrong. The last flight of the day removes those options, which is why several carriers restrict it for unaccompanied minors.

When possible:

Choose a nonstop flight.
Depart early enough to preserve later backup flights.
Avoid tight connections, terminal changes and airports where weather is likely to disrupt the travel day.
Check how many eligible flights operate after the booked one.
Use a fare or award with change and cancellation rules the family can accept.

Some airlines cap the number of unaccompanied minors accepted on a flight. A seat for sale isn’t necessarily an available place in the child-travel program, so call or complete the child-specific booking flow before assuming the inventory is yours.

Have a backup adult at both ends when practical. A long delay can outlast the original greeter’s workday, and the airline won’t release the child to a different person merely because the family explains the change by text. Update the authorized pickup information through the airline.

Plan the Airport Handoff Before Travel Day

This is one trip where mobile boarding passes and a curbside goodbye aren’t enough. The drop-off adult generally needs to check in with the child at a full-service counter, complete the airline’s form, show identification and receive a gate pass.

Bring:

The child’s passport or birth certificate if the airline requests proof of age.
The drop-off adult’s current government-issued photo ID.
The pickup adult’s full name, address and phone number exactly as the airline requires.
The reservation, fee receipt and any medical or accessibility information already provided to the airline.
International consent and custody documents when applicable.

American recommends arriving at least two hours early, and other carriers also require extra time for paperwork and escort coordination. The adult should expect to remain at the gate until the aircraft is airborne—not merely until boarding ends. At arrival, the designated adult should arrive early with matching identification and follow the airline’s instructions for a gate pass or meeting location.

The TSA says travelers under 18 generally don’t need identification for U.S. domestic screening, but that doesn’t override an airline’s proof-of-age or handoff requirements. An unaccompanied child using TSA PreCheck must have acceptable identification for that lane. The adults requesting gate access also need the documents required by the airline, airport and security checkpoint.

International Trips Add Another Layer

A child traveling internationally needs the normal passport and entry documents, plus any consent paperwork required by the destination or transit country. The U.S. State Department warns that some countries require a notarized letter from a non-traveling parent or proof of sole legal custody.

The United States doesn’t universally require permission from both parents for a child to leave the country, but another government, border officer or airline may. Check the destination embassy and every transit point rather than relying on a generic template.

International unaccompanied-minor itineraries can also be narrower than the airline’s domestic policy. Southwest doesn’t accept unaccompanied minors on international flights, and partner-operated segments can make an itinerary impossible even when both airlines separately offer the service.

Prepare the Child for What the Service Doesn’t Do

The program creates a controlled handoff; it isn’t one-to-one childcare for the entire flight. American and Southwest both make clear that flight attendants have normal onboard duties and don’t continuously monitor the child.

Before the trip, make sure the child can:

State their full name and the names of the adults at both airports.
Keep the airline wristband, envelope or documents on their person.
Follow instructions only from identified airline or airport personnel.
Stay at the assigned gate or seat and ask before leaving.
Use a phone or memorized number to reach family if permitted.
Manage a simple carry-on with snacks, a charged device, headphones and one change of clothes.

Talk with the airline in advance about medication, allergies, accessibility needs or help the child can’t perform independently. A flight attendant may not be allowed to administer medication, and the unaccompanied-minor program doesn’t replace medical assistance.

Place the full itinerary and contact list in the child’s bag and phone. The Travel Planning Checklist can keep flight numbers, authorized adults, airline phone numbers and backup options together for the family.

Getting to the Point(s)

The best unaccompanied-minor ticket isn’t automatically the cheapest cash fare or lowest mileage price. It’s the eligible flight with the fewest ways to go wrong.

Start with the airline’s age rule. Add the service fee for every child and direction. Remove any connection, partner flight or departure time the policy doesn’t allow. Then compare cash with points and confirm the booking channel.

A nonstop morning flight may cost more, but it buys a simpler handoff and more recovery time. For a child’s first solo trip, that can be a much better redemption than saving a few thousand miles on a connection the family will worry about all day.

Finally, don’t treat the ticket as the whole plan. The named adults, identification, airport timing, international permissions and backup flight are part of the reservation too—even if they never appear on the fare screen.

Build the Handoff and the Backup

Use the Travel Planning Checklist to record the operating carrier, service fee, authorized adults and alternate flights. If the award itinerary is complicated, the Award Booking Service can help compare eligible routes before you transfer points.

Open the Planning Checklist Explore Award Booking Help Visit The Runway

Sources & Further Reading

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