Unaccompanied Minor Rules by Airline
Can a child fly alone on your airline, on that flight, and what the airline charges: every rule read on the airline’s own page.
American Airlines · 8 years old · nonstop flight · within the U.S.
Yes, with American’s unaccompanied minor service: required at 8An adult drops the child off and stays until the plane is in the air; another adult named on the booking picks them up.
Fee: $150 each way, $300 round trip · one fee for all the siblings on the same flight, plus taxes (7% on flights within the U.S.)
In American’s own words
- “For safety, we require children age 5 – 14 traveling alone to use our unaccompanied minor service.”
- “8-14 — Unaccompanied minor service required · Gate escort and guardian contact required · Nonstop flights, or any connecting flight through Charlotte, NC (CLT), Washington Reagan, D.C. (DCA), Dallas Fort Worth, TX (DFW), New York, NY (JFK and LGA), Los Angeles, CA (LAX), Miami, FL (MIA), Chicago, IL (ORD), Philadelphia, PA (PHL) and Phoenix, AZ (PHX)”
- “The unaccompanied minor fee is $150 each way, plus applicable taxes*, in addition to the ticket price.”
- “This fee covers additional siblings on the same flight.”
- “* Flights within the U.S. are subject to a 7% tax.”
The flights it will not book
- “We don’t allow children to travel alone when their trips include: · Flights on another airline including codeshare and oneworld® partners · Ground or co-terminal connections where the child must transfer from one local airport to another · The last flight of the day from the final connection city (unless it’s the only flight) · Overnight connecting flights”
Booking and the airport
- “Unaccompanied minors need to be booked by phone.”
- “Arrive at least 2 hours before the scheduled departure time of your child’s flight and speak with a ticket counter agent.”
- “At check-in, parents / guardians will also need to provide: · A birth certificate or passport as proof of the child’s age · The adult’s REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or another acceptable form of ID like a passport or U.S. military ID · Your phone number so we can contact you · The name, address and phone number of the adult meeting your child at their destination”
Abroad, a child flying without both parents usually needs a consent letter: the Minor Travel Consent Letter fills one in and says who signs it.
Read 2026-10-02 on American Airlines’s own page. Check it before you book: airlines change these rules.
A child of 8 on a nonstop flight, within the U.S.: every airline
| Airline | Can the child fly alone? | Flights | Fee each way, 1 child |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | Yes, with the service | Nonstop, or connecting via CLT, DCA, DFW, JFK, LGA, LAX, MIA, ORD, PHL or PHX | $150 |
| Delta Air Lines | Yes, with the service | Nonstop or connecting | $150 |
| United Airlines | Yes, with the service | Nonstop only | $150 |
| Southwest Airlines | Yes, with the service | Nonstop, or a stop on the same plane | $100 |
| Alaska Airlines & Hawaiian Airlines | Yes, with the service | Nonstop or connecting | $100 |
| JetBlue | Yes, with the service | Nonstop only | $150 |
| Frontier Airlines | No | — | — |
| Allegiant Air | No | — | — |
| Spirit Airlines | Stopped flying | — | — |
Quick answer: most U.S. airlines let a child fly alone from age 5 with their unaccompanied minor service, at $100 to $150 each way. It is required up to 11 on Southwest, 12 on Alaska and Hawaiian, 13 on JetBlue and 14 on American, Delta and United. Frontier and Allegiant take no child under 15 alone.
How to use it
Pick the airline and the child’s age on the day of the flight, then the flight: nonstop, a flight that stops without changing planes, or a connection. Add where (within the U.S., between the Hawaiian islands, or abroad) and how many children fly together. The answer says whether the child may fly alone on that flight, whether the airline’s service is required or a choice, and what it costs each way and round trip. Under it are the airline’s own sentences, the flights it will not book for a child alone, what to bring to the airport, and every airline side by side for the same child.
The rules, airline by airline
Each airline’s own page, read on the date under the answer. “Service required” is the age range that must use the airline’s paid service to fly alone; “Alone without it” is the range that may fly alone without it; “Nonstop only until” is the age up to which the airline books a child alone on nonstop flights only (Southwest and Alaska also take a flight that stops without changing planes).
| Airline | Service required | Alone without it | Nonstop only until | Fee each way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | 5–14 | 15–17 | 7 | $150 for all siblings on one flight, plus tax |
| Delta | 5–14 | 15–17 | 7 | $150 for up to 4 children |
| United | 5–14 | 15–17 | 14 | $150 for 1–2 children, $300 for 3–4, $450 for 5–6 |
| Southwest | 5–11 | 12–17 | 11 | $100 per child, $35 between the Hawaiian islands |
| Alaska & Hawaiian | 5–12 | 13–17 | 7 | $100 for up to 2 children, $50 within Hawaii |
| JetBlue | 5–13 | 14–17 | 13 | $150 per child |
| Frontier | none | 15–17 | — | no service |
| Allegiant | none | 15–17 | — | no service |
Spirit Airlines is not in the table: it stopped flying on May 2, 2026 and cancelled all its flights. A child under 5 cannot fly alone on any of these airlines. Where the service is optional (15 to 17 on American, Delta and United, 13 to 17 on Alaska and Hawaiian) the fee is paid only if you ask for it.
Worked examples
A 6-year-old visiting grandparents, with a change of planes. American, Delta, United and JetBlue book a 6-year-old alone on nonstop flights only, and Alaska and Southwest on a nonstop or a flight that stops without changing planes. None takes the connection: book a nonstop, or fly with the child.
Two sisters, 9 and 11, round trip on United. Both must use the service, on a nonstop flight. United charges $150 each way for one or two children: $300 for the round trip, not $600.
A 13-year-old on Southwest. Southwest’s Unaccompanied Minor service ends at 11, so a 13-year-old flies as a Young Traveler: no fee, connections allowed (not overnight), but nobody walks them off the plane or to the adult picking them up, and not abroad.
A 14-year-old on Frontier. No: Frontier takes no child under 15 alone, and has no service to book. The same child on JetBlue flies booked as an adult; on American, Delta or United, with the service.
Common mistakes
- Booking a connection for a young child. Most airlines book a child of 5 to 7 alone on nonstop flights only, United up to 14, and JetBlue will not take even a stop on the same plane.
- Booking online where the airline wants a call. American books unaccompanied minors by phone and Delta through its Reservations line (800-325-8847).
- Leaving the airport too soon. Every airline asks the adult who drops the child off to stay until the plane is in the air, and the adult picking up must be the one named, with photo ID.
- Counting on Spirit. It stopped flying on May 2, 2026.
- Flying abroad without a letter. A child flying without both parents often needs a consent letter: the Minor Travel Consent Letter fills one in and says who signs it.
More for the trip
Packing the child’s bag? Use the carry-on packing list, and check how many bags United allows in economy. For a teen travelling on their own, read whether a minor can rent a hotel room before they need one.
FAQ
How old do you have to be to fly alone?
5, with the airline’s unaccompanied minor service, on American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska and Hawaiian, and JetBlue. Without the service: 12 on Southwest (as a Young Traveler), 13 on Alaska and Hawaiian, 14 on JetBlue, and 15 on American, Delta, United, Frontier and Allegiant.
What is the unaccompanied minor fee?
$150 each way on American, Delta, United and JetBlue, and $100 on Southwest and on Alaska and Hawaiian. How far it stretches differs: American’s covers all the siblings on one flight, Delta’s up to 4 children, Alaska’s up to 2, while Southwest and JetBlue charge per child.
Can minors fly alone?
Yes, from age 5, on an airline with an unaccompanied minor service, and only on the flights it allows. Frontier and Allegiant have no such service: a child under 15 flies with someone else on the same reservation.
What airlines allow minors to fly alone?
American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska and Hawaiian, and JetBlue all take children alone from 5 with their service. Frontier and Allegiant take them alone from 15. Spirit stopped flying on May 2, 2026.
Can unaccompanied minor flights include a connection?
On some airlines and at some ages. American connects children from 8 only through its ten hub airports, Delta from 8 on its own and Air France and KLM flights, Alaska and Hawaiian from 8. United, JetBlue and Southwest book unaccompanied minors on no connections at all.
How does the Southwest unaccompanied minor service work?
Children of 5 to 11 fly as Unaccompanied Minors for $100 each way per child ($35 between the Hawaiian islands), on a nonstop or a flight that stops without changing planes, within the U.S. only. From 12 to 17 they fly alone as Young Travelers, without a fee or an escort.
Is the Delta unaccompanied minor program required?
For children of 5 to 14, yes, at $150 each way for up to 4 children. Children of 15 to 17 may fly as adults or be enrolled if a parent prefers. Delta books it through Reservations at 800-325-8847.
Is there a Frontier unaccompanied minor service?
No. Since November 1, 2018 Frontier has not accepted children under 15 travelling alone: a child under 15 must be on the same reservation as an accompanying adult.