Victoria & Leo sleep­ing in Barajas air­port. Photo by Maria Kockmann.

Inspired by an air­port encounter with EasyJet’s rules on not accept­ing unac­com­pa­nied chil­dren on their flights, CheapFlights decided to research the travel poli­cies of the top 12 U.S. air­lines regard­ing children.

The resul­tant research is doc­u­mented in a down­load­able PDF file from the CheapFlights web­site, titled “Parent’s Guide to Kids Flying Solo — Airline Policies.”

This incred­i­bly handy guide lists the airline’s con­tact info, age require­ments, fees, and other note­wor­thy items.

For instance, on American Airlines chil­dren 5 to 7 years old are allowed to fly unac­com­pa­nied on non­stop or direct flights only. 8 to 14 year old chil­dren must use the “unac­com­pa­nied minors” ser­vice unless trav­el­ing with another pas­sen­ger at least 15 years old. A fee of $100 applies, per child, each way, although only one fee applies for 2 or more sib­lings fly­ing on the same itin­er­ary. CheapFlights also notes that on American, flights for unac­com­pa­nied minors can­not be booked online.

The guide also includes a very sen­si­ble “What to Pack” guide includ­ing tips such as “Provide a pic­ture of the person(s) your child will be meet­ing at the air­port, and write out the person’s com­plete con­tact infor­ma­tion on the back.”

Finally, the guide also packs in a list of “Do’s and Dont’s” before the flight and at the airport.

If you’re plan­ning a trip for your child where he or she will be fly­ing unac­com­pa­nied, I highly rec­om­mend this guide. It’s chock full of use­ful infor­ma­tion and should help guide you through the process and put your mind more at ease!

Download the full PDF of Parent’s Guide to Kids Flying Solo

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