For all United Airlines tickets purchased on or after December 14, 2015, children 12 to 15 years of age are now required to pay a service charge if they are traveling without a parent, a legal guardian or someone who is at least 18 years of age. Under United’s old policy and rules, it was only optional to use the service for a fee for that age group.
Children traveling unaccompanied pay the regular adult fare. An additional service charge of $150 (each way) is collected to cover extra handling required when an unaccompanied child travels. This unaccompanied minor service charge may be paid at the time of reservation, or prior to departure at a United check-in counter. However, submitting paperwork for such arrangements is no longer required, as the process is completed online.
Here is a quick summary of the rule changes as of December 14, 2015:
Old:
Under 5 – May not travel alone; must be accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Age 5-11 – May travel alone with required unaccompanied minor service.
– Fee must be paid
– Paperwork submitted before travel
– Service not offered on all flights
Age 12-17 – May travel alone with optional unaccompanied minor service.
New:
Under 5 – May not travel alone; must be accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Age 5-15 – May travel alone with required unaccompanied minor service.
– Only on nonstop, United and United Express flights
– Fee must be paid
– Arrangements made through United.com or United Customer Contact Center
Age 16-17 – May travel alone as adults.
For more information see:
United Airlines – Children Traveling Alone
United Airlines – FAQ about Children Traveling Alone
Or you may call United’s 24-hour Accessibility Desk at 1-800-228-2744 for help or questions.
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[…] issues inherent in children traveling alone, but the upper age limit here seems too high IMHO. http://travelblawg.boardingarea.com/…-minors-rules/ […]
As someone who’s used this service, I can tell you: it sucks. Nothing is guaranteed and there is no recourse if they screw up (which they have in my first hand experience). The worst was when they closed the boarding door after insisting my sibling wait to be called. When we approached the desk, they then insisted that they did not have any unaccompanied minors. That is, until they pulled up the ticket. Oops! Fortunately, the boarding door was opened in our case, but it was truly a scam. There’s no benefit, just an extra charge and a “best effort”… Read more »
As $300 R/T is a good amount of money for most people, I am curious what you get for your required fee. Hopefully not mistakes as you have experienced.
[…] and notes from around the interweb: United’s new unaccompanied minor rules. It’s no longer an option for children aged 12-15 to travel alone without the $150 […]