Unaccompanied minor (passenger) explained

An unaccompanied minor (sometimes "unaccompanied child" or "separated child") is a child traveling on a commercial flight, a train, a bus, or any similar conveyance, without the presence of a legal guardian. Most commercial airlines and similar transporting carriers have Unaccompanied Minor (UM) Programs in place and it is estimated that as many as 7 million children travel by plane yearly, using these UM-programs in the United States alone.[1]

Reasons why children travel alone

Children all over the world increasingly have family members living far away, including divorced parents who moved overseas for a career opportunity or to start a new household. Each year many children travel alone as part of their education and development, for example to attend boarding and language schools, summer camps, or auditions. Unfortunately, some children need to travel alone after a crisis situation, involving their parents, or for relocation purposes.

Unaccompanied Minor service

Most airlines have many years of experience safely transporting UM’s. Unaccompanied Minor Service can be booked for a fee as an add-on to a flight reservation, under the so called “UM program”. Airline UM-programs are approved by national and international civil aviation regulators and larger air carriers tend to handle the transport of UM’s on a daily basis and have trained staff and designated waiting areas at their hubs.

Airline policy

In airline policy an unaccompanied minor is typically an airline passenger aged between 5 and 14 years old (airline regulations vary) who travels without an accompanying adult. Minors whose accompanying adult travels on the same flight but in a different class may also be classified as unaccompanied minors.[2] A parent or guardian who requests for this service fills out a release form, identifying another guardian who will pick up the minor at the destination airport. Airline personnel are responsible for escorting the child through immigrations and customs and boarding the flight in time. A fee may be payable for this service.

During the flight, no special attention is given to the minor until the flight enters final descent to the destination. On descent, the minor is moved to the nearest exit, which could be in business or first class, so that he or she can leave the aircraft at first opportunity and be transferred to the local ground staff. After clearing immigrations and customs, the child is released only to the adult identified on the paperwork.

Some airlines have controversial unaccompanied minor seating policies which discriminate against adult male passengers on the basis of gender. Said policies are believed to be a response to reports of in-flight sexual assault, and subsequently the call from parents for airlines to better safeguard their children while traveling as a UM.[3] [4] [5] The policies bar unaccompanied minors from being seated next to adult males and have led to significant criticism and successful legal action.[6] [7]

Some airlines, including Ryanair,[8] will not carry unaccompanied minors.

Airline and Carrier Policy

Airline and Carrier Policy!Airline or other carrier!Minimum Age!Mandatory Until Age!Optional Until Age!Minimum Solo Age!Reference
Air AsiaNANANA12The Skyrider Young Flyer program has been cancelled, effective 24 June 2013.[9]
8111712[10]
Air China5111712[11]
Air France4111712[12]
Air New Zealand5111612
American Airlines5131714[13]
Amtrak train1315NA16Unaccompanied minors cannot travel on Amtrak Thruway service.[14]
Asiana Airlines512NANA[15]
Belavia515NA16[16]
British Airways12NANA12Service Ended 31 Jan 2017[17]
Cape Air814Any15[18]
Cathay Pacific6111712[19]
China Airlines511NA12[20]
Delta Air Lines5141715[21]
EasyJetNANANA14[22]
Emirates515NA16[23]
Eva Air511NA12[24]
FlyBe5111612[25]
Frontier AirlinesNANANA15
Greyhound LinesNANANA16[26]
Korean Air5111612[27]
KLM5141715[28]
LATAM5111712[29]
LOT Polish Airlines5111712[30]
Lufthansa5111712[31]
Malaysia Airlines514NA15[32]
Megabus (Europe)16 (midnight to 05:00); 15 (05:00 to midnight)17NA18Written parental consent is required.[33]
Megabus (North America)NANANA17[34]
Norwegian Air Shuttle5111512Norwegian Air Shuttle does not currently offer Unaccompanied Minor Service to or from Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Caribbean (Guadeloupe, Martinique and St. Croix), Israel, Kosovo, Morocco, Serbia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the U.S.[35]
Pegasus Airlines7131714[36]
Qantas6111512[37]
RyanairNANANA16[38]
Singapore Airlines5111712[39]
Southwest Airlines511NA12[40]
Spirit Airlines514NA15[41]
SwoopNANANA12Swoop does not accept unaccompanied minors for travel.[42]
Transavia5111512[43]
United Airlines515NA16[44]
Virgin515NA16[45]
Westjet8111712[46]
WizzAirNANANA16Children under 14 years old cannot fly unless accompanied by an adult at least 16 years of age.[47]
WOW air5111712[48]

Exclusion criteria

Not all children are accepted as UM’s and not all flights are available for UM’s. Each airline has their own set of inclusion/exclusion criteria and these can vary on a single itinerary that is operated by multiple airlines on different segments. In general, any child who needs continuous supervision or individualized care beyond what airline staff can manage, will likely be denied by the airline UM-program. Any existing conditions that pose an increased risk of an in-flight emergency are also excluded.

Child-specific exclusion criteria include:

Operational exclusion criteria can include:

Child travel companion services

Parents of children who need one-on-one support during their journey, or who are excluded from airline UM-programs for other reasons, can hire independent child travel companion services. These specialized companies employ dedicated chaperones, often with a background of child care or nursing, who can fly with the child to the destination, even on longhaul international flights. In some cases these companies have the ability to provide in-flight care, making it possible for children who suffer from severe allergies or other medical conditions to safely fly without their immediate caregivers.[49]

In popular culture

The 2006 Christmas film Unaccompanied Minors is about a team of six unaccompanied minors, portrayed by Tyler James Williams, Dyllan Christopher, Brett Kelly, Gina Mantegna, Quinn Shephard, and Dominique Saldaña.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Children Traveling Alone | Encyclopedia.com. www.encyclopedia.com.
  2. Web site: Children Travelling Alone. Air New Zealand. 13 July 2014. For their safety children travelling in a different cabin to their caregiver are required to be classified as unaccompanied minors..
  3. News: Unaccompanied minor allegedly groped on American Airlines flight . The Toronto Star . 20 June 2016 .
  4. News: 'This was 30 minutes of hell for this young lady': Unaccompanied minor groped on flight . 2021-10-25 . 2016-06-20 . Michael E. Miller . . Washington, D.C. . 0190-8286 . 1330888409.
  5. Web site: Father sues airline over boy's sexual assault during layover . .
  6. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11061577 BA changes child seating policy following court case
  7. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10401416 BA compensates man 'humiliated' over child seat policy
  8. Web site: Children, Infants and Young Persons. Ryanair. 13 July 2014.
  9. http://www.airasia.com/ask/template.do?id=124 AskAirAsia - Can children below 12 years old travel alone?
  10. https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/plan/special-assistance/unaccompanied-minor.html#/ Children travelling alone
  11. http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Air_China/minors.php Air China: Children Flying Alone
  12. https://www.airfrance.fr/FR/en/common/guidevoyageur/assistance/enfant_seul_um.htm Your child's journey
  13. https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/unaccompanied-minors.jsp Unaccompanied minor - Special assistance American Airlines
  14. https://www.amtrak.com/unaccompanied-minors-policy Booking Tickets for Unaccompanied Minors
  15. https://www.flyasiana.com/C/US/EN/contents/unaccompanied-minor Asiana Airlines: Unaccompanied Minors
  16. https://en.belavia.by/passengers/categories_of_passengers/ Belavia - Belarussian Airlines - Categories of the passengers
  17. http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travel-assistance/children-travelling-alone Children travelling alone
  18. https://www.capeair.com/flying_with_us/unaccompanied-minors.html Cape Air's Guidelines for Unaccompanied Minors
  19. http://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_GB/travel-information/special-assistance/children-and-infants/unacccompanied-children-and-minors.html Cathay Pacific Unaccompanied children and minors
  20. https://www.china-airlines.com/au/en/fly/prepare-for-the-fly/special-assistance/other-special-needs China Airlines Other Special Needs
  21. https://www.delta.com/us/en/children-infant-travel/unaccompanied-minor-program Unaccompanied Minor Program
  22. http://www.easyjet.com/en/help/preparing-to-fly/flying-with-children EasyJet Flying with Children
  23. http://www.emirates.com/english/plan_book/essential_information/unaccompanied-minors.aspx Emirates Unaccompanied Minors
  24. http://www.evaair.com/en-global/book-and-manage-your-trip/special-assistance/#unaccompanied-minors Special Assistance - Eva Air
  25. http://www.flybe.com/children-and-infants/ FlyBe Children and Infants
  26. https://www.greyhound.com/children-traveling Children Traveling
  27. https://www.koreanair.com/global/en/traveling/services1.html Korean Air Unaccompanied Minors
  28. https://www.klm.com/travel/gb_en/prepare_for_travel/travel_planning/children/umnr_yp_framed.htm KLM Unaccompanied Minor service
  29. https://www.latam.com/en_us/travel-information/travelling-with-infants-and-children/service-for-unaccompanied-minors/ Unaccompanied children - LATAM
  30. https://www.lot.com/pl/en/journey/special-services/lot-for-kids/child-travelling-unaccompanied Child travelling unaccompanied - LOT Polish Airlines
  31. https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/Unaccompanied-minors Unaccompanied children - Lufthansa
  32. http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en/plan/special-needs/infant/children.html Malaysia Airlines Services and Faciliities for Children
  33. https://uk.megabus.com/help?searchTerm=minor Most popular questions for "minor"
  34. https://ca.megabus.com/help?searchTerm=minor Most popular questions for "minor"
  35. https://www.norwegian.com/en/travel-info/travelling-with-children/children-travelling-alone/ Children Travelling Alone - Norwegian
  36. https://www.flypgs.com/#1379 General Rules - Pegasus Airlines
  37. http://www.qantas.com/travel/airlines/children-travelling-alone/global/en Qantas Children Travelling Alone
  38. https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/useful-info/help-centre/faq-overview/Travelling-with-children/T&C-does-Ryanair-carry-unaccompanied-minors Does Ryanair carry unaccompanied Minors?
  39. https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/travel-info/special-assistance/unaccompanied-minors/ Unaccompanied minors
  40. https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/family/unaccompanied-minors-pol.html Unaccompanied Minor - Southwest.com
  41. https://customersupport.spirit.com/en-us/category/article/KA-01160 Does Spirit allow children to travel alone?
  42. Web site: At what age can a child travel alone?. Swoop.
  43. https://www.transavia.com/en-EU/service/children-travelling-alone/ Children travelling alone - Transavia
  44. https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/specialneeds/minors/ Information About Children Traveling Alone - United Airlines
  45. http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en/travel-information/flying-with-children/children-travelling-alone.html Virgin Children Travelling Alone
  46. https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/travel-info/children/unaccompanied Unaccompanied minors, kids, children flying alone - Westjet.com
  47. Web site: Wizzair: Children Flying Alone - SeatGuru . www.seatguru.com . 3 July 2018.
  48. https://wowair.us/customer-service/faq/children-and-pregnant-guests/rules-for-unaccompanied-children-aged-5-17/ What rules apply for unaccompanied children aged 5-17? - WOW Air
  49. Web site: Child Traveler Program | Jet Companion .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Unaccompanied minor (passenger)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.