What Age Can a Child Fly Alone on Southwest Airlines?

 

The Unaccompanied Minor Program of Southwest Airlines is required for children between 5 and 11 years old who travel unaccompanied by anyone older than 12 years. The children below the age of five years cannot travel alone on Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor policy Children aged between 12 and 17 years cannot be termed as unaccompanied minors on Southwest Airlines. Rather, they are called Young Travelers and can travel alone if they possess the maturity and capability to independently complete all processes of travel without constant support from Southwest personnel.

Southwest Unaccompanied Minor Flight Restrictions?

Another of the important Southwest Airlines policies concerning UM children is the flight types they are allowed to travel on. For those aged 5-11 years old traveling as UM, the requirement is for them to travel either non-stop flights or make any intermediate stops without changing the plane and the number of the flight. Connection flights involving a plane change are not allowed for unaccompanied minors. Unaccompanied minors are not accepted on any international flights. Southwest Getaways vacation packages are not allowed for UM.

Parents need to be wary about any irregular operation, which may cause Southwest Airlines to deny UM flights if such operations would make the flight terminate even before or without reaching their destination. 

How Much Is the Southwest Unaccompanied Minor Fee?

The Southwest Unaccompanied Minor fee is additional to the cost of the flight for the child and is charged one-way.

The charges for the UM services offered by Southwest Airlines are as below:

United States mainland—$100 per UM one way

Island-to-island travel in Hawaii—$35 per UM one way

It must be noted that these charges may vary at any time. So, it is recommended that the parents must check the rates before making the reservation.

How to Book an Unaccompanied Minor on Southwest?

Reservations for UM cannot be booked through the Global Distribution System by travel agents.

But in case of making a reservation, the parent/guardian should make sure that the following details are provided:

• Details of the person accompanying the child

• Details of the person receiving the child

• Alternative contact details at the destination

• Name and relation of all these persons to the child

• Address and telephone number.

What Happens at the Departure Airport?

Parents should reach the airport ahead of time and ensure sufficient time is allocated for parking, check-in procedures, filling out documents, and security screening.

In the case of a Southwest unaccompanied minor, the person dropping off the minor has to get a gate pass from the ticket counter. A photo ID and a copy of the child's itinerary are needed. In addition, the adult needs to comply with all the security ID requirements of Southwest Airlines to clear TSA.

The airline recommends reaching the gate at least 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time of the flight. The completed UM paperwork is given to the gate agent, and the minor gets a UM lanyard, which should be worn all through the trip.

A Southwest representative will escort the child into the airplane and introduce him/her to the flight attendant.

What Happens During the Flight?

An individual traveling alone with the airline Southwest is not under observation of any crew member during the whole process of traveling.

He/she should be responsible enough to understand the instructions from the airline crew and fasten the belt and also approach the flight attendant for help.

It would be advisable for parents to make sure the child can reach them if needed. Moreover, Southwest suggests bringing some food and drinks for the unaccompanied minor and charging their devices before going to the airport.

Southwest Unaccompanied Minor Pickup Rules?

The person meeting the child at the other end acts as an integral part of the process of UM in Southwest Airlines. Here the condition that needs to be met is that the individual picking up the child needs to have his identity proved through some sort of government-approved ID. In this scenario, the condition has been satisfied through the identification of the person receiving the child from Southwest Airlines' contract of carriage document.

Once the plane lands, the child will be kept with the staff of Southwest Airlines until they hand him/her over to the right parent/guardian. It is advised that parents ensure that the person picking the child knows all about the flight.

What About Children Ages 12–17?

The second myth is that children under 18 years old on Southwest Airlines are not considered unaccompanied minors. Those who are between 12 and 17 years old and travel alone are classified as young travelers. Southwest Airlines doesn’t subject them to the process for unaccompanied minors and expects them to navigate airport and aircraft processes without much help at all.

If Young Travelers qualify for such travel programs, then they will be able to meet on their flights, provided that there are no overnight layovers required. Young Travelers are not permitted to travel to or from international destinations or Go Seek by Southwest vacations.

Final Thoughts

The  Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor policy is as follows: unaccompanied children between 5 and 11 years old must use the Unaccompanied Minor Service of Southwest Airlines in qualifying flights without any aircraft change and pay the appropriate one-way UM fee. Since every airline might have its own set of regulations and charges, it could be sensible for the parents to get to know the current policy of Southwest Airlines.