If I had a dollar for every time my 1994 self stomped my foot, angrily shoved an Ace of Base CD into the changer and yelled “I’M NOT A KID, I’M FOURTEEN YEARS OLD!” I could probably buy…the remaining members of Ace of Base. Unfortunately my parents thought that 14 is too young for a person to do a lot of things on her own. And apparently, United Airlines now thinks so, too. The carrier has announced that its unaccompanied minor service is now mandatory for any solo travelers who are between the ages of 5 and 15. As the Los Angeles Times reports, until this change — which went into effect on December 14 — the service was only required for children between the ages of 5 and 12.
Under the new policy, unaccompanied travelers within that expanded age range who are “not accompanied on an aircraft by a parent, a legal guardian or someone who is at least 18 years of age” must pay a $150 service charge — each way — in addition to the cost of a full adult fare. Charles Hobart, a spokesperson for United, told the Times:
“We made a thoughtful review of the policy and decided that this change will provide the best possible care for these travelers.”
United has been criticized for the move, mainly because it isn’t adding anything additional to the unaccompanied minor service — other than what is basically a $300 Underage Tax for passengers who were previously allowed to fly on their own. According to United’s website, the service charge just covers the “extra handling” required to ensure that these fliers arrive safely at their destinations, but it doesn’t specify what kind of handling these kids require, especially since they’re only allowed to travel on nonstop flights. As for other airlines:
- American charges a $150 unaccompanied minor fee ($300 roundtrip) for travelers between 5-14, and children between 8-14 may fly on nonstop or connecting flights. (Children younger than 8 may only fly on nonstop flights).
- Delta charges a $150 unaccompanied minor fee ($300 roundtrip), but allows two children from the same family to travel for the same $150 fee. Delta’s service is required for travelers between the ages of 5-14 and it does have a list of 10 airports that unaccompanied minors are allowed to connect through.
- JetBlue requires solo travelers older than 5 and younger than 14 to be booked as unaccompanied minors, and they must pay a $100 fee, each way. The carrier also requires the passenger to have three copies of its own unaccompanied minor form that must be presented at the departure airport. JetBlue also designates certain seats for unaccompanied minors and may have different requirements for international destinations, many of which are listed on its website.
- Southwest requires passengers between 5-11 who aren’t traveling with another passenger who is older than 12 to fly as unaccompanied minors. Its fee is $50 each way, and these travelers may only fly on nonstop or direct flights.
- Spirit says that solo travelers between 5-14 must fly as unaccompanied minors unless they are accompanied by another passenger who is 15 or older. Its fee is $100 each way, and it includes a snack and beverage (STOP THE PRESSES, SPIRIT IS GIVING SOMETHING AWAY).
- Virgin America says that solo children between 5-11 must pay for its unaccompanied minor service. The fee ranges from $75 to $125, depending on the duration of the flight and whether it is domestic or international. The cost includes a snack on short-haul flights and a snack and a free movie on Red on all flights over two hours.