What is Southwest Airlines Unaccompanied Minor Policy?

Children ages five through 11 traveling without an accompanying Passenger age 12 or older must travel as Unaccompanied Minors (UMs) on Southwest Airlines. Only children with sufficient maturity to travel with limited adult supervision may travel as an Unaccompanied Minor on Southwest Airlines contact number.

How do I book a reservation for an Unaccompanied Minor?

There are three ways to book a flight for children ages five through 11 who will be traveling unaccompanied:

• For your convenience, you can book online at southwest.com
• Call us at 1-800-435-9792
• Make the reservation at the Southwest ticket counter at the airport

When you make a reservation for an Unaccompanied Minor, you will be required to fill out the necessary travel document and pay an Unaccompanied Minor service charge. Once the Unaccompanied Minor reservation is complete, you will need to provide the confirmation number to the guardian designated to pick up or drop off the child.

When can I pay the Unaccompanied Minor service charge?

You pay the Unaccompanied Minor service charge at the time of booking on southwest.com, by calling us at 1-800-435-9792, or at any Southwest ticket counter.

Can 14 year olds fly alone on Southwest?

Southwest considers children ages 12 through 17 traveling alone to be Young Travelers, not Unaccompanied Minors. Accordingly, Southwest's Unaccompanied Minor procedures do not apply to ages 12 through 17. Southwest Airlines does not transport pets to or from Hawaii.

How old does a child have to be to fly alone on Southwest?

Our Unaccompanied Minor program is only for children ages five through 11 years old. Children ages 12 and older are allowed to travel independently. However, we encourage parents to decide whether their children are capable of and comfortable with: Negotiating all airports.

How much is a child fare on Southwest?

For travel booked on or after April 23, 2010 Southwest Airlines will charge $50 each way ($100 roundtrip) in addition to the air fare per child for Unaccompanied Minors to travel. UMs may only travel on nonstop or direct flights (makes one or more stops, but does not require a change of planes or flight numbers).

How do I let Southwest know my child is an Unaccompanied Minor?

If you make your child's reservation on online, follow the same steps for any booking via southwest.com. When you enter the child's birth date, you will be prompted to indicate whether the child will be traveling with someone over the age of 12. If not, the child is considered an Unaccompanied Minor, and you will be required to fill out the necessary travel document and pay the Unaccompanied Minor service change.

If you book your child's travel over the phone or at the airport, tell the Customer Representative that the child on the reservation is an Unaccompanied Minor and provide the child's age.

Do minors need ID to fly Southwest with parent?

You must present a valid Government-issued I.D. providing age (child) or a birth certificate (infant) to the Customer Service Agent at the airport when you check in for your flight. At that time, the date of birth listed in your child's account will be updated to indicate that age has been verified.

How does flying as an unaccompanied minor work?

If you intend to send an unaccompanied minor by plane, you will be required to fill out a form detailing the child's name, age, and other relevant information. Upon arrival, your child will be escorted from the aircraft by an airline representative and released to the responsible adult named by you prior to departure.

What should my Unaccompanied Minor and I do when we arrive at the airport?

When you arrive at the airport, check in at the ticket counter in the main lobby of the airport to:

• Check luggage
• Provide the required Unaccompanied Minor documentation
• Pay the $50 each-way service charge
• Get the child's boarding pass
• Get your "escort pass" so you can accompany the child through the security checkpoint and to the gate.

When you get to the gate, let the southwest Customer Service Agent know that the child is an Unaccompanied Minor and give the Agent the completed UM paperwork