New Regulation: Airline Bans Unaccompanied Minors

Although most children who fly do so with a parent or other guardian with them, sometimes that’s not a possibility. A child flying between parents who are divorced or separated is a perfect example of a circumstance where kids aged 17 or younger have flown by themselves.

Although requirements vary from airline to airline, systems for flying unaccompanied minors have been in place for decades. Among other things, they generally require paying a fee, and a guardian obtaining a gate pass to accompany the child to/from the plane. For the major U.S.-based airlines, the requirements are as follows:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• jetBlue
• Southwest
• Spirit Airlines
• United Airlines

The maturity level of said child (read: understanding and following airline policies, level of responsibility and independence), as well as their ability to keep themselves occupied, etc., should all be taken into account before deciding if they should fly as an unaccompanied minor. The U.S. Department of Transportation has a whole information booklet about “When Kids Fly Alone.”

Flying a child without a guardian has always been controversial. Even before the recent news of a 6-year-old being put on the wrong Spirit flight (the gate agent who caused the mess was later fired), for years, there’ve been cries from both inside and outside the industry that “airline workers are not babysitters.” And that’s understandable; if there are one or more unaccompanied minors on a plane, it doesn’t mean they have someone with them the entire flight – just that a flight attendant will “keep an eye on them” here and there…on top of their regular job of ensuring the rest of the flight is safe and has their needs met.

Neither Allegiant nor Frontier offer unaccompanied minor programs (It should be noted that a 16y/o recently “mistakenly boarded” the wrong Frontier plane. Although being 16 legally means you’re a minor, passengers aged 16 and older are allowed to fly alone on Frontier). There are other airlines throughout the world that also offer no such program. A partial list of those include:

• Air Asia
• British Airways
• EasyJet
• Ryanair
• WizzAir

And now another airline has said they will no longer allow unaccompanied minors on their flights.

Effective January 1st, EgyptAir has changed its rules and will no longer allow minors under the age of 18 to fly outside Egypt to any destination without their guardians. From Egyptair:

Effective from 01st JAN 2024, Egyptian minors (Less than 18 Years) are not allowed to travel Outside Egypt to any Other Destination without their Guardian.

In Case Minor (less than 18 Years) is travelling alone, He should obtain Prior Permission from Communication Dept. affiliated to General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality.

In Regards to Minors in Sports Teams:

Sports Teams with issued Decree from Ministry of Youth & Sports ( with A.R.E Stampختم النسر ) , they can travel without Prior Permission from Communication Dept.

Sports Teams , Holding Letter from Game Federation ,should Obtain Prior Permission from Communication Dept.

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