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United offers unaccompanied minor service for children from 5 to 17 years of age. For the safety of minors traveling alone, unaccompanied minor service is available to ensure that your child is boarded onto the aircraft, introduced to the flight attendant, chaperoned during connections and turned over to the appropriate person upon arrival at their final destination.
The service is mandatory for unaccompanied children 5 to 11 years old and optional for those 12 to 17 years old. If the child is traveling with unaccompanied minor service, he or she may not travel on the last direct or connecting flight of the day. Please notify us of your child's unaccompanied minor status by calling your local United Reservations office when making your reservation, so necessary information can be noted for your child. Be aware that the adult responsible for bringing the child to the airport (whether that person is a parent, a camp counselor or another adult) must remain at the airport until the child boards and the aircraft departs the gate.
The fee for unaccompanied minor service is $99 USD each way (except to or from Brazil, where no fee applies). Two or more children who are traveling together will be assessed a single fee in each direction.
| Please note: The rules on this page apply to customers traveling on United-operated flights only. If an unaccompanied minor is scheduled to travel on or connect to a flight operated by one of our Star Alliance or codeshare partners, you must contact that carrier directly to inquire about their policies for children traveling unaccompanied. |
Travel rules for unaccompanied minors, by age group
Please see the appropriate age group below to determine the itineraries on which an unaccompanied child may travel. When two or more unaccompanied minors are traveling together, the most restrictive age requirement will apply. For example, an 11-year-old traveling with a 6-year-old is subject to the travel rules for the 5 to 7 age group.
| Unaccompanied minor service overview |
| Ages |
Service
available |
Service required
if flying alone |
Acceptance of unaccompanied minor travel by type of flight |
Nonstop and direct flights
(including the
last nonstop flight of the day) |
Connecting flights (including connections to other airlines) |
Last direct or connecting flight
of the day |
Connecting
to the last flight of the day |
| Under 5 |
No |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| 5-7 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| 8-11 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes* |
No** |
No** |
| 12-17 |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes* |
No*** |
No*** |
*Connections to other airlines are subject to the connecting airline’s unaccompanied minor policy and may not be allowed.
**Exceptions can be made for children connecting to or from international flights.
***Not permitted if traveling with unaccompanied minor service. If traveling without this service, children ages 12 to 17 may be booked on any flight, although we strongly recommend booking on flights early in the day.
5 to 7 years
Children ages 5 to 7 may travel only on United flights that are nonstop or direct. (A direct flight makes a stop without a plane change.) They may not travel on connecting flights, but they may travel on the last nonstop flight of the day.
8 to 11 years
Children ages 8 to 11 may travel on United non-stop, direct and connecting flights. They may also travel unaccompanied on connecting flights to other airlines (if allowed based on the other airline’s unaccompanied minors policy). Children ages 8 to 11 are restricted from connecting to the last flight of the day, which includes the last direct flight of the day. An exception can be made for children connecting to and from international flights.
12 to 17 years - with unaccompanied minor service (optional on United flights)
Unaccompanied minor service is available, but not required, for this age group. If a child between the ages of 12 and 17 years will be using unaccompanied minor service, he or she will be accepted under the conditions specified for unaccompanied minors ages 8 to 11 years, and standard fees will apply.
12 to 17 years - without unaccompanied minor service
We strongly recommend that teens who are not using our unaccompanied minor service be confirmed on flights early in the day. Unanticipated delays or cancellations due to air traffic congestion or unexpected weather such as fog, snow or thunderstorms may disrupt flight schedules and result in missed connections. If delays result in travel being completed the following day, United may not be able to offer overnight accommodations, since many hotels will not accept minors ages 17 or younger.
Booking travel for unaccompanied minors
If your child will be traveling with unaccompanied minor service, please book his or her travel either through United Reservations or through a travel agency.
If your unaccompanied child's reservation was booked via united.com, please contact your local United Reservations office to ensure that essential information is entered into our computer system. Such information includes the names of individuals bringing your children to the airport and picking them up at their destination. Please have names, addresses and phone numbers handy to help expedite the call.
Required paperwork
In addition to contacting United Reservations, you must provide an Unaccompanied Minor Request for Carriage form with the names, addresses and phone numbers of the responsible adults at the departure and arrival airports. This form must be presented at check-in and will travel with your child. To expedite the check-in process, we highly recommend filling in this information prior to arriving at the airport. You can download the form using the link below. Upon completion of the form, please print and sign three copies. Keep one copy for your records and bring the other two copies to present to the agent at the check-in counter. You must have Adobe Reader in order to view and complete this form. Once you have successfully downloaded and opened the form, you can type your information directly into the form and print three copies. (Please note that you will not be able to save the completed form; you will only be able to print it.)
Unaccompanied Minor Request for Carriage Form (pdf)
Unaccompanied minors must be brought to the departure airport by a parent or responsible adult (such as a relative, family friend or camp counselor) who must remain at the airport until the child boards and the aircraft departs the gate. This individual must provide evidence that another parent or responsible adult will meet the child at his or her destination.
To ensure that children are released to the proper person, the adult meeting unaccompanied children at their destination must show photo identification and sign the Unaccompanied Minor form.
Unaccompanied minor fees for worldwide travel
For all tickets, whether for travel within the United States or internationally, the unaccompanied minor fee is $99 USD for each direction of travel. Two or more children who are traveling together will be assessed one fee for each direction of travel. There is no fee for unaccompanied minors traveling to or from Brazil.
Payment of the unaccompanied minor fee and completion of unaccompanied minor paperwork entitles the child to receive a complimentary à la carte snack, snackbox or fresh food item (when available) on United Economy flights within North America. On international flights and in the United First® or United Business® cabin, the standard complimentary food items will be provided based on the flight’s path and duration.
Baggage
Baggage allowances and fees vary by cabin class, Mileage Plus level and other factors, but the same guidelines apply for unaccompanied minors as for any other passenger. Learn about our checked and carry-on baggage allowances and fees.
Safety
We require information about who is bringing your unaccompanied children to the airport and who is meeting them at their destination. All information about unaccompanied children is entered into our reservations computer. This essential information includes the name, address and telephone number of the responsible adults bringing children to the departure airport and picking them up at their destination. To ensure that children are released to the proper person, the adult meeting unaccompanied children at their destination must show photo identification.
Additional tips
If your child or teen is not traveling with a mobile phone, we recommend that you provide a calling card or instructions on making collect calls, so he or she can always reach you. Because unexpected weather can disrupt flight schedules, we recommend that you confirm your unaccompanied child on flights early in the day. Please note that if delays result in travel being completed the following day, United may not be able to offer overnight accommodations for minors, since many hotels will not accept children ages 17 or younger without an accompanying adult.
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