Reasons why children travel alone
Children all over the world increasingly have family members living far away, including divorced parents who moved overseas for a career opportunity or to start a new household. Each year many children travel alone as part of their education and development, for example to attend boarding and language schools, summer camps or auditions. Unfortunately some children need to travel alone after a crisis situation, involving their parents, or for relocation purposes.Unaccompanied Minor service
Most airlines have many years of experience safely transporting UM’s. Unaccompanied Minor Service can be booked for a fee as an add-on to a flight reservation, under the so called “UM program”. Airline UM-programs are approved by national and international civil aviation regulators and larger air carriers tend to handle the transport of UM’s on a daily basis and have trained staff and designated waiting areas at their hubs.Airline policy
In airline policy an unaccompanied minor is typically an airline passenger aged between 5 and 14 years old (airline regulations vary) who travels without an accompanying adult. Minors whose accompanying adult travels on the same flight but in a differentExclusion criteria
Not all children are accepted as UM’s and not all flights are available for UM’s. Each airline has their own set of inclusion/exclusion criteria and these can vary on a single itinerary that is operated by multiple airlines on different segments. In general, any child who needs continuous supervision or individualized care beyond what airline staff can manage, will likely be denied by the airline UM-program. Any existing conditions that pose an increased risk of an in-flight emergency are also excluded. Child-specific exclusion criteria include: *Children younger or older than the intended age group, as determined by the airline *Children with developmental delays or cognitive, behavioral or mental health challenges *Children who are unable to communicate with airline staff due to a hearing/vision/speech impairment or language barrier *Children with a severe allergy or medical condition like epilepsy or unstable juvenile diabetes *Children who need a support animal *Children who need scheduled or incidental in-flight medication Operational exclusion criteria can include: *International itineraries * Red eye flights *Itineraries involving a stopover and a connecting flight *Itineraries involving an overnight layover *A maximum of UM’s on a particular flightChild travel companion services
Parents of children who need one-on-one support during their journey, or who are excluded from airline UM-programs for other reasons, can hire independent child travel companion services. These specialized companies employ dedicated chaperones, often with a background of child care or nursing, who can fly with the child to the destination, even on longhaul international flights. In some cases these companies have the ability to provide in-flight care, making it possible for children who suffer from severe allergies or other medical conditions to safely fly without their immediate caregivers.In popular culture
The 2006 Christmas film ''References
{{Reflist Law-related lists Minimum ages Lists of countries