Help for unaccompanied minors | Southwest Airlines (2023)

There are three ways to book a flight for children aged 5-11 traveling unaccompanied:

• Online at Southwest.com®:After entering your child's passenger details and proceeding to check out, you will be asked if you are traveling with someone over 12 years old. Otherwise, it will be considered an unaccompanied minor.
• At our airport ticket counter or by telephone:When booking your child's travel over the phone or at the airport, inform the account manager that the child on the reservation is an unaccompanied minor and provide the child's age.

If you are making a reservation for an unaccompanied minor, you must complete the required travel document and pay an unaccompanied minor service fee.

Once the UM reservation is complete, you must provide the confirmation number to the person assigned to pick up or drop off the child.

Yes, the unaccompanied minor fee is refundable if:

• You cancel your reservation and your unaccompanied minor does not travel,
• Your flight has been canceled and you do not want to rebook,
• Your child is accompanied by an accompanying passenger who is at least 12 years old and is no longer an unaccompanied minor.

The paperwork for unaccompanied minors requires information about your child, the person(s) who will pick up your child at the destination and the person who will drop them off, including:

• Name
• ADDRESS
• Telephone number (including area code)
• An alternate contact's name, relationship, and phone numbers

Documentation must be complete for your child to travel. You may also need to provide proof of the child's age.

• Inform them that they must meet the child at the assigned flight arrival gate.
• Ask them to follow thatSuggested arrival times at the airportallow enough time to purchase an accompanying pass at the cash desk.
• You must have a valid photo ID and a copy of the child's itinerary in order to obtain an escort pass to clear security and meet the child at the gate.

No. Our unaccompanied minor program is only for children between the ages of five and eleven.

Children over 12 years old can travel independently. However, you must decide if your young traveler is able and comfortable with:

• Navigate all airports
• Go through the check-in and boarding processes
• Follow the instructions of the crew members
• Dealing with possible flight disruptions

Otherwise, we strongly discourage these young travelers from flying alone.

• Make copies of your child's itinerary for both the child and the person who will pick them up at the destination.
• If the flight is during meal times, don't forget to give your child food or snacks in case they get hungry.
• download theSouthwest appso you can monitor your child's flight status.
• Charge your child's electronic devices before going to the airport; We have no sockets on board.
• Provide your child with the contact details of the person picking them up.
• For more information on what to expect when a child is traveling alone, see"When Children Fly Alone"issued by the United States Department of Transportation.

When you arrive at the airport, you need to check in at the ticket counter located in the main airport hall in order to:

• Checked baggage (if applicable; standardChecked Baggage Rules and Regulationsuse)
• Provide the required documentation for unaccompanied minors
• Pay the service fee of $50 each way (credit cards only accepted)
• Obtain the child's boarding pass and UM lanyard
• Get your escort ID so you can guide the child through security and out the gate

• Please be at the boarding gate at least 45 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. Report to a clerk at the gate and let them know you are handing in a UM.
• Give the agent the completed forma paperwork. Make sure the information on your UM documents, including your flight number and destination airport, matches that on your UM itinerary.
• The form for unaccompanied minors will be inserted into theBarrier for unaccompanied minorsand must be carried by the child throughout the flight. The lanyard is mandatory as it allows employees to easily identify the UMs.
• Your child will be escorted to the aircraft by a member of staff prior to general boarding and introduced to the flight attendant as an unaccompanied minor.
• You must remain in the gate area until the child's flight is airborne; we will inform you when you can leave the departure area.
• Call the parent/guardian picking up the child to let them know the flight has departed.

• A flight attendant will check on the child at regular intervals if their duties allow, but will not check on the child constantly during the flight.
• The child must always wear the UM cable around the neck.
• The child must follow the instructions given by the staff, including using the seat belt.
• Make sure you and the parent/legal guardian picking up the child can be reached by phone in the event of an in-flight disruption.
• The child will be escorted off the aircraft and taken to a parent/legal guardian at the destination.

Unaccompanied children will be escorted off the aircraft by a uniformed officer and released only to the person named on the Unaccompanied Minor Form (or alternate contact) or other designated agent. The person named on the Unaccompanied Minor Form must provide a valid photo ID and sign a Power of Attorney.

In some cases, there may be a brief wait to receive the child when staff are busy releasing other unaccompanied children or boarding another aircraft.

• Children ages 5 to 11 traveling without an accompanying passenger age 12 or older must travel on Southwest Airlines as unaccompanied minors (UM).
• Unaccompanied minors are not continuously monitored throughout the journey. Only children old enough to travel with limited adult supervision may travel as an unaccompanied minor on Southwest Airlines.
• Southwest Airlines charges unaccompanied minors USD 50 each way (USD 100 round trip) in addition to the airfare per child.
• Unaccompanied minor fees are refundable. If you cancel your reservation and your unaccompanied minor does not travel, if your flight is canceled and you decide not to rebook, or if the child is accompanied by a passenger 12 years or older and is no longer an unaccompanied minor, please contact Southwest at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) or visit the airport ticket counter to process your refund.
• Buyer represents that he is the parent or guardian of the minor or is authorized to act on behalf of the parent or guardian.
• All information required for this reservation process must be complete and accurate to facilitate the transfer of the unaccompanied minor between the designated parties.
• Southwest Airlines reserves the right not to carry unaccompanied minors on flights that may be rerouted or canceled due to weather or other operational disruptions.
• When traveling as an unaccompanied minor, proof of age in the form of a birth certificate or other valid ID for the child is required at the ticket counter upon check-in.
• A parent or legal guardian must be present and present a valid government-issued photo ID to a Southwest representative upon check-in or pickup of an unaccompanied minor.
• Unaccompanied minors can only travel non-stop or on the same aircraft service (makes one or two stops, but does not require a change of aircraft or flight number).
• Southwest Airlines does not provide service for unaccompanied minors to/from international destinations.
• Additional Information Regarding Unaccompanied Minors Traveling to Hawaii:Flights between the continental US and Hawaii are subject to special procedures for transportation of animals and plants, checked and carry-on baggage screening, and documentation requirements by the State of Hawaii. The parent/legal guardian of an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) or Young Traveler (YT) must complete the Plant and Animal Declaration Format the exit doorbefore the UM or YT boards the aircraft. Once completed, the form is placed in the front pocket of the UM lanyard or held by the YT, as required, until collected mid-flight prior to landing.
• A parent or legal guardian must escort an unaccompanied minor to the boarding gate 45 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of the flight and remain in the gate area until the flight is airborne.
• Prior to departure, a designated Southwest representative will announce early boarding for unaccompanied minors. It is the responsibility of the delivering parent/legal guardian to place the unaccompanied minor on board the flight as instructed.
• Once a flight attendant is seated, they will periodically visually observe and/or communicate with an unaccompanied minor as other duties permit, but unaccompanied minors will not be continuously monitored throughout the flight.
• Southwest Airlines personnel will not remove unaccompanied minors from the airport before or after the scheduled flight's departure/arrival.
• Southwest Airlines accepts no responsibility for the actions of an unaccompanied minor. BUYER AGREES TO BE LIABLE TO SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY OR PERSONS CAUSED RESULTING FROM THE ACTIONS OF AN UNACCOMPANIED MINOR, INCLUDING INCLUDING INJURY TO AN UNACCOMPANIED MINOR CAUSED BY ITS NEGLIGENCE AND LIABILITY TO KEEP.
• Parents/legal guardians picking up an unaccompanied minor must be at the gate 45 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival and present a valid government-issued photo ID to the designated Southwest representative to facilitate the transfer of the unaccompanied minor between designated parties.
• If the UM flight is scheduled to arrive after the ticket counter and/or security check is closed, please go to the baggage service office to inform the agent that you are picking up a UM.
• Southwest will only release an unaccompanied minor to the named parent or legal guardian. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure that the intended parent/guardian changes are arranged with a Southwest representative at a Southwest Airlines ticket office prior to the child's arrival.
• In the event that the unaccompanied minor's journey is disrupted or if the nominated person(s) fails to meet the unaccompanied minor upon arrival at the destination airport, Southwest Airlines shall be entitled to take any action that is reasonable under the circumstances and are necessary. The parent or legal guardian agrees to reimburse Southwest Airlines for any costs incurred as a result of this action.
• If these terms and conditions are not followed, Southwest Airlines reserves the right not to offer travel to the unaccompanied minor.