Kids flying solo this summer? What to know before kids fly alone

Parker Wester has been flying independently to visit family out of state since she was 7 years old.  

Flying as an unaccompanied minor on Southwest Airlines has given her the opportunity to spend part of the summer with extended family in New Orleans, or board a direct Delta flight to visit her maternal grandmother in Detroit.  

“My husband’s whole family lives in the New Orleans area, so when we moved to Texas, Parker wanted to go see her grandparents and cousins in Louisiana each summer,” says Brittani Wester, a mom of two living in Dripping Springs. “Every summer, she flies at least once by herself, and we’ve never had an issue.”  

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Allowing Parker, now 14 years old and no longer considered an unaccompanied minor on Southwest Airlines, to fly solo has proved beneficial for the Wester family for several reasons. One, it saves their family time and money while allowing Parker to visit extended family more frequently than she would otherwise.  

“My husband and I both work, and it’s a nine-and-a-half-hour drive from here to New Orleans, which would require at least three days off work and three tanks of gas,” says Brittani. “Purchasing one airline ticket saves us a lot of money, and it also allows her to see family when we might not have the time to.”  

Writer Mauri Elbel’s 12-year-old son boards a plane by himself for the first time. Photo by Mauri Elbel

But, as an added benefit, Brittani appreciates that Parker has gained a greater sense of independence from the experience of flying alone.  

“Nowadays, we do so much for our kids –– I feel like they’ve lost a little bit of that capability to become independent,” says Brittani. “Flying by herself has given her more confidence and a sense of independence.” 

I met Brittani Wester three summers ago while sitting at Gate 22 in the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Like Brittani, I wasn’t waiting at the gate to board the plane. Rather, I was about to witness two of my children board their first flight without me.  

At the time, my sons had just turned 12 and 15 and were no longer considered unaccompanied minors on Southwest Airlines, which designates children ages 12 through 17 who have the maturity and capability to travel alone as “young travelers.”  

Letting kids flying alone navigate the airport by themselves, while parents stay in the background, can help prepare them for future independent travel. Photo by Mauri Elbel

But every airline has different rules and policies for children flying alone, so it’s important to read up on each individual airline’s unaccompanied minor policies and fees. Delta’s unaccompanied minor program spans children ages 5 to 17, charges $150 each way for up to four children, and permits only certain type of air travel based on age group. (Read the “If You Go” section below for specific airline policies.) 

When our boys had the opportunity to go visit their best friends in Colorado a few summers ago, I had no doubt they were capable of flying without me. As a family travel writer, we fly frequently as a family, so my kids became familiar with the ins and outs of air travel from a very young age. They know all the basics, like how to navigate security, find their gate information and flight status on display monitors, when it’s time to board, and regular flight etiquette including how to put their devices in airplane mode and when they can and can’t use the bathroom.   

Knowing that it was an easy, two-hour direct flight to Denver and that they would be carrying on their luggage, eliminating the extra steps of checking a bag or locating the baggage claim, made it even less stressful.  

That was the first summer our family of five spent an entire week in three separate parts of the country –– while our boys traveled to Colorado to meet their friends, my husband and I celebrated our anniversary in New York, and our youngest headed to the Texas coast with her grandparents.  

What surprised me most was how easy and stress-free the entire process was, which is why we’ve flown our kids on their own independent week-long vacation every summer since, and they will fly solo again at the end of this summer.  

Honestly, other than the time my kids are physically on the plane, they’re never really on their own. For the most part, on domestic flights, parents or guardians can get a gate pass to stay with their child until the flight has departed, and the person meeting them at their destination can also obtain a pass to pick them up right at the gate.  

Airlines generally allow children aged 5 and up to fly alone, but age limits varies by airline and some require unaccompanied minor services for children as old as 14. It’s important to read up on each individual airline’s unaccompanied minor policies and fees before flying your kids. Photo by Mauri Elbel

I do like to make print copies of their itinerary to stick in each of their backpacks, and I always email it to our friends meeting them in Denver. I make sure the Southwest app is downloaded on their phones so they can monitor their flight status and “check in” 24 hours before returning home. I also start a group text with our friends picking them up so we can all be in constant communication.  

Even though my kids have aged out of the unaccompanied minor status on certain airlines like Southwest, I can still opt to get a gate pass to accompany them through security and wait with them at the gate until their plane takes off. And there’s comfort in knowing our friends will be waiting to meet them at the gate when they arrive in Denver. 

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Brittani shares that same sense of comfort. Although she knows Parker is fully capable of navigating the airport on her own now, there’s some reassurance in being able to be there in the event that any issues arise, and there’s added security knowing family will be waiting to meet her on the other side of the gate wherever she lands.  

“I try to stay in the background now,” Brittani says. “Parker does it all, and she knows how to read the signs and navigate the airport and find her airplane. She is going to be doing this by herself soon enough, so it’s been a great learning experience while it’s still in a controlled environment.”