British Airways Unaccompanied Minor Policy

British Airways no longer offers services for children traveling alone. According to the British Airways unaccompanied minor policy, children who are traveling alone must be with an adult who is at least 16 years old.

If you’re under 16 and planning to travel alone, your parent or guardian needs to fill out a form called an unaccompanied minor consent form. If you’re under 16 and traveling alone, you can’t make a reservation online. Instead, you need to get in touch with British Airways customer service to make the booking. 

In this post, we will explain the rules for unaccompanied minors, the documents needed for travel, the airline’s service fee in different areas, and more.

Guidelines for British Airways Minor Policy 

According to the British Airways policy for unaccompanied minors, children or young flyers who are traveling alone will be treated like adults. They need to be able to find their way through the airports and board their flight without any help. Also:

• It is highly recommended that the parent or adult guardian stays at the airport terminal until your child’s flight leaves.
• If you are 14 years or older, you can fly alone on British Airways operated flights. The exception only applies to flights that are operated by SUN-AIR of Scandinavia and Comair.
• Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 16 years old.
• If you are under 16 years old and flying alone, you need to fill out the unaccompanied minor form and have your parents or guardian sign the consent form.
• Please make sure to include a copy of the parent’s or guardian’s current passport or any other valid photo ID in this document.
• You cannot book flights for children under 16 who are traveling alone on the BA website. Please call the customer service number for British Airways. 
• For flights within Europe, make sure to bring your child to the check-in counter at least 60 minutes before the flight departs. For international flights that are not too long, bring your child to the check-in counter at least 90 minutes before the flight departs.

Unaccompanied Minor Age Policy

According to British Airways’ policy for minors, only flights operated by SUN-AIR allow children between the ages of 5 and 11 to travel without a parent or legal guardian. Also, 

• Children who are 14 years or older can travel alone, but only on flights operated by BA.
• Children who are younger than 14 years old need to be with an adult.
• You cannot book online if you are under 16 years old.
• Different codeshare airlines may have different age restrictions, fees, and rules. To get accurate information, you should contact the airlines directly.

Documents and ID Requirements 

According to the rules of British Airways for unaccompanied minors, parents or guardians need to make sure that the young child has the following documents when they travel:

• valid birth certificate or passport.
• Visa or return travel document.
• BA unaccompanied minor form with certification.
• from parents’ consent.
• A passport or other legal photo ID with the parent’s or guardian’s signature on it. 
• any necessary prescription drugs or health disclosure
• Possibility of getting in touch with their parent or guardian and/or the person who will pick them up at the location.

Note: If a young passenger is traveling alone, they will be treated as an adult and will have to find their way through the departure and arrival airports and board their flights without any help from staff. British Airways cannot be held responsible for a child who is traveling alone.

British Airways Unaccompanied Minor Form Required 

To travel in different directions, you need to fill out the British Airways minors form. This form includes all the necessary information about code sharing, which is important when transferring to other flights.

Before giving your child to the babysitter, you need to fill out and sign the consent form yourself. You need to provide the following information.

• First and last name as per the passport or birth certificate
• Age and Sex of Chile
• Language
• Any medical conditions, needs, or allergies
• Information listed on the trip schedule. 
• Any information on the person who will be dropping off and collecting up the child at both airports, including if the youngster is traveling alone for the first time.

Only BA-operated and -marketed flights were qualified for the unaccompanied minor service. 

The following itineraries are prohibited from using the minor travel service under British Airways’ unaccompanied minor policy: 

• A red-eye flight is a flight that takes place overnight, typically departing late in the evening and arriving early in the morning.
• A connecting flight that includes a layover lasting overnight.
• A link between airports located in the same city. (For example, how to travel from London Heathrow to London Gatwick.)
• On standby.
• Booking separate tickets for connecting flights.

When you are booking a flight with the airline’s representative, you will need to provide the following information to the airline:

• Date of birth and age of the child who is alone
• Besides English, what other languages do people speak?
• Any kind of medicine or health problem
• Name, address, and phone number of the parent or guardian who will take the child to the airport. This person has to wait at the airport until the child is on board the plane.
• Full name, address, and phone number of the parent or guardian who will pick up the child at the airport. 
• A copy of the person’s passport or any other legal ID that shows who they are.

Fees and Cost

According to BA’s policy on alone minors, in addition to the cost of the ticket, the following unaccompanied minor fees are charged for each direction of travel: 

• Flights within the UK and Europe cost 50 USD per person, each way.
• Flights to and from Russia, the Middle East, Africa, and Saudi Arabia cost $100 per person, each way. 

At the Time of Booking:

• The passenger must provide the information for both the person who will accompany them during departure and the person who will accompany them during arrival.
• If there are multiple unaccompanied minors traveling together on the same flights and booking, each additional minor will be charged $20 per minor for each leg of the journey.
• Young Passengers are individuals who are 12 to 15 years old and considered adults for travel purposes. British Airways charges the same fee for unaccompanied minors as they do for supervision.
• When you make a booking with British Airways, you need to ask for and pay for the unaccompanied minors service.
• You can only access this service by using the British Airways booking ad, and it cannot be booked online.
• You can request the unaccompanied minor service up to 24 hours before your flight leaves. British Airways may choose to accept requests for unaccompanied minor travel on a case-by-case basis. 

British Airways does not have a service for young children who are traveling alone to help them get around the airport. Because of this, the company doesn’t let kids under 14 fly by themselves.

This means you should put in extra work to make sure your child is mature enough to travel and that you do everything you need to make sure you can stay in touch with them the whole time.

FAQs

Does British Airways offer services for children traveling alone?

No, British Airways no longer offers services for children traveling alone. According to their unaccompanied minor policy, children under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 16 years old.

Can children under 16 make reservations online if they are traveling alone?

No, children under 16 years of age cannot make reservations online if they are traveling alone. Instead, they need to contact British Airways customer service to make the booking.

What documents are required for children traveling alone on British Airways?

Children traveling alone on British Airways need to have the following documents: valid birth certificate or passport, visa or return travel document, the British Airways unaccompanied minor form with certification and parent’s consent, and a passport or legal photo ID with the parent’s or guardian’s signature on it.

What are the fees for British Airways Unaccompanied Minor Service?

The fees for the British Airways Unaccompanied Minor Service vary based on the destination:

• Flights within the UK and Europe cost 50 USD per person, each way.
• Flights to and from Russia, the Middle East, Africa, and Saudi Arabia cost 100 USD per person, each way.

Can children aged 14 or older travel alone on all British Airways flights?

No, children aged 14 or older can only travel alone on flights operated by British Airways. The exception applies to flights operated by SUN-AIR of Scandinavia and Comair. For other flights, children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 16 years old.