Unaccompanied Minor Fees by Airline: Ages, Rules and Costs

• $150

  American states its unaccompanied minor fee as $150 each way plus tax on the minor’s ticket

• $150

  Delta states its unaccompanied minor fee as $150 each way for up to four children traveling together

• Differs

  Mandatory ages, connection limits, check-in and handoff rules are set independently and differ by airline

• Verify live

  Use the linked current pages for Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska; this dated audit does not publish their numeric fees

Every airline that lets a minor travel alone sets its own rules, and there is no single answer to “how much does it cost.” On the official pages audited on 11 August 2026, two carriers supplied fee figures this guide could fully verify. American’s page says $150 each way plus tax, and Delta’s page says $150 each way for up to four children traveling together. Those are the two numeric figures published here.

The reason the list is short is a deliberate choice. This page gives a figure only where the airline’s own current page states it, because a fee quoted from memory or a stale roundup is exactly the kind of number that ends up being wrong at the airport. Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska all have unaccompanied minor policies worth reading. Southwest’s policy expressly says a fee applies and points to its Optional Travel Charges page. The linked live carrier pages—not an inference from an incomplete scrape—should settle the current Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska amounts.

What each airline actually charges

Read the table as fail-closed. Where this dated audit did not fully verify a numeric fee, the cell points to the live carrier page rather than guessing. That makes the table less satisfying and more honest, because the cost of a wrong unaccompanied minor figure is a child denied boarding or a surprise charge at the airport. For any itinerary, the airline’s own page and a direct confirmation are the sources that finalize the number.

American’s fee and rules

American’s official unaccompanied minor page, reviewed on 11 August 2026, states a fee of $150 each way plus tax on the unaccompanied minor’s ticket. The same page says that fee also covers additional siblings on the same flight. The “plus tax” wording matters: the total can be higher than the $150 headline.

American makes the program mandatory for ages 5–14 and optional for ages 15–17. Children ages 5–7 may use nonstop flights only; ages 8–14 may connect only through the hubs listed in American’s current policy. American says to book by phone and arrive at least two hours before departure. Recheck the live page for the child and itinerary.

Because a minor traveling alone may be routed differently than an adult booking, the checked-bag fees guide and the family seating comparison are useful context, but the unaccompanied minor fee and its tax sit separately from both on your reservation.

Delta’s fee and group coverage

Delta’s official unaccompanied minor program page, reviewed on 11 August 2026, states a fee of $150 each way for up to four children traveling together on the same trip. The group language is the detail to notice: it reads as a charge that covers up to four children together, rather than a per-child fee multiplied across a group. For a family booking several siblings, that changes the math meaningfully.

Delta makes the program mandatory for ages 5–14 and optional for ages 15–17. Ages 5–7 may use eligible nonstop flights; ages 8–14 may use certain nonstop and connecting services. Delta limits eligible connections to Delta, Delta Connection, Air France and KLM and directs customers to book by phone. Confirm the live itinerary before purchase.

Delta’s combined fee for up to four children is worth comparing with American’s sibling coverage. Both carriers can cover multiple children under one $150 each-way fee, but the exact eligibility and itinerary conditions differ.

Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska: verify the live fee

Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska all publish unaccompanied minor guidance, and their pages are linked as sources so you can read the current rules. This dated audit publishes no numeric fee for those three carriers because it did not fully verify an amount from each live policy page. That is an audit limitation, not a claim that the service is free.

Southwest specifically states that an unaccompanied minor fee applies and links travelers to its Optional Travel Charges page. Its current policy covers children ages 5–11, restricts them to nonstop or same-plane service, and excludes international itineraries. Open the linked live page for the amount. Do the same for JetBlue and Alaska.

This fail-closed approach is the honest way to handle a comparison like this. A guide that prints five fees when only two are supported by the reviewed pages would look complete and be partly wrong. This one stops at what the sources state, which is more useful the moment a real unaccompanied minor trip is on the line.

Mandatory ages differ by airline

There is no single age at which any child can fly alone, because every carrier sets its own mandatory range for an unaccompanied minor. That range can also depend on whether the route is nonstop or involves a connection. This guide does not print a universal age, because the policies do not support one figure across all five carriers.

The reliable move is to look up the age rule on the airline you intend to book, using its own page, and to check it again close to the travel date because carriers revise these policies. The age that appears on a summary table elsewhere may be fine for an older child and wrong for a younger one on the exact route you are booking. The airline’s page is the source that settles it.

Age also interacts with the fee and the process. A child at the lower edge of a mandatory range may face stricter connection limits or more required check-in steps than a teen at the top. So read the whole rule for the child’s age, not just the headline fee, and confirm the itinerary is bookable at all for that age before you invest time in it.

Connection limits are not universal

Whether a minor can change planes is set by each airline and is not a universal right to a connection. Some carriers limit unaccompanied minors to particular connection types, and the restriction can depend on the child’s age. This guide does not state a single rule, because the reviewed pages do not support one across all five carriers.

A minor who needs a connection is where planning pays off, because a nonstop and a connecting itinerary can have very different availability for an unaccompanied traveler. If the child must connect, confirm on the airline’s page whether that connection is permitted for the child’s age and route before you book. A lost connection can strand a minor in a way no adult fare would.

The length of a connection matters too, because a minor may need time for the airline’s handoff between flights. When a child’s itinerary involves a short connection, the layover length guide is helpful context, but the unaccompanied minor program’s own connection rules still take precedence for the booking.

Check-in and handoff are the airline’s process

Check-in and the handoff of a minor at each airport are the airline’s process, defined by each program, and the steps can differ by airport and child’s age. This guide does not describe one universal process because the reviewed pages do not agree on one. The adult who drops off the child, the documents required, and how the child is released to a guardian at the other end are all set by the airline in question.

The practical instruction is to read the check-in and release instructions on the specific airline’s unaccompanied minor page before the trip, and to confirm them at the airport rather than assuming a familiar routine. A parent who expects to walk the child to the gate may find the airline requires a different drop-off point or additional paperwork, and that difference is easier to handle before the travel day.

Because an unaccompanied minor is a supervised service, the fee pays for that process in addition to the child’s ticket. That is a reason to read the check-in and handoff details carefully, not just the price, since the supervision is what makes the child’s solo trip possible.

Group coverage changes the math

Group coverage is where the two published fees need careful reading. Delta’s page states a fee of $150 each way for up to four children traveling together, which reads as a single charge that covers the group. American’s page states that its $150 each-way fee plus tax covers additional siblings on the same flight. Both can cover a group, but the conditions are not interchangeable.

If you are booking more than one child, ask which structure applies before you accept a quote. Delta caps its published coverage at four children traveling together; American uses additional-sibling and same-flight wording. The current airline page and booking agent should confirm how those conditions apply to your group.

The distinction matters enough to call out because it is easy to assume every airline prices a group the same way. They do not. For the refund and flexibility side of that decision, the refundable versus nonrefundable comparison is useful, since a change after ticketing can add cost on top of the fee.

A before-you-book checklist

1. Confirm the fee on the airline’s own page. Only American and Delta state a fee on the reviewed pages: $150 each way plus tax, and $150 each way for up to four children, respectively.
2. Check the mandatory age for the child and whether the rule depends on a nonstop versus a connecting route.
3. Confirm connections are allowed for the child’s age and itinerary before booking.
4. Read the check-in and handoff instructions for the specific airport and carrier, and confirm them at check-in.
5. Ask how a group is charged if you are booking more than one child: Delta covers up to four traveling together, while American covers additional siblings on the same flight.
6. Recheck before the travel day, because ages, fees and connection rules are set and revised by each airline independently as of 11 August 2026.

An unaccompanied minor fee is only as reliable as the airline it comes from. As of 11 August 2026, this guide can state American’s $150 each-way plus tax and Delta’s $150 each-way for up to four children, and it deliberately stops there. Southwest states that a fee applies, but this guide sends you to the linked live charges page for its amount; JetBlue and Alaska also require live verification. Book a child’s itinerary from the current official source and recheck the number close to travel.