A lot of measures are required to be undertaken carefully by airports and airline carriers, especially if there are unaccompanied minors/children traveling all alone. Alaska Airlines has also taken up necessary precautions to include a safe travel experience for unaccompanied minors on their flights, whether it’s a domestic or international route. This article will cover Alaska Airlines’ unaccompanied minor policy thoroughly.
In this travel guide prepared by Treknova, we will take a detailed look at Alaska Airlines’s unaccompanied minor policy.
Table of Contents
A Brief Overview of Alaska Airlines Unaccompanied Minor (Junior Jetsetters) Policy
Young children traveling without a parent or legal guardian are considered unaccompanied minors. Most airlines provide a service to assist these children from their point of departure to their final destination. Alaska Airlines refers unaccompanied minors aged 5-17 years old to “Junior Jetsetters”, and offers unaccompanied minor service to children between the said ages flying solo. The service is available on both domestic and international flights.
Alaska Airlines welcomes unaccompanied minors through its Junior Jetsetters program. There is also a mobile app called Fly for All, which is specifically designed to assist unaccompanied minors with their upcoming trip among other services.
- Alaska Airlines calls its unaccompanied minor program “Junior Jetters”, but has suspended meals and entertainment tablets temporarily. Therefore, the airline advises that caregivers pack meals and entertainment sources for their kids traveling solo.
- A lanyard and a wristband are required to be worn at all times while the children are in their care, so your child is easy for the employees to be easily recognized as a Junior Jetsetter.
- Early boarding can help children get comfortable in their seats, along with a special safety briefing from flight attendants before the flight.
- Fees are currently $50 per direction per child for non-stop or direct flights and $75 per direction per child for connecting flights.
- Children aged 5 to 7 years old are considered unaccompanied minors and may only travel on non-stop or direct flights. Travel may not begin between 9 pm and 5 am (local time).
- Children aged 8 to 12 years old are considered unaccompanied minors and may travel on a flight that requires a connection, but not with a layover of more than two hours or on the last flight of the day unless there is no other option. As with the younger age group, travel may not begin between 9 pm and 5 am (local time).
- Children aged 13 to 17 years old may request the unaccompanied minor service (it is optional) and are subject to the same rules as children aged 8 to 12 years old.
- Unaccompanied minor service fees are waived for children who have attained MVP, MVP Gold or Gold 75K Mileage Plan status.
- Unaccompanied minors are not accepted if weather or other factors are likely to interrupt the routine operation of their destination or connecting-point flights.
- Children may not travel alone to or from Sun Valley, Idaho (SUN) between Dec 1 and April 1.
- During normal times, children will receive a complimentary main cabin meal on flights more than two hours in length and an entertainment tablet for use during the flight on most flights that are available on most coast-to-coast and Hawaii flights.
The airline carrier’s Junior Jetsetters program offers a number of benefits that may not be available in other U.S. based airlines. We have “A Guide to Benefits of Alaska Airlines MVP Gold Status” as well in our website.
Alaska’s Junior Jetsetters Program Explained
Let’s take a deeper look at the unaccompanied minor policy introduced by Alaska Airlines. You should also check-out Alaska Airlines Cancellation and Refund Policy to know more of your rights.
Age Requirements – Alaska Airlines Unaccompanied Minor Policy
As mentioned above, Alaska Airlines permits children of ages 5 through 17 years only who are not accompanied by their parents and/or legal guardians to fly alone. To travel alone as part of their Junior Jetsetters unaccompanied minor program, the child must have reached their 5th birthday. Also, for the child’s safety, valid proof of age (such as a birth certificate or passport) is required upon check-in at the airport.
Junior Jetsetter unaccompanied minor service is required for all children, ages 5 through 12 years old, traveling without a parent, legal guardian, or another adult at least 18 years of age. Further, the service is also made optional for young adults, ages 13 through 17 years old, traveling without a parent, legal guardian, or another adult at least 18 years of age. If a young adult aged 13 through 17 years old, is making a connection to another airline where they are considered an unaccompanied minor, they must also travel on Alaska Airlines using the airline’s Junior Jetsetter service. All applicable rules and fees for both airlines will apply, and an adult must meet them at their connection point to complete the transfer to the other airline.
The flight restrictions that apply to the youngest child will apply to all the other children traveling together, including those not requesting Junior Jetsetter service.
Unaccompanied Minor Fees
Unaccompanied minor service fees for Junior Jetsetters can be paid during Alaska Airlines web check-in, at a check-in kiosk, or at any Alaska Airlines airport ticket counter.
(a) Children aged 5-7 years
- Junior Jetsetter service is required
- Gate escort and guardian contact required
- Travel may not begin between 9 pm and 5 am (local time)
- Non-stop/direct flights only
- $50 USD/CAD each way per child
(b) Children aged 8-12 years
- Junior Jetsetter minor service is required
- Gate escort and guardian contact required
- Travel may not begin between 9 pm and 5 am (local time)
- Unless no other option is available, no connections to the last flight of the day, or layovers of more than 2 hours
- $50 USD/CAD each way per child for non-stop or direct flights
- $75 USD/CAD each way per child for connecting flights
(c) Children aged 13-17 years
- Junior Jetsetter minor service is optional
- Gate escort and guardian contact required
- Travel may not begin between 9 pm and 5 am (local time)
- Unless no other option is available, no connections to the last flight of the day, or layovers of more than 2 hours
- $50 USD/CAD each way per child for non-stop or direct flights
- $75 USD/CAD each way per child for connecting flights
These are required when using unaccompanied minor services. Here are a few additional things to note on the above-mentioned fees and restrictions:
- Unaccompanied minor service fees are waived for children who have attained MVP, MVP Gold, or Gold 75K Mileage Plan status.
- To meet Mexican banking regulations, their Mexican stations do not accept cash in US dollars as payment for tickets and fees. Mexican Pesos or a credit/debit card continue to be accepted.
- Other airline policies, fees, and age limits may differ from Alaska Airlines. Some airlines may not allow children traveling alone to be booked in the same reservation with Alaska Airlines flights. If a child’s itinerary includes non-Alaska Airlines flights, it is advised to check with that airline directly regarding their policies, fees, and age limits.
Flight Booking for Unaccompanied Minors
The following is the procedure for booking flights for unaccompanied minors on Alaska Airlines.
To book a child traveling alone, simply select the option “0 adults” and the total number of children traveling in the “Children” field on Alaska’s website https://www.alaskaair.com.
Also, take note of the following restrictions before Alaska Airlines booking your child’s ticket:
- For the safety and security of children traveling without an adult, Alaska Airlines limits the number of unaccompanied minors on each flight.
- Children traveling alone cannot be booked on flights departing between 9:00 pm and 5:00 am (local time).
- Children traveling alone cannot be booked on the last connecting flight of the day unless there is no other option available.
- Children traveling alone, ages 5 through 7 years old, cannot be booked on flights involving transfers or connections.
- Children traveling alone, ages 8 through 12 years old, may be booked on flights involving transfers or connections to flights operated by Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, SkyWest Flight Series 3300-3499, PenAir, or Ravn Alaska.
- Children traveling alone cannot be booked on flights with connections of 2 hours or more waiting time. Connections greater than 2 hours are only allowed if the city does not provide connections less than two hours.
- Children traveling alone cannot be booked via Alaska’s website https://www.alaskaair.com on flights that connect to or from other airlines flights. Thus, you will need to call Alaska Airlines reservations at 1-800-252-7522 (TTY: Dial 711 for Relay Services).
- Children traveling alone may be subject to seat reassignment at the airport.
Guardian Contact and Gate Escort
The child’s legal guardian, and those accompanying them, must obtain an escort pass from the ticket counter in order to escort a child guest to or from the gate. Up to 2 adults and all children, under the age of 13 years old, accompanying a child guest are allowed through the security checkpoint.
It is, therefore, a good idea to arrive at least 90 minutes early to obtain the escort passes. The escort pass may not be available in Canada or Mexico due to customs and immigration requirements, or in stations where the security checkpoint has closed, such as evening arrivals. In case this happens, then an Alaska Airlines representative can escort the child guest from the gate and meet you outside the security checkpoint.
It is also important that the guardian must remain in the boarding area until the child guest’s flight has departed. A valid photo ID proof is required of the guardian picking up a child guest and the guardian must be listed on the guardian contact form. The guardian contact form must be completed at the airport. Adding alternative guardians on the guardian contact form ensures that in case of an emergency, the child guest has a guardian who can be reached. If a friend or family member will be meeting the child passenger(s) in a connecting city, you must call Alaska Airlines reservations at 1-800-252-7522 (TTY: Dial 711 for Relay Services), prior to travel.
There are also alternate transfer or escort arrangements that can be made available through Travelers Aid. For more information, you can Contact Alaska Airlines Airlines Customer Support Team.
Conclusion
Alaska Airlines has quite a strict unaccompanied minor policy, further adding to that with low fees. Also, the airline is pretty flexible in allowing for connections for some ages and for allowing international flights.
