How to Book and Fly Unaccompanied Minors on Delta Air Lines
An unaccompanied minor at the airport getting ready to fly and visit his grandparents for the summer.
Image: NadyaEugene/Shutterstock.com
Moms, Dads, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, older brothers and sisters – do you have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or younger siblings that need to fly? Maybe it’s for summer camp. Or maybe they are flying to visit a close relative, grandparents, or a friend in another city.
Kids often fly with an adult, but it is not uncommon for kids to fly on a plane all by themselves, whether due to the expensive cost of purchasing an additional airplane ticket for the adult, time and logistical constraints, or providing kids with a hands-on learning opportunity in independence while in a safe and structured environment.
What is an Unaccompanied Minor program?
Not all airlines permit kids to travel alone, but most airlines have Unaccompanied Minor (UMNR) programs established that enable and allow younger children (typically age 5 and older) to safely fly by themselves.
Flying children under these structured programs is required by airlines until at least a certain age, and helps ensure the safety of your child throughout the airport and flight experience by providing escorting services, special boarding and deplaning procedures, occasional checks during the flight, and ensuring children are picked up only by designated adults upon landing.
In this post, we will look at how to book and fly an Unaccompanied Minor on Delta Air Lines.
Delta Air Lines offers an Unaccompanied Minor program, allowing kids between the ages of 5 and 17 to fly alone under a supervised and structured travel experience.
Image: JW_PNW/Shutterstock.com
Can kids and minors fly unaccompanied on Delta Air Lines?
As one of the nation’s largest air carriers serving cities all across the United States, it’s very likely you’re looking into Delta Air Lines for your kids’ flight. Delta’s Unaccompanied Minor Program enables kids between the ages of 5 and 17 to fly alone (as an unaccompanied minor) without a parent, guardian, or adult travel companion alongside them.
The airline has different sets of travel rules for kids, depending on the child’s age. Additionally, as a general rule of thumb, unless there are no other options available, flights for Unaccompanied Minors on Delta must be taken during the daytime, to reduce the risk that your child gets stranded overnight.
Kids under the age of 5
If your child is still less than 5 years old by the date of their flight, you’re out of luck. Without exception, Delta only allows kids 5 and older to travel alone.
Kids between the ages of 5 and 7
If your little one is past the toddler years, they are eligible to fly as an Unaccompanied Minor. Delta’s policy for kids ages 5 through 7 is that they must be booked on non-stop flights, without any layovers or connections.
If your kid is flying to and from any one of Delta’s hub cities within the same region (such as the West Coast, Mountain West, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast areas of the United States), chances are there will be a non-stop flight available. It’s typically small city-to-small city, and coast-to-coast, travel that requires a layover and connecting flight.
Kids between the ages of 8 and 14
The above flight restrictions are removed for older children, ages 8 through 14. This age group is allowed to take flights and itineraries with connections, however connections must be made to another Delta, Air France, or KLM flight. Connections cannot be made to other SkyTeam carriers.
Teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17
Unaccompanied Teens in this age bracket have two options for traveling on Delta:
Option 1: They can fly as a standard passenger, similar to an adult, with no restrictions. For this option, Delta does require your teen to have a form of photo ID that is accepted by the TSA.
It should be noted that this ID on-hand policy is a Delta-specific requirement. TSA’s airport security screening checkpoints (SSCP) do not require children under the age of 18 to present photo ID for domestic flights (the key being domestic) and defers to airlines for specific and additional ID requirements, hence the Delta Air Lines requirement.
It also would be advisable to also make sure your teenager’s ID is REAL ID compliant, as it will become a national requirement for flying beginning in May 2023. Chances are if your teen is getting their first learner’s permit or driver’s license around this time, it will already be REAL ID compliant. But please check with your issuing state to confirm this status as different states mange compliance differently. When in doubt, a US Passport will always work as ID for flying.
Option 2: As an optional service, older teens are eligible to fly as an unaccompanied minor, under the same rules as kids 8 through 14.
Note, if you have a situation where multiple kids are traveling together, and only one of them falls into the age 15 to 17 bracket, Delta still requires the younger child to travel as an Unaccompanied Minor even if the older child is opted out of the Unaccompanied Minor program and traveling as a standard “adult” passenger.
This is similar to the policies of several other airlines. But if the restriction is a deal breaker, you may want to consider flying Southwest, jetBlue, or American whom allow children (such as siblings) who are older than 12, 14, and 16, respectively, to be the “accompanying” travel companion of younger kids.
How much does it cost to fly an Unaccompanied Minor on Delta Air Lines?
All age groups of Unaccompanied Minors flying on Delta Air Lines, including those who opt-in to the optional service for their 15 to 17 year olds, will incur a $150 program fee on top of the cost of the plane ticket. This fee is charged each way, so for round-trip flights, or two separately booked one-way flights, the total fee to fly unaccompanied on Delta will be $300.
The good news is that on Delta the Unaccompanied Minor fee can cover up to 4 children on the same reservation, which is great if you have multiple kids that you need to get to grandma and grandpa’s place for the summer.
The fee may seem steep, but is meant to cover the costs of the program, including supervision and escorts throughout the entire flight itinerary. Delta’s $150 Unaccompanied Minor fee is on par with most other airlines, but several airlines (such as Alaska and Southwest) do have lower cost Unaccompanied Minor fees if money is a concern.
Can Unaccompanied Minors fly internationally with Delta Air Lines?
If you need to fly your child overseas, or to a neighboring country, Delta allows Unaccompanied Minors to fly internationally. However, the airline cautions that this will depend on the local laws, regulations, and restrictions of the destination country.
How to Book a Flight for an Unaccompanied Minor with Delta Air Lines
Now that you have an understanding of the structure of Delta’s Unaccompanied Minor program, the next step is to book the flight.
Your first instinct may be to head straight to Delta’s website and book a flight like you normally would. For the most part, the experience actually is like that – you pick your cities, dates, number of passengers, and select the flight you want.
However, once you get to the screen to enter passenger information such as name and date of birth, this is where you’ll run into a snag. You see, Delta does not allow Unaccompanied Minors to be booked through their standard booking engine.
When you enter in the child’s birth date, you’ll notice a disclaimer (pictured) regarding the passenger’s age classifying them as an Unaccompanied Minor.
For kids under the age of 15, you’ll be asked to contact their reservations team to make the booking. This can be done using Delta’s online chat function, or you can call their reservations line at 800-325-8847.
If the child you are booking is between the ages of 15 and 17, a disclaimer will still pop up, but will be different. As you may recall, the Delta’s Unaccompanied Minor program is optional for kids ages 15 to 17. If you wish to book them as a standard “adult” passenger, you can simply ignore the disclaimer and proceed with the online reservation like normal.
However, if you wish to use Delta’s Unaccompanied Minor for your older teenager, you can either:
Proceed normally with the “adult” online booking and contact the reservations team afterward to enroll them in the Unaccompanied Minor program, or;
You can contact Delta’s reservations team from the beginning to make the reservation
Attempting to book an unaccompanied minor online through Delta’s website will result in a notification prompting you to make reservations manually through Delta’s reservation teams.
Image: Delta.com
Notification alerting you to contact Delta Reservations if your child is age 15 or under.
Image: Delta.com
Children between the ages of 15 and 17 can be booked as a standard adult passenger or can also opt-in to Delta’s Unaccompanied Minor program.
Image: Delta.com
Lastly, while we’re on the topic of booking, check out our other article on how you can save money on airfare by buying gift cards (including for Delta Air Lines) at the grocery store.
Delta Air Lines’ Travel Day procedures for Unaccompanied Minors
On the day of your Delta Air Lines flight for your Unaccompanied Minor, there will be special procedures in place for check-in, departure, and pick-up.
Unaccompanied Minor check-ins on Delta must be done in-person at the airport, so please be sure to allow enough time before your flight to do so. At the ticketing counter, check in with a Delta representative.
They agent will ask for your photo ID, address, and contact phone number. Additionally, they will ask for the name, address, and phone number of the adult who will be picking the child up on the other end. A trackable wristband and Unaccompanied Minor ID will also be given to your child to wear during travel.
Plan to wait around the airport until the flight takes off
The accompanying adult must escort the child to the gate – since you won’t be a ticketed passenger, you’ll get a special pass to go through TSA with your child. You must remain at the gate with your child through the boarding handoff to Delta gate agents, as well as stay at the gate until the plane takes off.
The reason you must remain until the flight has left the ground is in case the flight is disrupted (for example, canceled due to weather) and returns to the gate.
Picking up an unaccompanied minor
At your child’s destination city, the designated pick-up adult that you registered during check-in must be the person picking up the child. That adult bring their photo ID and check-in with Delta agents at the ticketing counter of the arriving airport to obtain a gate pass to meet the child at the gate once their flight lands.
What if your Unaccompanied Minor has a layover or connection?
As a recap, only kids who are 8 years and older will be allowed to fly Delta itineraries that involve connecting flights.
During the layover, your child will be escorted to the next gate by Delta staff or an employee contracted by Delta.
If your child’s connection happens to be through one of Delta’s hub airports (ATL, CVG, DTW, JFK, LAX, MEM, MSP, SLC, and SEA) the airline has a lounge, called the Delta Sky Zone, that your child will wait in. These are children-only areas for Unaccompanied Minors and are staffed by Delta representatives.
As one would expect, Delta Sky Zones offer child-friendly activities such as books, toys, and video games to keep your child occupied during their layover. If your child is not traveling with a cell phone, complimentary phones are also available at the Delta Sky Zone to call parents/guardians.
Delta Air Lines operates a Sky Zone lounge for kids at most of its connecting hub airports, including Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), pictured here.
Image: The Window Flyer
Delta Air Lines Unaccompanied Minor Conclusion
We hope you’ve found this guide super helpful for booking an Unaccompanied Minor on a Delta Air Lines flight.
To recap a few things, your child must be at least 5 years of age by the date of travel to be eligible to fly alone on Delta. Kids between the ages of 5 and 7 must be booked on nonstop flights, and kids 8 and older are allowed to take flights with connections. Delta’s Unaccompanied Minor service is optional for kids between the ages of 15 and 17.
It’s also important to remember that all children 14 and younger must be booked as an Unaccompanied Minor even if they are traveling with an older child, such as a sibling, who is between 15 and 17.
International travel for Unaccompanied Minors is permitted, but depends on the restrictions of the destination country.
When it comes to booking with Delta, Unaccompanied Minor tickets must be manually booked through the airline’s reservations team (either through Delta’s online chat function, or a call to their reservations line at 800-325-8847). A $150 each-way fee will be incurred, but can cover up to 4 children on the same reservation.
On travel day, you must check-in to your flight with your child in-person at a Delta ticket counter, escort your child to the gate, and wait there until the plane leaves the ground. Upon landing, only the adult who is designated during check-in will be allowed to pick-up your child at the arriving gate.
So, there you have it – a quick guide to booking and flying Unaccompanied Minors on Delta Air Lines. We hope your young one has a great flight to wherever they are headed!
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