British Airways: Children Flying Alone

Young children traveling without a parent or legal guardian are considered to be Unaccompanied Minors. Most airlines provide a service to assist these children from their point of departure to their final destination.

What age does my child have to be to qualify as an Unaccompanied Minor?

The service is mandatory for children ages 5-11 traveling without an adult who is at least 16 years old.

Children under 5 years of age are not allowed to travel unless accompanied by an adult who is at least 16 years old.

What are the fees associated with this service?

In most cases British Airways will charge the adult fare for children traveling alone. In addition to the flight price, the Skyflyer Solo service fee per child, per sector, is approximately:

• $50 for short haul flights and flights within the UK
• $75 for long haul flights

Contact your local British Airways officeor your travel agent for further information.

Are there any flight restrictions?

• Children from age five upwards can travel alone only on a single sector, direct, non-stop flight.
• Children from the age of six can travel alone on any British Airways flight.
• Check that all visas and other formalities have been completed.
• The Skyflyer Solo service must be booked and paid for together with your child’s flight. If not, cancellation and re-issue fees will be charged.
• Skyflyer Solo service must be booked at least 48 hours in advance of the flight’s departure time.
• Due to the lengthy process for gaining visa clearance for the escort on routes to Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Russia, British Airways offers only a limited number of bookings for unaccompanied children on these flights.
• Skyflyer Solo service is not available on flight numbers BA001, BA002, BA003 and BA004 (Club World London City).

British Airways cannot accept:

• children traveling on journeys which include a transfer between London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports.
• children on journeys which involve a night-stop, transfer, or stopover exceeding six hours, unless you have arranged for your child to be met and cared for at the transfer point. Full contact details must be provided before the child can be accepted for their first flight.