Why don't travel site allow comparing airline fares for an unaccompanied minor?
We are sending our son to the east coast for part of winter break. My wife shopped for tickets using the flight aggregators we normally use, but they don't seem to allow searches for unaccompanied minors. Some prevent the search using the UI:
KAYAK allows you to select a child alone, but then stops the search with this notice:
About unaccompanied minors
KAYAK does not currently support searches for unaccompanied minors. We recommend that you check the minimum age requirements as well as what other fees apply for the airline you plan to book with, before you book.
Some airlines offer a mandatory unaccompanied minor service for a charge. Visit our airline fees page www.kayak.com/airline-fees.
Most airlines charge a full fare as well as require a charge for unaccompanied minors. Therefore, you may perform your search for an adult.
Fortunately, we fly out of small airport with limited options, so my wife went to each airline's website, got a quote and kept track on a spreadsheet. If the airline charged an extra fee for unaccompanied minors, she just tracked that too.
But why don't fare aggregators allow passengers to compare prices for children flying alone? Is it some sort of liability issue? Or is it difficult to get an accurate quote including additional fees?
Best Answer
My guess, because it varies from one airline to another, even for airlines in the same country. There is usually some sort of a nationwide limit, then the airlines can go more restrictive on defining "unaccompanied minor".
For the airline I work for, a passenger between 5 and 12 years old is considered UM, while another neighbor airlines set the limit to 5-11.
Now imagine a site that has to collect the information for most of the airlines around the world and then keep track of that in case of any change? including special fares and conditions for each airline, just too much work.
Also, most seats sold via agencies are consolidated tickets, I do not think airlines sell UM seats in bulk to be used by agencies (online or offline).
In addition to that there is a technical problem. Unaccompanied minors' reservations have special codes which are different from one reservation system to another, and since most agencies connect to airline's systems using GDS (think of the GDS as a webservice with limited types of transations allowed), I think handling this might be a techincal issue as well. Hence, many airlines offer the UM reservations by calling them directly, by visiting their office or via their own website.
Last but not least, and it's also a guess, airlines do not want to handle people's children via a third party seller.
Pictures about "Why don't travel site allow comparing airline fares for an unaccompanied minor?"
Do any airlines not charge for unaccompanied minors?
Southwest Airlines Children ages 5 to 11 traveling without an accompanying passenger age 12 or older are considered unaccompanied minors. Children 12 and over can use the airline's Young Travelers service that has no fee, but does allow for gate passes for adults escorting and picking up the child or children.What airline has the cheapest unaccompanied minor?
Unaccompanied Minor Airline Comparison Chart- Alaska: Cheapest UM fee (as low as $25 one way for non-stops)
- Southwest: Cheap UM fee ($50 one way) + youngest age where children can travel without paying a UM fee (no fee needed by 12th birthday)
Do airlines let minors fly alone?
Most U.S. airlines will permit children who have reached their fifth birthday to travel unaccompanied. Kids ages 5 through 11 who are flying alone must usually travel pursuant to special \u201cunaccompanied minor\u201d procedures. On some airlines, these procedures are required for unaccompanied children as old as 14.Can my 14 year old fly alone?
For safety, we require children age 5 \u2013 14 traveling alone to use our unaccompanied minor service. This service is optional for children age 15 \u2013 17, but if requested, then the fee applies. We charge a $150 unaccompanied service fee (plus tax, where applicable) each way, in addition to the ticket price.More answers regarding why don't travel site allow comparing airline fares for an unaccompanied minor?
Answer 2
KAYAK and other online systems do not know exactly how old your child is and therefore can not determine which rules apply and can not ensure that a booking would meet those rules for any specific airline. So it is better to simply not quote those fares (plus many airlines require you to call direct to arrange UM services).
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio, Pixabay, Andrea Piacquadio