Southwest Unaccompanied Minor Policy

Southwest Airlines minor Unaccompanied policy

Assurance of your child’s safety and great traveling experience is confirme with the emergence of the Southwest airlines unaccompanied minor policy. They mainly strive hard to make your child comfortable while traveling alone. Southwest Airlines understands that thinking about your child during travel leads to stress. Thus, they laid down their minor policy to save you from this scenario.

To get an idea of what this policy is all about and what conditions are present in it, you must read this write-up. Don’t leave any point in between, as it may load you with incomplete information

Light over Southwest Airlines Unaccompanied Minor Policy

Before booking a trip for your child with Southwest Airlines, all of you should know about their policy in detail. We are discussing the entire policy here in pointers so that no confusion will be left behind.

All children aged 5 to 11 are considered minors under Southwest Airlines Minor Policy.
Following the Southwest Younger Traveler Policy, kids aged 12 to 17 can travel alone without any restrictions.
It should be clear at the time of the booking that the child you are, i.e., either parent or guardian.
If you are a guardian, you must take care that you have permission from the parents to act on their behalf.
Southwest Airlines Minors Flying alone can attain too many benefits for themselves, so you need to submit a copy of their birth certificate.
According to the Southwest Airlines Minor Policy, all parents are obliged to fill out a Southwest Airlines Minor form. The information or details about the person coming to drop or pick up must be in there.
Parents or guardians coming to drop off need to arrive at the airport at least 45 minutes before the flight’s scheduled departure. And they need to wait until the take-off of the flight.
Unaccompanied minors by Southwest Airlines are only permitted to travel on the routes where non-stop or direct flights run.
According to Southwest Airlines Minor Policy, minors can’t travel to/from any international destination.

Southwest Airlines Unaccompanied Minor Policy ID Requirements

According to the Southwest Airlines Unaccompanied minor policy, all the parents and guardians of the minor are required to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before the flight’s scheduled departure. Don’t get stuck with planning the schedule by only involving the time to drop off your child at the airport.

Always take time to buffer yourself from traffic and long queues at the check-in line. You also require time to complete Southwest Airlines minor form completely. Along with this, consider the time to pass through the security check-in and drop off the child at the flight boarding gate.

During the Presence at the Airport

Look below as you must complete the following requirements and submit the information mentioned at the airport. And you need to do all of this during the process of the check-in:

Permanent address and the contact details of the guardians and parents that will take custody of the child at the destination.
The contact details of the parents of the guardians of both sides, i.e., dropping one and collecting one. It is mandatory as airlines need to update it when the flight gets delayed or the schedule gets altered.
A copy of the itinerary of the children or minor, like the airlines’ names, carrier number, departure or arrival time of the flight, and the PNR number.

Evidence for the Age Verification

A copy of these given documents is required to verify the age of the minors who are traveling:

Identification card approved by State Federal.
Birth Certificate (also share a copy with the person who will collect the child at the destination).

Receipt of the Minor Fees

Southwest unaccompanied minor policy states that you must present the receipt of the fees you need to pay for your minor to fly with them. The fees get applied over the normal minor fees of Southwest Airlines.

Methods to Book Flights for Minors in Southwest Airlines

All the passengers have the alternative of booking the flight ticket for the minors. These alternatives or choices are booking through the website, by calling the airline and paying a visit to the airport counter. Pay attention to every method to know it in detail as every procedure is steps are given under it. Pick anyone that you like and implement it as the highlighted steps.

First Method: Minor Flight booking online

Apply the given instructions in the given manner as stated below:

Take a visit to the official website of Southwest Airlines.
Enter the details like the departure or arrival place and the date you would like to fly.
On the next page, several flights of the entered route come up. Choose the one that you find apt for yourself.
Proceed further to fill in all the details of the passengers on the next page.
Then, at the checkout page, pay the fees of the airlines and the prices for the minor levied by the airline upon the airfare.
You will receive the Southwest Airlines minor form you need to complete as soon as you complete the booking.
Once you get done with this form, follow the instructions that keep coming up on the screen and conclude the process.
When you finish booking a flight for a minor, a notification denoting the confirmation will appear on your registered mail ID. �

Second Method: Flight booking by calling the airlines

It is the most reliable method as you can talk to a live person from the side of Southwest Airlines to make your booking. To get connected for making the booking of your minor, follow the guide in the same manner highlighted below:

Dial the customer care toll-free number of Southwest Airlines on their website.
Run through the computer-generated voice robot to connect with a live person.
According to the Southwest Airlines Minor policy, after getting connected with a live person, you need to tell them about the passenger’s information.
Choose the desired mode through which you would like to make the payment.
After this, one of the executives of the customer care of Southwest Airlines will fill out the whole Southwest Airlines Minor form on your behalf.
The process will only end when you submit the minor’s identification card to the airline’s executive by email.
When the process gets accomplished or completed by the side of the airlines, then a mail regarding the confirmation of the same will be reflected in your registered mail ID.

Third Method: Visit to the Airport to Make the Flight Booking

It happens to everyone when they think about the idea that their children will fly alone. Thus, to make their reservation, going to the airport will let them build trust in the airlines. As per the Southwest Airlines minor booking, you can make the booking from the airport 3 hours before the fixed departure time of the flight.

Remember that you need all the following documents when heading toward the airport to book the flight for your child.

Photocopy of the birth certificate of your child or minor.
Copy the completed unaccompanied minor form provided to you by the airlines.
Boarding pass and the flight booking confirmation page on a hard copy.

Tips to Ready your Child for the Southwest Airlines Flight

If you decide to let your children fly alone, then it is advised to make them ready for the flight with the help of these tips. It is all written under Southwest Airlines Minor Policy, and all you need to do is focus on the stated tips.

Handover the child with the contact details of the parent or guardian who will come to take custody of the minor at the airport arrival.
Provide the kids with a copy of their itinerary details to avoid entering any chaotic situation.
Downloading the Southwest Airlines application to monitor the flight status you booked for your child is advised.
As the airline will not provide any kind of meal, it is directed to all of you to pack snacks for your kids so they won’t get stressed when they feel hungry.
Ensure that you charge all the devices of your kids or minors, as there are no charging sockets on the flight.

Limitations under the Southwest Airlines Unaccompanied Minor Policy

Southwest Airlines Minor Policy laid down some limitations on all the kids flying with them. To get aware of all those, take a look here:

All children above the age of 12 years can fly with the tag of Young Travelers in Southwest Airlines.
It is not necessary that all the officials keep their eyes on the minor every time.
Flight changes on Southwest Airlines are not permitted when any minor is flying alone with them.
Any issue that emerges because of the flying of the minor alone is not the responsibility of any kind of airline.
Every minor is prohibited from using the charging point during their travel on the Southwest Airlines flight.
Southwest Minor policy restricts minors from traveling on any connecting flights they regulate.
No minor has permission to fly alone to any of the International destinations.
The Southwest Airlines Minor policy service isn’t available from the side of the airlines in case of bad weather and technical issues.

Southwest Airlines Minor Policy Fees

While you are traveling with Southwest Airlines, the air operator lets you pay some charges. These charges are necessary for your child to fly with Southwest Airlines.

Southwest Airlines Minor Policy Fees are $50 for one way and one child.
No matter when you have the ticket under Rapid Rewards, the fee for minors remains the same.
In the case of a round trip, you need to pay $100.

Please remember that the above-specified charges are not included in the airfares as these charges are separate.

Final Words!

Made reservation of your children with Southwest Airlines? No need to worry at all. Your kid will remain in safe hands during their travel, and you can relax at home without stressing about him/her. Know everything about how traveling your kid will go by reading this article covering Southwest Airlines Minor Policy. If you need to clear any doubt regarding this policy, please contact us at +1-866-679-5070 or by emailing info@toursntravelpro.com