Is Your Child traveling as an Unaccompanied Minor this Holiday Season?

We, here at KEE Limousine, have seen an increase in the number of UM’s (Unaccompanied Minors) traveling this year. Some are students from the local private schools traveling home, and some are young kids traveling alone, for whatever reason, to visit their family in other parts of the country.

For over 25 years, KEE Limousine has offered special services for young travelers and we have seen the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures change over the years. This year we’ve had to jump some new hurdles to get our UM’s on board their flights. Here are some of our tips for your UM’s.

1.) Arrive Early!!! This year’s magic number seems to be a minimum of 2 hours prior to the flight even when travelling domestically. In one instance, even though the flight was delayed by 1.5 hrs, the airline initially refused a UM because the 2 hour prior policy from the original departure time wasn’t met. When you include the delay of 1.5 hours, we were actually 3 hours early and we still had to jump some hurdles to get the minor on a flight.

2) Expect to fill out forms and then some more forms. This year the number of forms to fill out has doubled. I don’t know if this is airline specific or now an industry standard. In either case, it can be time consuming especially if you don’t have an interpreter.

3) Cash or Credit? Everybody takes cash, right? Wrong! A few of our UM’s cash was turned down and we had to pay the fee by credit card. Oh by the way, some airlines do not allow their agents at the check in counter to deal with any financial transactions. Any financial transaction, whether it’s paying your UM fee, a fee for over-sized baggage, or for additional luggage needs to be paid at the cashier. That means another line and more wait time.  To avoid this additional process and line, have your travel agent pay this fee when purchasing your ticket.

4) Plan on spending some time at the airport! You’ve now waited in line, checked the child in, and the airline agent has taken them through security and to the gate. It’s time to leave, right? Wrong! You now need to wait until the planes has departed, and not just the gate, but wheels up. In some cases, the airline will require you to stay until the plane has entered international air space.

5) Call your airline! Every airline is different. Different age requirements and different procedures at the airport. Call ahead but also expect changes at the airport. While the airline will tell you this is the “company policy”, I’ve found the airlines procedures to be different at different airports.

If your child is traveling as a Unaccompanied Minor plan ahead, expect changes, and remember it is a very time consuming process.

KEE Limousine & I’ll Drive Livery Service is here to get you there! That includes your student and young child!