Can i lie about my kid's age for an unaccompanied minor flight?

[Anonymous]

Don't you need her birthday to book the ticket?

If so, you'd have to fudge it when you book the ticket with the airline, or I'd think the airline would flag the age at purchase.

If you fudge it at purchase, then her ID and her ticket will not match. This is not an ideal situation for your kid if she is stopped at TSA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You can't, they check the age with the passport.

who does? And when?

TSA. When you arrive. She will need to show ID. They will see her age. Yes, if they can get $300 out of her they will.

It's not 1992.

So the TSA age is literally going to check her passport against her boarding pass and then make the mental calculation to realize that she is 14 years, 51 weeks old?

Really?

You don't need an ID to travel when you are under 18. "TSA does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the United States." And airlines only take your boarding pass when you board a plane.

Most people don't even have a passport. They just go by whatever date of birth you enter into the system when you book the flight.

OP just say he birthday is a month earlier when you book the ticket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
She is flying for a funeral of a friend who died. It's very sad.
We really don't have the extra $300 for this fee (on top of $400 for the ticket).

This sounds like something you should accompany her to -- sorry that's not something i would send my teenager alone to do.

Good Lord.
Stop with the criticism.

She is meeting a parent who will be there already. Parent #2 lives in that town. Please stop with the holier-than-thou parenting.

It's a funeral for a teenager - that's heavy. Sorry you are ok with being a crappy parent.

F-you. The kid is attending WITH A PARENT.

You sound outstanding as a human. Lying, swearing, asking your kid to lie...

[Anonymous]

I think most of these people haven't flown with children.

Children under 16 don't need to show any kind of ID to fly domestically. No one will be asking for the girl's ID.

What I don't know is how TSA handles a kid without a parent going through security. She'll probably have to explicitly lie to a TSA agent to tell them she's 15 (which in this case seems to be the golden age between not needing to pay the UM fee and not needing ID).

As a PP said, for southwest the magic age is 12. See if there's a flight that would work with them.

[Anonymous]

It’s a one hour flight which makes it what, a 4 hour drive at most? Drive her there. Or pay an additional $100 and fly there with her. Or cal the airline and plead your case, they may be understanding and either give you the unaccompanied minor treatment for free or say she doesn’t need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think most of these people haven't flown with children.

Children under 16 don't need to show any kind of ID to fly domestically. No one will be asking for the girl's ID.

What I don't know is how TSA handles a kid without a parent going through security. She'll probably have to explicitly lie to a TSA agent to tell them she's 15 (which in this case seems to be the golden age between not needing to pay the UM fee and not needing ID).

As a PP said, for southwest the magic age is 12. See if there's a flight that would work with them.

OP check with the individual airline as some may require her to have some for of ID. even a birth certificate.

TSA doesn't require it, but an airline might. Depends on the airline though.

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier about not lying. I'm not judging you at all, OP, your child seems well able to take care of herself for this very short flight.

I'm just concerned what the consequences would be to your teen if someone catches her in a lie. Will she be blocked from boarding? Will you be there to pay the extra fee? Does she have money to pay the extra fee if they figure this out when you're not there, and would that even be allowed, for a teen to pay for their own accompaniment?

Just for my peace of mind, I wouldn't risk it, but your calculus may vary. Post back if it works!

[Anonymous]

If it's American, you have to provide the birth certificate at the gate:

At check-in, parents / guardians will also need to provide:

A birth certificate or passport as proof of the child’s age
The adult’s government-issued photo ID with their current address
Your phone number so we can contact you
The name, address and phone number of the adult meeting your child at their destination

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/unaccompanied-minors.jsp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a one hour flight which makes it what, a 4 hour drive at most? Drive her there. Or pay an additional $100 and fly there with her. Or cal the airline and plead your case, they may be understanding and either give you the unaccompanied minor treatment for free or say she doesn’t need it.

$100? It's a $400 flight.

[Anonymous]

I'd look around at different airline options (if there are any options.) Not all airlines have that requirement. For example, Alaska and Southwest only require it for 12 and under (and have lower fees if you do use it.)

Can she delay he return flight until after her birthday so you only have to pay for 1 way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You can't, they check the age with the passport.

who does? And when?

TSA. When you arrive. She will need to show ID. They will see her age. Yes, if they can get $300 out of her they will.

It's not 1992.

So the TSA age is literally going to check her passport against her boarding pass and then make the mental calculation to realize that she is 14 years, 51 weeks old?

Really?

You don't need an ID to travel when you are under 18. "TSA does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the United States." And airlines only take your boarding pass when you board a plane.

Most people don't even have a passport. They just go by whatever date of birth you enter into the system when you book the flight.

OP just say he birthday is a month earlier when you book the ticket.

The full quotation is: "TSA does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling with a companion within the United States. The companion will need acceptable identification." If the minor is unaccompanied, I'm not sure the first part that you quoted applies.

[Anonymous]

Southwest:

Stop at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter. Here the child will receive a UM lanyard and you can obtain an escort pass, which is required to accompany the child through the security checkpoint. Be sure to have the following documents to complete the check-in process:

A copy of the child’s itinerary
Proof of the child’s age (birth certificate, etc.)
Your valid, government-issued ID (required to get an escort pass)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's American, you have to provide the birth certificate at the gate:

At check-in, parents / guardians will also need to provide:

A birth certificate or passport as proof of the child’s age
The adult’s government-issued photo ID with their current address
Your phone number so we can contact you
The name, address and phone number of the adult meeting your child at their destination

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/unaccompanied-minors.jsp

Agreed, the way that page is listed, this is required for ALL children under 17 traveling by themselves. Kids 15-17 don't have to pay for the "unaccompanied service", but still have to show documentation, and an adult has to accompany them to the gate, and have a nominated adult to pick them up at the other end. The adult picking up should arrive around 30 minutes before arrival- they have to go to the ticketing desk to get a pass to get through security to meet at the gate.

OP, I think the birth certificate requirement will get you and you will have to pay the fee. Of course its exorbitant, but that's just the way it is. Tough to swallow as an extra frustration under trying circumstances, I am sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's American, you have to provide the birth certificate at the gate:

At check-in, parents / guardians will also need to provide:

A birth certificate or passport as proof of the child’s age
The adult’s government-issued photo ID with their current address
Your phone number so we can contact you
The name, address and phone number of the adult meeting your child at their destination

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/unaccompanied-minors.jsp

That's if the child is an unaccompanied minor.

If a (truly) 15 year old is flying, none of that is needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't you need her birthday to book the ticket?

If so, you'd have to fudge it when you book the ticket with the airline, or I'd think the airline would flag the age at purchase.

If you fudge it at purchase, then her ID and her ticket will not match. This is not an ideal situation for your kid if she is stopped at TSA.

Since when is my birthday printed on my airline ticket? The OP could list any birthday