Booking a flight for a 17 year old

[Anonymous]

Can I use sites like Kayak or Orbitz to book a flight for a 17 year old travelling alone? I tried using kayak and the flights were through Alaska airlines and a message from Alaska airlines popped up and said you have to call airline directly to book a minor. I then tried orbitz but during my initial search critera it would not let me choose 0 adults, i had to choose 1 adult. Am I missing something or is this not possible through these travel deal sites? It's not an international flight if that matters. This is frustrating because my kid will be less than 2 months away from 18 when he travels. And I see some good deals on these sites I'd like to take advantage of.

[Anonymous]

Why don’t you just book directly from the airline websites? I really don’t think you’re getting any special deal from those other websites, they just help you compare prices.

[Anonymous]

Maybe I"m missing something but can't you just book him as an adult? He does have ID right?

[Anonymous]

Yeah, just book the kid as an adult.

[Anonymous]

She probably wants to book him as a kid because the fares are lower and there is less tax on a kids flight than an adult one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She probably wants to book him as a kid because the fares are lower and there is less tax on a kids flight than an adult one.

Maybe 30 years ago. I’ve never gotten a discount on a flight for a minor. Oh, and “bereavement fares” are not going to save any money anymore either. When my grandfather died the online Expedia booking was half the price of the bereavement fare the airline quoted on the phone.

[Anonymous]

OP. I'm not experienced with booking flights so wasn't sure how to handle this.

Found out you can't book minors on 3rd party sites so I just went to the airline and the pp was right, it was the exact same price. I still couldnt book online but when they called they told me to go ahead and do it online, fudge his age so he is 18, then call back and have them change it in the system. So that's what I did. Seems stupid, they should just let you do it online in the first place!

Sounds like it would be no big deal to just have booked him as an adult in the first place and left it alone but I wasn't sure how strict they would be with regards to checking ID's.

[Anonymous]

OP, here. Sorry, I should have proofread before I hit "Submit" but I think you guys can sort out what I am saying in above post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She probably wants to book him as a kid because the fares are lower and there is less tax on a kids flight than an adult one.

They are not lower when the kid is alone

[Anonymous]

Our kids are 13 and 14 and fly alone. Some airlines consider them unaccompanied minors (e.g., United) and some don't (e.g., Southwest). I just book direct through the airline's website. No "fudging of ages" needed.

[Anonymous]

Different airlines have different "minor" policies. Some allow young teens (if there is no connection), some require the teen be older etc.

I have ONE time gotten a slightly cheaper airfare for a child than an adult. "Child" rates do not exist anymore.

I almost always use Expedia and such to check flight prices and such but then usually book directly with the airline using their online options-- even for my teens. One time (using miles through a credit card), I had to book my teen as an adult and then call the airline after to change the age. It was not a problem.

[Anonymous]

Well child rates still existed for us in August when we flew internationally. I think you ladies need to smarten up. If the last time you flew was 30 years ago, you are way out of date.

[Anonymous]

I can't recall the last time I got a cheaper fare for my minor children- maybe 13 yrs ago when they were like 1 or 2, So curious, what domestic carriers offer this?
American doesn't.
We fly multiple times a year with our kids, last trip was in July.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don’t you just book directly from the airline websites? I really don’t think you’re getting any special deal from those other websites, they just help you compare prices.

You definitely do get better prices on those sites. I book lots of travel for work and have learned all of the tricks... compare prices to the actual airline sites, compare prices while in incognito mode, compare prices while running my VPN, etc.

Example, my VPN says I'm located on the west coast because that's where our main office is. I'm located in VA. If I'm booking a flight from VA to Vegas, I'll get much better prices turning on my VPN and booking than I do if I just book with my IP address hitting that I'm located in VA. In both cases, my flights originate in the same place - Dulles - but the VPN shows my location as being closer to the West so it's cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't recall the last time I got a cheaper fare for my minor children- maybe 13 yrs ago when they were like 1 or 2, So curious, what domestic carriers offer this?
American doesn't.
We fly multiple times a year with our kids, last trip was in July.

We just got one on Icelandair -- it was about 10% less than the adult fare, for our 3 and 5 year olds. I can't recall any US domestic airline giving us a discount for them.