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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, do you think the airlines haven't figured out how to catch people who try to lie about their kids' age to save money?


I am sure each airline has its own method of verification. There could be legal ramifications if they let a 13 yo on the flight without checking and the kid ends up without supervision.

I would hate for your grieving daughter to be put in a situation where the check-in agent has to question her and possibly not let her fly because of this. What a disaster that would be.

I have had kids fly UM 14 times, and not UM (southwest and 12/13/14 years old). I have literally never been asked for a birth certificate or any sort of verifying ID for any of them, ever, across 4 different airlines.

Presumably you have paid the fee, then, so no reason to check?

You actually think airport security rules are tied to checking if the fee was paid somehow or not? That is not how it works. The fact of the matter is that they do not check teens birthdates, nor do they require birth certificates or passports or any of the other nonsense people here have proposed.

Not talking about TSA - talking about check-in at the airline.

I do everything online and text my children their boarding passes in advance. I'm not sure what you mean? When do you envision this happening?

[Anonymous]

Brah. Just. Don't. Do. This.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, did they change the age guidelines due to Covid? My 12 year old flew unaccompanied a year ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, did they change the age guidelines due to Covid? My 12 year old flew unaccompanied a year ago.

This is an interesting point. I don't remember it being 15 before. It's a frustratingly old date. Especially because it's no consistent across airlines
and some airlines allow a 15 year old to function as the ADULT role for younger siblings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter needs to fly solo--one hour each way, direct fights.
The major carriers won't let her fly unaccompanied until age 15. There is a $300 fee for flying her as an unaccompanied minor (age 14 and under).

She'll be a week shy of her 15th birthday at the time of the flights.

Is there any way to lie about her age?
We could check her in and then she'd just have to present the boarding pass at the gate. Would they require an ID at the gate to get on the plane if she looks like a teenager?
She could have a passport to make it through security.

Any idea how this could work?
Is it a really bad idea?

She is an independent kid who takes the bus and Metro around town and has flown dozens of times. She could totally find her way through the process and would be allowed to a week later.

I'm just curious what the chances are that we would be caught if we just lied about her age. I.e. what the check-in process would be like

There are probably all kinds of ways the airline and TSA can find out your DC's age. I really wouldn't do this or put your DC in a bad position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter needs to fly solo--one hour each way, direct fights.
The major carriers won't let her fly unaccompanied until age 15. There is a $300 fee for flying her as an unaccompanied minor (age 14 and under).

She'll be a week shy of her 15th birthday at the time of the flights.

Is there any way to lie about her age?
We could check her in and then she'd just have to present the boarding pass at the gate. Would they require an ID at the gate to get on the plane if she looks like a teenager?
She could have a passport to make it through security.

Any idea how this could work?
Is it a really bad idea?

She is an independent kid who takes the bus and Metro around town and has flown dozens of times. She could totally find her way through the process and would be allowed to a week later.

I'm just curious what the chances are that we would be caught if we just lied about her age. I.e. what the check-in process would be like

There are probably all kinds of ways the airline and TSA can find out your DC's age. I really wouldn't do this or put your DC in a bad position.

You think? Like, a teen database that they have dedicated specialists to sleuth out kids ages? Interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, do you think the airlines haven't figured out how to catch people who try to lie about their kids' age to save money?


I am sure each airline has its own method of verification. There could be legal ramifications if they let a 13 yo on the flight without checking and the kid ends up without supervision.

I would hate for your grieving daughter to be put in a situation where the check-in agent has to question her and possibly not let her fly because of this. What a disaster that would be.

I have had kids fly UM 14 times, and not UM (southwest and 12/13/14 years old). I have literally never been asked for a birth certificate or any sort of verifying ID for any of them, ever, across 4 different airlines.

Presumably you have paid the fee, then, so no reason to check?

You actually think airport security rules are tied to checking if the fee was paid somehow or not? That is not how it works. The fact of the matter is that they do not check teens birthdates, nor do they require birth certificates or passports or any of the other nonsense people here have proposed.

Not talking about TSA - talking about check-in at the airline.

No need to check in unless you want to go to the gate with them. Mobile boarding pass.

Ok, but most of the websites say you can't do this and have to check-in in person. I mean would I trust a random on DCUM or the posted policy of the airline??

Children traveling alone can’t check in online or at the kiosk.

You’ll need to fill out an unaccompanied minor form and any necessary Customs and Immigration documents for the day of departure. This form must remain with your child during their journey.


Children traveling alone can’t check in online or at the kiosk.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/unaccompanied-minors.jsp#:~:text=Children%20traveling%20alone%20can't,your%20child%20during%20their%20journey.

I find it hard to believe that AA would just bypass this.

Unaccompanied minor and young traveler are COMPLETLY different things. Yes, unaccompanied minor you have to check in.

Young travelers (15+ or whatever age per airline) can fly totally alone. They do not have to check in if they have a mobile boarding pass. They can go to the gate alone if they want. AA isn't bypassing anything. Since you're so into airline rules, go back and reread and notice the difference between the two.

Don't believe me if you don't want to but that's how it works. DD flies every other month as a young traveler. DH drops her off curbside at one airport and I pick her up curbside at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, did they change the age guidelines due to Covid? My 12 year old flew unaccompanied a year ago.

This is an interesting point. I don't remember it being 15 before. It's a frustratingly old date. Especially because it's no consistent across airlines
and some airlines allow a 15 year old to function as the ADULT role for younger siblings.

Yep. Totally varies by airline.

[Anonymous]

My kid has flown twice in the last three weeks unaccompanied. He never had to show an ID. My boyfriend’s 17 year old daughter lost her drivers license while on a trip visiting a friend. She was able to fly home without an ID as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter needs to fly solo--one hour each way, direct fights.
The major carriers won't let her fly unaccompanied until age 15. There is a $300 fee for flying her as an unaccompanied minor (age 14 and under).

She'll be a week shy of her 15th birthday at the time of the flights.

Is there any way to lie about her age?
We could check her in and then she'd just have to present the boarding pass at the gate. Would they require an ID at the gate to get on the plane if she looks like a teenager?
She could have a passport to make it through security.

Any idea how this could work?
Is it a really bad idea?

She is an independent kid who takes the bus and Metro around town and has flown dozens of times. She could totally find her way through the process and would be allowed to a week later.

I'm just curious what the chances are that we would be caught if we just lied about her age. I.e. what the check-in process would be like

There are probably all kinds of ways the airline and TSA can find out your DC's age. I really wouldn't do this or put your DC in a bad position.

You think? Like, a teen database that they have dedicated specialists to sleuth out kids ages? Interesting.

My kid has lost his ID twice at college, and each time flew home without it. When you lose an ID and go through security, TSA asks you a bunch of questions to ascertain your identity. They had information about every time he'd flown, and asked questions like "Which year did you go to . . . ?" and "Where did you go for Spring Break?"

Given that OP's kid probably flies back and forth between these two cities regularly (guessing but it sounds like she's got a parent in each city), and has probably bought tickets on this airline for this kid with the same address, same name, and same credit card and the correct birthdate, it wouldn't surprise me if it raises a flag in the system to do it again with a different birthdate.

Whether the airline would act on the flag, or figure that if OP wanted to pretend her kid is 15 it's her problem, I don't know. But I do think that the airline has a data base of everyone who has flown with them in the past, and TSA has a data base too.

I'd look into whether she can fly with Southwest.

[Anonymous]

OP here.
It's not going to work because she has to fly American (it's the only airline with direct flights to this destination) and she's flown with them in the past. I can't imagine I can book a new ticket for the same name and same billing address but change the birth date without raising some sort of flag.

If it wasn't for this I would just have her change her birth date by a month for the booking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter needs to fly solo--one hour each way, direct fights.
The major carriers won't let her fly unaccompanied until age 15. There is a $300 fee for flying her as an unaccompanied minor (age 14 and under).

She'll be a week shy of her 15th birthday at the time of the flights.

Is there any way to lie about her age?
We could check her in and then she'd just have to present the boarding pass at the gate. Would they require an ID at the gate to get on the plane if she looks like a teenager?
She could have a passport to make it through security.

Any idea how this could work?
Is it a really bad idea?

She is an independent kid who takes the bus and Metro around town and has flown dozens of times. She could totally find her way through the process and would be allowed to a week later.

I'm just curious what the chances are that we would be caught if we just lied about her age. I.e. what the check-in process would be like

There are probably all kinds of ways the airline and TSA can find out your DC's age. I really wouldn't do this or put your DC in a bad position.

You think? Like, a teen database that they have dedicated specialists to sleuth out kids ages? Interesting.

My kid has lost his ID twice at college, and each time flew home without it. When you lose an ID and go through security, TSA asks you a bunch of questions to ascertain your identity. They had information about every time he'd flown, and asked questions like "Which year did you go to . . . ?" and "Where did you go for Spring Break?"

Given that OP's kid probably flies back and forth between these two cities regularly (guessing but it sounds like she's got a parent in each city), and has probably bought tickets on this airline for this kid with the same address, same name, and same credit card and the correct birthdate, it wouldn't surprise me if it raises a flag in the system to do it again with a different birthdate.

Whether the airline would act on the flag, or figure that if OP wanted to pretend her kid is 15 it's her problem, I don't know. But I do think that the airline has a data base of everyone who has flown with them in the past, and TSA has a data base too.

I'd look into whether she can fly with Southwest.

Presumably you recognize that your college student is an adult, so has to provide ID? You are aware of how this is completely different for a minor, right? And that the OP's question is about a minor, right? From the TSA's website:



Q: Do kids need IDs to fly?
A: Kids 18 and younger do not need an IDs to fly domestically. Passengers in that age range simply need a boarding pass. Children age two and under fly free on most airlines. Between the ages of two and 11, they are eligible for discounted child fare from a select few airlines. You may have to provide a birth certificate or passport, however, to confirm your child's age to an airline. While passengers two and younger can sit on an adult’s lap during the flight, if you want your kids to have their own seat, you must purchase a ticket for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
It's not going to work because she has to fly American (it's the only airline with direct flights to this destination) and she's flown with them in the past. I can't imagine I can book a new ticket for the same name and same billing address but change the birth date without raising some sort of flag.

If it wasn't for this I would just have her change her birth date by a month for the booking.

They’re unlikely to waive the fee, but it’s worth a try for you to call American and give the sob story to an agent to see if they can do it.

[Anonymous]

Ignore the nasty comments.

I’ve always understood the unaccompanied minor cost to ensure someone is there at the gate to make sure they get to their planes on time during layovers and is picked up by their parent at the end. I don’t believe it’s required. Maybe if they are really little, The fee would include have the stewards on the plane keep an eye out, but I don’t know. 14 is plenty old enough to do it by herself.

I wouldn’t lie about her age and I would also not pay the fee. I used to fly to see my other parent all the time when I was a teen, no fee and all was fine. Never questioned.

[Anonymous]

My kids have flown unaccompanied and have never had to show an ID.