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

[Anonymous]

Rule breakers usually get away with it, so I'm sure s/he'll be fine.

But I would ask myself if it's worth teaching your child they can pick and choose which rules apply.

[Anonymous]

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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?

Oops,
Meant to type

So the TSA agent 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?

Dingus, you can't preprint boarding passes for minors traveling alone. I've gone through this a million times with my kids. Gotta go to the desk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Oops,
Meant to type

So the TSA agent 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?

Dingus, you can't preprint boarding passes for minors traveling alone. I've gone through this a million times with my kids. Gotta go to the desk.

Minors under 15, that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rule breakers usually get away with it, so I'm sure s/he'll be fine.

But I would ask myself if it's worth teaching your child they can pick and choose which rules apply.

OP is more interested in saving $300 than setting a good example.

[Anonymous]

I’d go with her to check in on my end and hope they don’t mention the fee. If they brought it up, I’d retell the sad story and hope they back down. If not have a credit card handy. Coming home, I’d let the other parent deal with it on their end during check in. I just don’t see them being hard pressed to force this issue with a almost 15 year old.

[Anonymous]

P.s. you could always call and say you noticed an error in her ticket DOB and fix it. I doubt they’d question you. You booked it on your phone and mistyped. It happens.

[Anonymous]

The airline will catch this when you book the ticket and charge you.

Source: happens with my mom flying my baby brother to visit me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d go with her to check in on my end and hope they don’t mention the fee. If they brought it up, I’d retell the sad story and hope they back down. If not have a credit card handy. Coming home, I’d let the other parent deal with it on their end during check in. I just don’t see them being hard pressed to force this issue with a almost 15 year old.

Airlines are all over fees. There's no way they're just going to ignore this. You're not getting out of the fee at the check in counter. Airlines makes their money on extra fees. Sob story won't cut it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

I didn’t say that kids need ID to fly, but kids do need to input a birthdate to fly. Someone scoffed at the idea that TSA has a data base of information on teenagers, and my post shows evidence that they do keep a data base of information on all passengers, including minors, as they asked my kid about flights taken many years earlier. In addition airlines have data bases on people who have flown in the past. It doesn’t seem impossible that an airline the kid has flown on before would flag that they have two passengers with the same first and last name, middle initial, and address and birthdays a few weeks apart.

It also doesn’t seem impossible they when OP scans her ID and gate pass to take her kid to the gate TSA will have access to birthdate and name of kids she has flown with before.

[Anonymous]

does entering the real birthdate automatically trigger this fee?

[Anonymous]

I would think if you buy the ticket with her accutate bday you will have to pay the fee---so you'd have to lie on the ticket. You may get away with that as my kids often don't have id checked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:does entering the real birthdate automatically trigger this fee?

I'm not the OP, but I once tried to buy a ticket for a child on a flight I was already booked on. Online, there was no way to do this. I had to call, and have them look up my reservation, confirm that I was already booked and add it that way. If I hadn't have been booked, I wouldn't have been able to book without making them an unacommpanied minor, and I assume paying the fee.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't try this. Not in this post 9/11 world. There's a slim chance you might get away with it.

But if they catch it. You're going to be tied up at the desk for a long time while they change the booking and charge you for the fee (also inconveniencing all the other people behind you). And you also stand to get a stern warning (or worse) from the supervisor for trying to game the system. Terrible example to set for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Fly southwest. Fees are based on birthdate entered when you purchase ticket. My dd has never been asked to show id but the tsa agent asked her what her birthday is. I also think it is unfair to be charged for a 14 year old unless you specifically request the service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rule breakers usually get away with it, so I'm sure s/he'll be fine.

But I would ask myself if it's worth teaching your child they can pick and choose which rules apply.

My kid would have no idea what I paid for the ticket or what fees were or were not involved.