Unaccompanied minors
More than 10,000 young travelers fly unaccompanied with Air Canada each year. And regardless of whether they're travelling on a short flight, or are embarking on a longer journey, our Unaccompanied Minor (UM) service ensures that children travelling alone receive the best of care, and are escorted by our highly-trained staff from the moment they arrive at airport check-in until they reach their destination.
Eligible flights
The Unaccompanied Minor (UM) service is available only on non-stop flights operated by:
- Air Canada
- Air Canada Express (flights operated by Jazz, Sky Regional, Air Georgian GX - Flight series 7350-7499, and Exploits Valley Air 8K - Flight series 7615-7649).
Age restrictions
| Under age 8 |
Not available
|
|
8 to 11 years (inclusively) |
Mandatory
|
| 12 to 17 years |
Optional
|
|
|
Medical restrictions
- A child with a medical condition cannot be accepted for travel as an unaccompanied minor without prior medical approval. Air Canada reserves the right to refuse carriage of an unaccompanied minor if medical clearance cannot be obtained. Contact Air Canada Reservations for more information on medical approval.
- A child who is blind or deaf, or who is severely allergic to peanuts/peanut products cannot travel unaccompanied.
Service fees and meals
A service fee of $100 CAD/USD each way per child per flight applies, regardless of fare selected.
If your child age 8 to 17 is travelling as an unaccompanied minor on a flight offering only OnBoard Caf service, the price of a meal or hot snack is included in the service fee charged for the special care of your child.
Complimentary non alcoholic beverages are always available on all our flights. And complimentary meal service is available for all passengers travelling in:- Executive and Executive First class,
- International Economy Class, except on flights to/from Sun and Caribbean locations (OnBoard Caf service is available on those flights).
Important: Air Canada flights and Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz have transitioned to credit card only cabins.
If onboard credit card payment is not an option for your child yet you'd like to obtain a meal or snack for them for their flight, you can pre-purchase convenient OnBoard Caf vouchers online at any time up to one (1) hour before your child's flight.
How to request the UM service
Contact Air Canada Reservations or your travel agent to let them know your child will be travelling alone. You will be given details about our special services and what procedures are involved when a child is travelling unaccompanied. Please remember to advise us if your child has a medical condition.
Seating:
If your child is travelling on an Air Canada flight, the call centre agent handling your child’s reservation will recommend that your child be seated in the last three rows of the aircraft, close to the cabin crew. This seating arrangement will allow members of the cabin crew to keep an eye on your child during the flight, and attend to his/her needs. This recommendation does not apply to Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz.
Preparing your child
- Carefully explain the details of the trip to your child in advance--this will make the experience less stressful for everyone.
- Make sure your child is well-rested.
- Ensure your child has a carry-on bag containing a snack and favorite item(s) in case of a delay.
- Make sure the parent/guardian meeting your child at their destination is aware of all flight details and the formalities of the UM service.
At the airport
When you arrive at the airport, head for the Air Canada counter to begin check-in formalities.- You will first be asked to provide identification for your child:
- For travel within Canada, children under 18 years of age must present a birth certificate, health card, passport or other government-issued identification.
- For flights to and from the United-States as well as international flights, a passport is required.
- You will then be asked to complete a "Request for Carriage" form, which is attached to an envelope bearing the letters "UM." The form contains:
- Your child's identification and flight number,
- The name(s) and contact information of the person(s) who will meet your child at his/her destination, and
- The authorizing signature of your child's parent or guardian.
Even after an Air Canada agent has taken your child into their care, you must remain at the airport until the flight has departed.
More FAQs
- The agent will provide your child with a UM lanyard (hang-tag) so that he/she may be easily identified by airport staff as an Unaccompanied Minor.
- The agent will accompany your child through the security check and proceed to the boarding gate area. In some airports, parents/guardians are permitted to escort their children to the departure gate. Please see the section below for more information, or refer to the local Airport Authority website.
- Once boarding is announced, your child will be escorted to the aircraft ahead of other passengers. S/he will be greeted by the In-flight Service Director who will guide your child to an assigned seat.
- Upon arrival at your child's destination, the In-flight Service Director will help your child disembark, and will hand them over to an airport agent. This agent will escort your child to the Arrivals section to meet the person designated on the UM envelope.
- The person meeting your child will be asked for photo identification, and will sign the UM envelope, accepting responsibility for the child.
- Where permitted, only one (1) parent or one (1) guardian may accompany the child to the gate. The parent or guardian may be required to fill out a "Passenger Escort Form," and show photo identification.
- If a parent or guardian is unable to escort the child, Air Canada will provide the escort.
Special rules for international flights and flights to the U.S.
Due to security regulations, the passenger escort service is not available for international flights and flights to the U.S. In this case, an Air Canada agent will escort the child to the gate.