Unaccompanied Minor Status Information

Depending upon the age of your student on the day of their flight (inbound or outbound) they may be designated as an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) by the airline. Some airlines define UMs as those under the age of 12 while others define UMs as those under the age of 15. The airlines designed these programs to help provide additional security to your student while they travel. If your student is originating from points outside of the US, this may not apply.

The following overviews your responsibilities should you find that your student is designated as a UM for any leg of their itinerary:

• Your child must take UM status if they are defined as such. It is mandatory based on age.
• You must pay for UM status for BOTH the outbound and return flights while checking in for the outbound leg. If your student becomes "of age" during the program then this will not apply for the return leg.
• You will need to provide the name and contact details of the Program Representative in the arrival airport during the check-in process. We will email this to you a few days prior to the program start date.
• You must ensure that the entire trip uses a single airline carrier on both the outbound and the return itineraries.
• You must confirm with the airlines that your student is not flying on the last flight of the day. Airlines will not take responsibility for an Unaccompanied Minor overnight.
• If joining a BVI program, understand we can only accept UMs flying to St. Thomas, this is because we will not have a staff representative in the San Juan airport.

If you have any questions regarding this status, please feel free to give our office a call at 1.800.317.6789 (+1.941.924.6789). In addition, your airline should be able to answer some questions on the specific regulations and requirements for that airline.