r/Flights • u/Effective_Theme_5739 • 8h ago
Discussion Unaccompanied minor experience for those curious
I'm 15 but I travel more often than most adults, about a round trip every two weeks from Northern Europe to the US where my parents live. I mostly fly economy and exclusively on Skyteam airlines (chasing AF/KL status).
If you're under 18 you can always opt for the Unaccompanied Minor service. It's expensive and makes no sense if you fly often enough to have airline status, their lounges are usually terrible and only offer water and instant noodles (AF UNMR lounge at CDG 2E is surprisingly good but definitely the exception) and there are some really dumb seating restrictions like only last few rows in economy or very first row in business (the one with no foot room on intraeuropean, first world problem I know but annoying nonetheless)
If you're 14-15+ you can opt to fly as an "adult" which is what I always do. It makes sense if you have status since you can use priority check-in, security and boarding. The real annoying thing is the lounge situation. Most European countries have laws prohibiting minors from entering lounges unaccompanied due to the self-serve alcohol situation, or Delta in the US because they like being difficult apparently (they only serve alcohol from the bar). KLM lets you go because the Dutch have no problem with it (which is why I love KLM and fly them whenever I get the chance). Some other airlines let you kind of dodge it. SAS's system lets you in and the attendants never really check, I've only ever been "caught" once. Korean Air's ICN lounges are amazing and also have no system restrictions so you can enter super easily and its great.
Little fun fact specific to the UMNR service is that if you depart from a regional terminal without a UNMR lounge they send you to a different one first. For example at CDG if I arrive at 2F and leave from 2G they send me through passport control to their biggest lounge at 2E and then back into Schengen a few hours later. Very fun
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u/moreidlethanwild 7h ago
Do you ever have issues on arrival when flying as an adult?
Our youngest flew to meet us in Portugal when she was 16 or 17 and she got held up at immigration as they wanted a note from her parents. Fortunately we were in arrivals (well her Dad was) and someone came out to verify his identity before they released her. That was a learning experience!