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Can my child travel by himself to International destinations?
Yes, this information is applicable to flights within the United States as well as worldwide. Please verify international documentation requirements for children with your local Continental Airlines Reservations office if your child is traveling to an international destination either with or without you.
Does the airline want any special information?
An airline requires the following information in order to accept an unaccompanied child for travel, and the best time to provide it is when you make your child's reservation:
- The name of the person bringing the child to the airport
- The home telephone number and address of this person
- The name of the person meeting the child
- The business and home telephone numbers and home address of this person.
When your child arrives at his destination, the person meeting the child is required to provide positive identification to ensure that they are the person indicated on the Young Traveler form that is attached to the ticket jacket.
What time should I be at the airport?
Allow for at least 30 minutes in addition to the airport processing times shown for your airport. The Airport Service Agent working your child's flight verifies the information in your child's reservation or places the information in the reservation if it's not already there. In addition, the agent completes a Young Traveler form which is paperwork that is attached to your child's ticket jacket.
You will receive a check-point pass which will permit you to pass through security with your child. It is then necessary for you to wait at the gate until the airplane departs. Please note that due to security restrictions at some airports you may not be permitted to enter the gate area. In such a case, your child will be escorted by a Continental representative.
Unaccompanied children are very special Continental Customers, and we invite them to board ahead of other Customers during priority or courtesy boarding. This extra few minutes on the aircraft prior to everyone else boarding provides the Flight Attendants with the opportunity to:
- Personally greet your child
- Introduce your child to the cockpit, time permitting
- Take your child to their seat and assist with carry on items
- Orient your child to the safety features of the aircraft
- Point out lavatory locations.
Can I go onboard with my child?
You'll be asked to say goodbye in the terminal area because the jetway and the aircraft are secured areas and access is restricted to ticketed customers only. A Continental employee will escort your child onboard and introduce them to the Flight Attendants. It's a good idea for a parent/guardian to stay at the airport in the immediate gate lobby area until the child's plane takes off.
My child is on medication; how is this handled?
Continental employees are not allowed to administer medication to a passenger. If your child has a condition that requires medication, please consult with your physician before making your reservations. They may feel that it would be best to postpone travel until medication is no longer needed and/or they may be able to recommend a different dosage for the day your child travels so that medication is not necessary during the travel period.
Does Continental allow children between 15-17 to have special supervision when traveling alone?
Effective Feb. 16, 2008, Continental will no longer offer Unaccompanied Minor service to children traveling alone who are between the ages 15-17.
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