| Link to information about Minor Traveler | UM Service Required | UM Service Available | Notes about Unaccompanied Minor Service |
|---|
| Alaska Airlines Policies for Minors | 5-12 Years Old | 13-17 Years Old | - Travelers enrolled in Alaska’s UM service may not fly on flights that depart between 9 PM and 5 AM
- Travelers enrolled in Alaska’ UM service may fly on itineraries that include connections to other Alaska flights that are not the last flight of the day to a destination
|
| American Airlines Policies for Minors | 5-14 Years Old | 15-17 Years Old | - Travelers between 5 and 7 years old may only fly on nonstop flights
- UM travelers may not fly on the last flight of the night
- Travelers between 8 and 14 years old may fly on itineraries that include connections to other American flights, provided that connection takes place at a specified American hub airport
|
| Delta Airlines Policies for Minors | 5-14 Years Old | 15-17 Years Old | - Travelers between 5 and 7 years old may only fly on nonstop flights
- Travelers between 8 and 14 years old may fly on itineraries that include connections to other Delta flights that are not the last flight of the day to a destination. These flights can not be on other partner airlines
- Travelers between 15 and 17 years old who are not enrolled in Delta’s UAM service must be able to show a valid, government-issued ID
- UM travel must be booked over the phone (1.800.325.8847)
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| JetBlue Policies for Minors | 5-13 Years Old | 14-17 Years Old | - Travelers enrolled in the UM service may only fly on nonstop flights
- UM service charges are automatically applied when booking flights for children younger than 14
|
| Southwest Policies for Minors | 5-11 Years Old | N/A | - Travelers enrolled in the UM service may not fly on an itinerary that involves a plane change
- Travelers 12 and above may not enroll in Southwest’s Unaccompanied Minor Program
|
| United Airlines Policies for Minors | 5-14 Years Old | 15-17 Years Old | - Travelers enrolled in the UM service may only fly on nonstop flights
- Travelers can enroll in the UM service online, when booking
|
How to get an Unaccompanied Minor booked on a flight
- If your child is flying as an Unaccompanied Minor (14 years or younger), you will need to add the Unaccompanied Minor service to your flight. This service differs between airlines but it often consists of an airline representative accompanying your child to ensure they get from point A to point B.
- To add this service to your child’s flight, you must call your specific airline and ask to add it to your reservation for both ways. It is typically $150-$200 both ways. The travel agencies are unable to add it to your account and you must work directly with the airline.
- The airline will ask for a contact person that will be picking them up from the airport, and at this time, give them your own contact information. Moondance will be in touch later in the spring with a specific Moondance representative’s contact information. Once we send this information out, you will need to call the airline and switch the contact person to the given Moondance representative.
- You as the parent should plan to walk with your child through security and you will wait with them at the gate until their plane is in the air. The airline representative will stay with the child during the flight and on any layovers. Upon arrival, the Moondance Leader will retrieve the child from their gate!
How to book flights on your own
- If you prefer to book on your own we highly encourage you to take a close look at the enrolled student pages with the travel information listed under “Flights”. Matching the dates and times of the flights is critical! Please contact the Moondance HQ office BEFORE booking if you have any questions.
- Once you have confirmed the correct date, time, flight number, and destination city we recommend using a software like Google Flights to search for flights that match our designated routes for international flights or fall within our windows for domestic flights.
- We have found that direct flights often incur the least amount of issues! If you are traveling from a smaller hometown, it may be worth it to drive to a larger city/airport to reduce the amount of connections your child has to make.
- We require all domestic layovers to be at least 2 hours, and all international layovers to be at least 3 hours. This is in an effort to alleviate issues that may arise from delays or cancellations. If you are booking a flight that has a shorter layover than above, please contact the Moondance HQ office BEFORE booking.
- If you can not find a flight in the designated window or the designated group flight does not work for you, please contact HQ and we will help find a solution that works for everyone!
How to book flights with Exito, Fly My Group, or Student Universe
Exito
To book with Exito, here is the link to the Exito Request Form. From there, you will enter in your information and select the trip that your child is attending. Be sure to request the correct session and time frame. After filling out this form, Exito will be in touch within 3-5 days via email regarding the best flights for your child.
Exito can be contacted at
Exito books travel for:
- Belize + Costa Rica
- Chamonix
- Croatia
- Ecuador + Galapagos
- Hawaiian Islands
- Kilimanjaro
- Kenya + Zanzibar
- Machu Picchu
- Mystery Trip
- Slovenia
- Spain + Morocco
- Thailand
Fly My Group
To book with Fly My Group, please follow this link and use the registration code “moondance24” and your contact information to begin the booking process. Once you confirm your email address you will be able to search for flights for your child. Please be sure to follow the requested time frames listed on the enrolled student information page on our website. After selecting a flight and entering in the required information, Fly My Group (also known as Flight Sugar) will be in touch if their is any additional information needed.
- Their software, Flight Sugar, operates like Google Flights. Families will be able to select the flights that they want.
Fly My Group can be contacted at:
- 866.374.5043
- 651.204.2490
- traveldesk@flightsugar.com
Fly My Group books travel for:
- Big Wild
- British Columbia
- Belize Spring Break
- Canyonlands
- Colorado Trail
- Maui
- Northern Lights
- Pacific Northwest
- Yosemite
Student Universe
To book with Student Universe, please follow this link and then fill out your child’s information along with the trip information. Enter your child’s name and date of birth. You can choose to enter your number and email or the student’s. Please enter the trip’s arrival and departure dates that are listed on the enrolled student page on our website. There is a section to enter special preferences. After submitting this information Student Universe will follow up with you through email in 3-5 days with flight options. Please utilize the parent’s email for requesting the fare as we find emails tend to get lost in student inboxes.
Student Universe can be contacted at:
Student Universe books travel for:
- Italian Dolomites
- Iceland
- Madeira
- South Africa + Mozambique
- Serengeti
- Fiji
What are the benefits of booking on the group Moondance flight?
- We try and get all of our students travelling internationally to fly on a specific route for multiple benefits! We have found that travelling with new friends can make travel day a more positive experience, and in the event that there are any flight issues there is strength in numbers. Additionally, students are able to sit next to each other on flights and in the airport!
- While we try and get leaders on first session outbound flights, and third session inbound flights, Moondance does not guarantee a leader on any flight.
If your child is not on a Moondance flight
- If you have chosen to take a route that is not the Moondance designated flight route (for international trips) you are agreeing to take on the additional risks that come with traveling alone internationally. Moondance can not guarantee or be held responsible for assistance if a child is stuck in a foreign city on an international layover.
- Once a ticket has been checked in it goes into “airport control” this means Moondance and the travel agencies are unable to rebook the ticket without speaking to the airline. This is why we so highly recommend standing in line at the counter as unfortunately most rebookings have to be done in person or directly with the airline over the phone.
What to do in the event of a cancellation or delay
In the event that your child is experiencing a cancellation or delayed flight there are a couple steps you can take to make the rebooking a smoother process. As a reminder, once the passenger has checked into their flight the ticket goes into “airport control”- the travel agent, nor Moondance Adventures, can make any changes without communicating directly with the airline. We have found that going to the counter in-person has the best outcome.
- Check the App: your airline may have already rebooked your child on the next available flight, or have multiple options for rebooking available. Please check the app and if already rebooked call the Moondance office to let us know the new itinerary.
- Go stand in line at the counter: the gate agents will be the most helpful to a person standing in front of them! We always suggest the child speak directly with an airline representative. They can always call Moondance HQ or the travel agency and have them on speaker phone to help make all of the decisions, but going in person to the counter will afford your student the most control over their ticket. If a group of Moondance students is all traveling together, we suggest standing as a group with one representative having Moondance on the phone to assist.
- Call the travel agency: all three travel agencies that we work with have agents waiting on stand-by to help you in the event of a travel crisis. It is important to note that once checked in, the travel agent will be unable to rebook your ticket as it is under the airport’s control. Only a gate agent will be able to rebook you. This is due to airline law. Our travel agents will be able to support you in making an informed decision about the best course of action moving forward and are a great resource for your child when things go awry.
- Call Moondance HQ: all of Moondance HQ staff is trained to help students in the airport to come up with a game plan. We will also let your child’s leaders know the updated plan and work with outfitters to organize on the ground transportation in the event that it is needed. Keeping Moondance HQ informed about what is happening is instrumental to the success of the travel day! We are on call 24/7 and happy to help.
The most important thing you can do is to remind your child to stay calm. Especially these days, travel can often come with bumps, but part of the Moondance experience is to learning how to navigate airports and travel disturbances. We are here to help! Our biggest tips are to keep a charged phone, keep Moondance informed, and empower your child to seek in-person help from the airline.
What to do before travel
Setting your child up for success in the airport requires preparation. Here is a checklist we recommend checking off before departing to the airport.
- Download the Airline’s App to the child and parent’s phones. Check in to the child’s flight and ensure they know where their ticket is located on their phone.
- Input the Moondance HQ, Moondance Leaders, and designated travel agency phone number’s into your child’s phone — that way, in the event something happens, they have all of the contact information they need!
- Make sure your child’s phone is completely charged- communication is the best way to ensure a smooth travel day! Please send them with a charger to keep their phone at full capacity.
- Pack your carry-on day pack accordingly
- Ensure that you have these items on your child just in case a bag is lost in transit
- Cell Phone + Cell Phone Charger
- Wallet with identification, at least $20 cash, and card
- Passport (if traveling internationally)
- All Medication labelled
- All Important Paperwork
- International Travel Authorization (if traveling internationally)
- Visas (if required)
- Outfitter Specific Documents we have requested to be printed out
- A change of clothes
- Your hiking shoes (we suggest wearing them on the plane)
- Your rain jacket
- Ensure your bag is not too large or heavy
- If your trip just allows for a carry on please confirm that it is not too large
- Arrive to the airport with plenty of time
- We recommend 3 hours early for domestic flights
- We recommend 4 hours early for UMs or for international flights
