How old do you have to be to fly alone on a plane?

In these circumstances, wondering how old a person must be to fly alone on a plane could be playing on your mind.

It’s a big journey for someone to take solo, especially for the first time.

There’s often a lot of discussion when it comes to knowing the right age for a person to fly without supervision, so we have put together a guide on what you should know.

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How old do you have to be to fly alone on a plane?

It appears each airline has its own rules when it comes to allowing or not allowing a child to fly without an adult accompanying them.

This also includes the documentation parents and carers need to provide, how flights are booked and what flights they can take.

However, in general the minimum age a child must be to fly alone is five years old.

Children from this age up to 12 years old can fly with a chaperone service if an airline provides this, reports the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The department says: “In some cases a member of staff will escort your child from check-in to the plane whereas for others a pass can be given to a parent so they can escort the child to security or even right through to the departure gate.

“Once onboard the service ensures the staff will take care of your child during the flight.

Every airline has different rules when it comes to allowing or not allowing a child to fly alone on a plane (Image: Getty)

“On arrival your child will be escorted to a parent or guardian waiting to collect them (ID will be required).”

When a child is 12 and older (in some cases 15), they can travel alone but an unaccompanied minor service can be available for an extra charge.

For example, British Airways says: “We allow children aged 14 or older to travel alone with us on domestic or international British Airways flights. Younger children must be accompanied by someone aged 16 or over on the same or a linked booking to travel with us. Our partner airline SUN-AIR of Scandinavia follow different guidelines.”

Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic requires the minimum age of a person permitted to travel alone with their company to be 14 years of age at the time of travel.

It explained: “We have recently updated our policies meaning we no longer accept children aged 13 or under travelling alone, or unaccompanied minors.”

Virgin Atlantic added: “If a young person is accompanied by someone who is aged 16 or over (on the same or a linked booking), Virgin Atlantic will allow them to travel.”

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How old does a baby have to be to fly on a plane?

There is no minimum age for when babies are legally allowed to travel on a plane.

According to National Childbirth Trust, it says: “Airlines set their own recommendations but, generally, most airlines require that babies are at least two weeks old before they travel.

"Some airlines allow seven-day-old infants on board."

The website continues to say: "The booking policy differs from one airline to another, so it is important to check directly with the airlines.”

It’s important to note the rules for a child to be allowed or not allowed to fly alone depends on each airline and you should check with the one you are using for specific information and policies.