Arrange a young person’s solo flight from handover to collection

Check the service offered by the actual carrier

British Airways publishes rules for young people travelling alone, while Air France has a Kids Solo service with its own booking arrangements. These are different products and should not be treated as equivalent supervision. Read the operating airline’s full instructions for the traveller’s age and the actual itinerary.

Check whether connections, partner-operated flights or particular departure times are accepted. Ask how the booking must be made and whether service capacity needs separate confirmation. Air France notes that its Kids Solo service may be unavailable on a flight even when a ticket search is possible. Avoid buying an ordinary ticket and assuming the required support can always be added later.

Prepare the documents and named adults

Follow the airline’s process for consent forms, travel documents and identification for the adults delivering and collecting the young person. Check destination entry requirements independently. Record names and contact details accurately, and clarify how a change of collecting adult would be authorised. Do not substitute another person informally at the last minute.

Keep the required originals accessible in a small document pouch and make sure the young person knows which items must remain with them. Explain when staff may ask to see the documents. Store a backup contact list separately from the main phone so a flat battery does not remove every way to reach the adults responsible for the journey.

Rehearse the actual airport sequence

Explain where check-in happens, who takes over where the service provides supervision, and what the young person should do if unsure. Follow the airline’s rule for how long the delivering adult must remain at the airport. Avoid treating the moment of security entry as the end of that responsibility unless the carrier explicitly says so.

Pack manageable luggage and a small set of familiar activities and essentials. Check that the young person can find the boarding information and contact list without emptying the bag. Agree that they will follow the airline staff’s directions and use the identified support route if the plan changes. Do not make independent terminal exploration part of a journey whose supervision arrangements have been carefully defined.

Practise finding the contact numbers and explaining the destination address in the format the young person will carry. Keep the exercise simple and focused on asking official staff for help when needed, rather than expecting them to resolve complicated rebooking decisions independently.

Plan arrival and disruption before departure

Air France’s arrival guidance describes handing the child through its arrival process to the collecting person. Use the equivalent instructions for the booked service and ensure the collector reaches the correct terminal with the required identification. Give that person the flight details, reference and support contact, not only the scheduled arrival time.

Ask the airline what happens during cancellation, diversion or an overnight delay for that age and service. Keep the responsible adults reachable until the handover is complete. If the flight or collector changes, use the formal update process and retain confirmation. A document pouch can organise the records, but the essential preparation is a complete, authorised chain of responsibility that remains clear when the timetable changes.

Your next steps

• Confirm age eligibility and the actual supervision service.
• Complete forms and identify delivering and collecting adults.
• Rehearse the airport process and keep contacts accessible.
• Check the airline’s disruption and changed-collector procedures.

Keep planning

• Plan a private airport drop-off and collection
• Compare a through connection with separate flight tickets
• Check passport details before booking a flight
• Keep travel plans aligned when a flight time changes