According to the Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor policy, minors between 5 – 17 years can travel alone after purchasing the Unaccompanied Minor service. Under the service, Unaccompanied Minors will be looked after by the airline staff throughout the journey—such as service at the airport, onboard assistance, and assistance during flight connections. The Unaccompanied Minor Fee is indicated on the ticket.
Major Highlights of Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor Service
The major highlights of the Unaccompanied Minor services offered by Thai Airways are as follows:
- Children below 5 years of age are not permitted to travel alone on Thai Airways. They must be accompanied by a passenger who is at least 12 years old and physically and mentally capable of looking after the child.
- The Unaccompanied Minor service is:
- Mandatory for children between 5 and 11 years who are traveling alone
- Optional for children between 12 and 17 years old
- The Unaccompanied Minor service on Business and First Class is only available to children aged between 8 and 11 years.
- You, i.e., the Unaccompanied Minor’s parent/legal guardian must:
- Apply for the service by filling out the Handling Advice for Unaccompanied Minor, or the Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor Form, which includes, among other things, the child’s age, sex, and flight details, plus the name, address, and phone numbers of the escort at the airport of departure, stopover point (if any), and at the arrival airport.
- Consult with the other carrier regarding the age limit and regulations if the itinerary includes another carrier, as different regulations could apply.
- Ensure that all formalities have been completed, incl. visa formalities.
- Comply with additional documentation for some countries, including but not limited to the Philippines where Unaccompanied Minors of other nationalities traveling to the Philippines are required to obtain a waiver of exclusion from the Embassy of the Philippines Embassy.
- The Unaccompanied Minors service is not provided:
- On itineraries involving a transfer between Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang Airport.
- On flights involving an overnight stop, transfer, or stopover of more than 6 hours, unless the parent/legal guardian arranges for assistance at the transfer point.
- To children traveling with pets.
- To children with physical or mental disabilities
How to Book the Unaccompanied Minors Service
According to the Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor policy, you (i.e., the parent or legal guardian) must book the Unaccompanied Minor’s ticket at least 72 hours prior to the flight’s departure. When purchasing the ticket, you must indicate that the child will be travelling unaccompanied.
You can book the Unaccompanied Minors service in any of the following ways:
- By phone
- Through a call center in your city/country
- At a Thai Airways retail outlet
- At a Thai Airways airport ticket counter
- Through an authorized travel agent
When booking the ticket, you must ask for the Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor Form/Handling Advice for Unaccompanied Minor form (see below).
When filling out the form, you will need to provide the name, age, sex, and flight details of the Unaccompanied Minor. Aside from this, you must provide the names, addresses, and full contact details of the (a) person who will escort the minor to the airport, (b) the person who will assist the minor at the stopover point (if any), and (c) the person who will receive the minor at the destination airport. You (i.e., the Unaccompanied Minor’s parent/legal guardian) must sign the form at the time of booking the ticket and attach it to the ticket on the day of travel.
What to Do at the Departure Airport
It is mandatory for you (the parent/legal guardian) to:
- Accompany the child to the airport
- Present the completed forms at the airport check-in counter
- Wait for the child to be escorted by the ground staff to the pre-boarding area and then to the aircraft
- Remain at the airport until the flight has departed
Once on board, your child will be looked after by the crewmembers throughout the flight.
At the Destination Airport
After landing, your child will be:
- Escorted from the aircraft
- Taken through the arrival proceedings
- Escorted to the terminal
- Helped with baggage collection
- Handed over to the person designated by you to receive your child after checking the identity as provided in the child’s file
Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor Fee
On international routes, the Unaccompanied Minor fee is USD 60 per flight. However, you must pay the full adult fare. On domestic routes within Thailand, the Unaccompanied Minor fee is nil. You must, however, pay 75% of the normal C or Y fare.
Note: The Unaccompanied Minors service is not provided on 4-digit TG codeshare flights. If you’re travelling on such a flight, you must book directly with the codeshare airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you still have unanswered questions about the Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor policy, check out the FAQs below.
To travel as Unaccompanied Minors on Thai Airways, children must be 5 – 11 years old. The Unaccompanied Minor service is optional for children between 12 – 17 years. However, children below 5 years of age must travel with a passenger who is at least 12 years old and fully capable of looking after the child.
To travel on Business or First Class, your child must be between 8 – 11 years old.
When booking the Unaccompanied Minor service—by phone, through a sales outlet/ticket counter, or a travel agent—you must ask for the Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor Form, known as the Handling Advice for Unaccompanied Minor. It will be emailed to you or handed over physically, depending on how you ask.
Thai Airways does not provide Unaccompanied Minors service if:
1. Your child’s itinerary includes a transfer between Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi Airport.
2. Your child’s itinerary includes an overnight stop, transfer, or stopover exceeding 6 hours unless you’ve made arrangements at the transfer point.
3. Your child plans to travel with a pet.
4. Your child has a physical or mental disability
The Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor Waiver Form, or the Handling Advice for Unaccompanied Minor Form, is a form that must be filled out and submitted to Thai Airways by the parent or legal guardian of an unaccompanied minor travelling on Thai Airways.
The form contains the unaccompanied minor’s name, age, sex, and flight details of the outward and return flights (if any). Aside from this, the form will contain the name, address, and telephone numbers of the persons designated by the parent/legal guardian to:
1. Escort the minor to the departure airport, and
2. Assist the minor at the stopover point (if any), and receive the minor at the arrival airport
The baggage allowance for Unaccompanied Minors is the same as that for an adult passenger travelling on the same booking class.
The Thai Airways ticket cancellation policy for Unaccompanied Minors is the same as that for adult passengers.
The Thai Airways check-in policy for Unaccompanied Minors requires them to physically check in at the airport with an escort designated by the parent/legal guardian on the Thai Airways Unaccompanied Minor Form/Handling Advice for Unaccompanied Minor.