Young Persons Travelling Alone

We know that sometimes a young person (14-16 years) will need to travel with Virgin Atlantic alone. It’s really important that both the customer and their parent / guardian understand our policies and what’s required of them. Health, safety and security always comes first.

On this page:

Our policy and mandatory requirements

• The minimum age of a person permitted to travel alone on Virgin Atlantic is 14 years of age at the time of travel. We have recently updated our policies meaning we no longer accept children aged 13 or under travelling alone, or unaccompanied minors.*
  
• 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.
• All young persons aged under 16 and travelling alone must have their parent or guardian completea consent form before travel, regardless of when the booking was made. The consent form is available here. A copy of the parent/guardian’s current passport (or other form of photographic identification showing a signature) must also be attached to this form and brought to the airport.
• If you would like to make a booking for a person under the age of 16 who is travelling on their own, please contact Virgin Atlantic directly to make the booking. Our partner airlines may have different regulations, age limits and charges.
• When travelling with children on the same flight but in a different cabin, the following criteria must be followed:
  
  • Children aged between 14 and the day before their 16 th birthday can travel in a different cabin on the same flight as an adult aged 16+.
  • Children aged under 14 must travel with an adult aged 16+ in the same cabin.

  *if a booking for a 12 - 13 year old travelling alone was made and ticketed on or before 24 November 2022, for future travel, we will honour this and support their travel plans. They must also have a completed consent form in order to travel. On and after 25 November 2022, we will not allow bookings for 12 - 13 year olds travelling alone.
  

  What to expect during the journey

  • A young person (14-16) travelling on their own will have the same responsibilities as an adult. This means they will need to be confident and competent in making their way through departure and arrival airports and boarding their flight(s) without a chaperone. While we maintain a duty of care for them when they fly with us, Virgin Atlantic cannot accept parental responsibility for the young person’s journey through the airport and onward destination.
  • The parent or guardian accompanying the young flyer to the airport is required to wait until their flight departs before leaving the terminal.
  • It’s very important that the young person does not leave the airport for any reason until they have reached their destination and met the designated adult collecting them, unless they’re accompanied by a Virgin Atlantic employee or uniformed police officer.
  • Young persons travelling along cannot check in online. They must come to the airport with a parent or legal guardian, where our airport team will check them in.
  • Young persons travelling alone will be met on arrival at the aircraft door by a Virgin Atlantic representative and escorted through Customs & Immigration at the following airports: • Barbados • Cape Town • New York JFK • Johannesburg • Montego Bay • Orlando • St Vincent • St Lucia

  What a young person travelling alone should bring

  • The parent / guardian should ensure that the young person carries with them at all times:
  • Any necessary travel documentation such as valid passport(s), visas and proof of return travel (as required).
  • A signed Virgin Atlantic consent form and copy of parent/guardian’s passport or other form of photographic identification showing a signature attached to the form.
  • Any required medication and/or health certificates (including COVID-19 documentation if the destination requires this).
  • The ability to communicate with their parent/guardian and/or the person collecting them at the destination (please ensure all phones/mobile devices are fully charged, with sufficient credit and roaming is activated).
  • The means of payment should it be necessary for any expenses en route – ideally a credit card.
    

  We will not be able to accept the young person if:

  • They aren't checked in by a parent or legal guardian
  • They won't be collected directly by a parent or guardian upon arrival
  • They will be connecting from or onto another flight. The journey must be ‘point to point’ without a transfer
  • They do not have a signed Virgin Atlantic consent form and copy of parent/guardian’s passport or other form of photographic identification showing a signature attached to the form.
  • There is required medication and/or health certificates which don’t have pre-clearance from our Special Assistance team.
  • They do not have the correct documents for travel.