Unaccompanied minors at Atlanta airport: Delta, American and United rules, and where the adult meets the child

At ATL the adult checks the child in at the airline’s ticket counter and gets a gate pass there. The adult walks the child to the gate, and whoever picks the child up needs a gate pass too. Delta, American and United all require their unaccompanied minor service for ages 5 to 14 and make it optional for 15 to 17. ATL’s security page says each airline issues gate passes at its own discretion.

How do Delta, American and United compare?

Each airline’s own page sets these rules, and none of them is ATL’s. The airport publishes no concourse for these three, so the airline tells you which gate the child leaves from.

Delta allows ages 5 to 7 on some nonstop flights only, and American allows them on nonstop flights only. Delta’s page names Atlanta among the cities with a Sky Zone, a children-only waiting area with phones and games, and doesn’t say where it is.

Alaska has an unaccompanied minor service page. Call Alaska at (800) 252-7522, the number ATL’s airlines page lists, before you book to ask about ages and fees. JetBlue’s ATL page lists the ticket counter as the drop-off and pick-up spot for unaccompanied minors and says to check there for gate pass availability.

The adult checks in at the ticket counter and goes to the gate

American, United, Alaska and JetBlue check in at the Domestic Terminal, and Delta checks in at the Domestic Terminal and at International Terminal departures.

1. Arrive early. American says at least 2 hours before departure, and United says 30 minutes earlier than its minimum check-in time. Delta gives no time on its page.
2. Check the child in at the ticket counter. American says a child traveling alone can’t check in online or at a kiosk, and United says kids check in at the airport ticket counter.
3. Bring the documents. American asks for a birth certificate or passport for the child’s age and a REAL ID-compliant license, passport or military ID for the adult. Delta asks for the adult’s photo ID and says digital ID isn’t accepted for a gate pass. Both also ask for the name, address and phone number of the adult meeting the child.
4. Take the gate pass through the checkpoint. ATL’s security page says passengers can reach all concourses and gates from any checkpoint, and our security page lists each. Delta and American both say the adult needs an ID that TSA accepts. ATL’s page says a traveler without one can pay $45 to try TSA ConfirmID, which takes 10 to 15 minutes on average and can take 30 or more.
5. Stay until the plane leaves the ground. Delta, American and United all ask the adult to wait, and each boards the child early. American also says to tell the gate agent you have an unaccompanied minor.

The child doesn’t need ID for TSA, ATL’s FAQ says, though TSA wants an acceptable ID from an unaccompanied minor using PreCheck.

Where does the adult meet the child on arrival?

Delta and American hand the child over at the arrival gate to an adult with a gate pass, and United does the same for domestic arrivals. American says to get the pass at its ticket counter. Delta says the pickup person will typically be issued one to collect the child at the gate, and that in some locations the pickup person is sent to the local Delta Baggage Service Office instead. The pass needs the same acceptable ID as the drop-off, and Delta says it won’t release a child to anyone but the named person.

• At Delta, report to the destination airport two hours before the scheduled arrival, show photo ID and sign. If someone other than the named person turns up, a Delta representative contacts the original adult to confirm.
• At American, arrive at least 2 hours before the child’s scheduled arrival to get the pass, then show ID and sign the paperwork when a team member brings the child.
• At United, be at the gate 30 minutes before arrival. If the child clears customs, you can meet them in the arrivals area instead.

For a child arriving from abroad at ATL, the airport’s FAQ says family and friends can wait in the International Terminal’s Arrivals hall for Atlanta-bound passengers on international flights at Concourses E and F. Our terminal page lists the gates on Concourses E and F.

What happens if a flight is delayed or canceled?

Delta says it rebooks the child on the next available departure, stays with the child until boarding, and keeps trying to reach the pickup person. American says it contacts the people on the form and arranges a different flight on American. Both say they arrange accommodations, meals and supervision if a child must stay overnight. American adds that it may not accept unaccompanied minors when weather is expected to disrupt flights in a city on the itinerary. United’s page says nothing about delays outside its FAQ list.

A 15 to 17-year-old can opt out

A teenager who opts out at Delta is expected to handle boarding, deplaning and connections alone. Delta says it issues a gate pass to the adult dropping off or picking up an opted-out teen. Its page also says it doesn’t issue one to the person picking up a 15 to 17-year-old unless the teen is enrolled. Ask Delta before you count on a pickup pass. American says an opted-out young adult is accommodated as an adult if a flight is delayed or canceled.

Sources

• Our airlines page, security page and terminal page
• Delta, American, United and Alaska on children traveling alone, JetBlue’s ATL page, ATL’s FAQ, airlines page and passenger security page, and TSA’s traveling with children page and identification page