Children Flying Alone from Japan: JAL, ANA and Major Airlines Guide

Editorial note

Rules checked against airline sources: 28 September 2026

Airline approval is only one part of the journey. Passport, visa, immigration, parental-consent and destination-country requirements are separate. Always confirm both the airline's rules and the entry/transit rules that apply to the child's actual itinerary before paying for a non-refundable ticket.

A child flying alone is much more structured than many parents expect.

On airlines that offer an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) service, the child is normally registered in advance, checked in with a parent or guardian, handed over to airline staff, assisted through boarding, and released at the destination only to the adult named in the booking.

But the rules differ sharply by airline.

A five-year-old can travel alone on some ANA domestic flights, for example, while JAL does not allow a five-year-old to fly domestically without an accompanying passenger. On international routes, some airlines accept children from age five, Cathay Pacific starts at six, and connection rules vary even more.

The most important rule is therefore:

Do not book the child first and investigate the Unaccompanied Minor service later. Confirm the airline, operating carrier, route and child's age before buying the ticket.

Quick answer: how old does a child have to be to fly alone?

There is no universal minimum age.

Japan domestic flights: ANA vs JAL

ANA accepts children from age five on eligible Japan domestic flights under ANA Junior Pilot. JAL's domestic solo-travel service starts at age six. Both carriers make assistance optional for children aged 8–11.

That makes a practical difference for families arranging trips such as:

• - Tokyo–Sapporo
• - Tokyo–Osaka
• - Tokyo–Fukuoka
• - Tokyo–Okinawa

For a five-year-old traveling without a parent, ANA may be possible; JAL is not.

Flying alone on domestic flights in Japan

ANA Junior Pilot: Japan domestic flights

ANA Junior Pilot covers children aged 5–11 traveling without someone aged 12 or older.

Ages 5–7

The service is mandatory when the child travels alone.

Ages 8–11

The child may fly alone without using the assistance service. Parents can still request Junior Pilot if they want airport assistance.

Booking and preparation

ANA allows child-only domestic bookings to request Junior Pilot during the booking flow. Parents using the service must complete a consent and release form; ANA recommends preparing it before airport arrival.

ANA recommends arriving earlier than normal and checking in at the special-assistance counter. Self-service check-in machines cannot be used for Junior Pilot check-in.

What happens at the airport?

A parent or guardian accompanies the child through the departure process and can receive a gate pass to accompany the child to the boarding gate. ANA normally allows one accompanying adult through to the gate.

The child receives an ANA Junior Pilot identification holder and travel instruction card.

After arrival, the child waits for cabin crew rather than simply leaving with the other passengers. Airline staff escort the child to the arrivals area, where the designated receiving adult must show identification and sign for the child.

One detail parents often miss: kids' phones and trackers

Some children's phones continue transmitting location information even when they appear to be switched off. ANA specifically tells families to check the device and fully power it down when required for flight.

JAL Children Traveling Alone: Japan domestic flights

JAL's domestic age thresholds are slightly different.

Ages 6–7

If the child is traveling without someone aged 12 or older, JAL's assistance is mandatory.

Ages 8–11

A child can travel alone; assistance is available on request.

Age 5 and younger

The child cannot travel alone on JAL domestic flights.

Booking

JAL currently offers two routes for arranging the service.

If requested during an eligible website booking, parents register the details of the adults dropping off and receiving the child. Alternatively, after purchasing the ticket, the family can contact JAL's Special Assistance Desk.

For children aged 6–7, signed consent documentation is required at airport check-in. JAL asks families to use its Special Assistance Counter and to arrive with enough extra time; automated check-in kiosks cannot be used for this process.

At departure and arrival

A parent or guardian accompanies the child during check-in and can accompany the child toward the gate under JAL's assistance process.

JAL gives these children priority boarding. On arrival, a JAL staff member escorts the child to the designated meeting area rather than leaving the child to navigate the arrival lobby independently.

ANA or JAL for a domestic child-only trip?

For most families, the first filter is age rather than brand.

Age 5: ANA can accept the child under Junior Pilot on eligible flights; JAL does not accept a five-year-old traveling alone.

Age 6–7: both airlines provide mandatory assistance for solo travel.

Age 8–11: both airlines allow children to fly without the formal assistance service, although parents can still request it.

After that, compare:

• - the actual operating carrier;
• - departure and arrival airport;
• - nonstop availability;
• - flight time;
• - weather disruption risk;
• - whether the child has flown that route before.

For a child's first solo flight, a simple morning nonstop is generally easier to manage than a late flight or complex itinerary.

Flying internationally from Japan

International travel introduces another layer: airline rules, immigration rules and transit rules all have to work at the same time.

A child may be old enough for the airline's UM service and still lack a required visa, consent document or re-entry document.

ANA international Junior Pilot

On ordinary ANA international routes, Junior Pilot is for children aged 5–11 traveling alone.

The service applies to ANA-operated flights; codeshare flights follow the operating carrier's rules. ANA requires the service to be arranged through its international reservations process rather than treating it like a standard child-only online booking.

Children using ANA Junior Pilot on international flights are charged an applicable adult fare, rather than the normal child fare.

ANA has different age rules for Mexico City routes, so families using that itinerary should check the route-specific conditions separately.

For older children, ANA Airport Support may be available in specified age ranges even after mandatory Junior Pilot rules no longer apply.

JAL international

JAL accepts unaccompanied children aged 5–11 on eligible JAL Group-operated international flights.

Reservations must be made through the JAL Contact Center.

Unaccompanied children are not eligible for JAL's normal child fare; the applicable adult fare applies. Parents must also prepare JAL's required consent documentation.

At the destination, the receiving guardian must identify themselves and sign for the child.

JAL also warns that restrictions apply to connecting itineraries. Codeshare services follow the operating airline's procedures and conditions, not simply the JAL flight number printed on the ticket.

For ages 12–15, JAL has a separate Family Service in certain circumstances, but that should not be assumed to be the same general-purpose UM program available to younger children.

Major airline rules for children flying from Japan

The table below is a planning tool, not a substitute for final confirmation. Airlines can limit UM numbers on individual flights and may reject otherwise eligible travel when disruption is expected.

Cathay Pacific: Japan–Hong Kong and beyond

Cathay Pacific requires children aged 6 to under 12 traveling without an adult aged 18 or older to register as unaccompanied minors.

For ages 12 to under 18, the UM service is optional rather than mandatory.

Cathay also makes an important point that applies well beyond Hong Kong: destination-country regulations may impose additional documentation or restrictions even when the airline accepts the booking.

For Tokyo–Hong Kong travel, therefore, parents should check both Cathay's service and the child's Hong Kong entry documentation.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines treats a passenger aged 5 to under 18 traveling without an adult as an unaccompanied minor for service purposes.

The handling service is:

• - mandatory from 5 to under 12;
• - optional from 12 to under 18;
• - unavailable for children under five traveling alone.

One unusually important rule is that if the family chooses UM handling on an itinerary such as Tokyo–Singapore–Europe or Tokyo–Singapore–Australia, it applies to the whole journey, not only one selected sector.

That makes the connection structure especially important before booking.

Air China

Air China requires UM service for children aged 5 to under 12 traveling alone.

Travelers aged 12 to under 18 can request the service voluntarily.

Air China currently supports not only direct flights but certain Air China-operated connecting itineraries. Its mobile rules include same-day connections and some overnight connections subject to defined layover conditions. However, Air China does not treat interline travel with another airline the same way, so families should not assume a connection is eligible simply because it appears on one ticket.

The current application deadline is no later than 16:00 on the day before departure. International and regional UM service is currently listed at CNY 260 per flight segment.

China Eastern

China Eastern's service is significantly more restrictive for connections.

It accepts children aged 5 to under 12 under its UM program, but the published service applies only to nonstop flights operated by China Eastern or Shanghai Airlines carrying the relevant airline flight number.

Application deadlines are also important:

• - domestic: at least 48 hours before departure;
• - international/regional: at least 96 hours before departure.

A family considering Tokyo–Shanghai or Tokyo–other China Eastern destinations should therefore not wait until airport day to request the service.

China Southern

China Southern defines unaccompanied children as ages 5 to under 12, while a voluntary unaccompanied-teenager service exists for ages 12 through 18 under its stated conditions.

The major itinerary limitation is straightforward:

China Southern's published UM service applies to its own direct, non-stopover flights.

For international travel, the service should be requested at least 48 hours before departure.

This means a Tokyo–China itinerary with a domestic transfer inside China needs much more careful checking than a nonstop Tokyo–Guangzhou flight.

China Airlines

China Airlines is useful for families traveling between Japan and Taiwan.

Children aged 5–11 traveling without an adult aged 18 or older must use its UM arrangements. Applications should be made at least 72 hours before departure, excluding holidays.

An unusual cabin restriction applies:

• - Economy and Premium Economy: ages 5–11 accepted;
• - Business Class: only ages 8–11 accepted as unaccompanied minors.

That means buying a more expensive cabin does not automatically make the itinerary easier for a younger child.

EVA Air

EVA Air allows unaccompanied minors aged 5–12.

Parents must tell EVA at reservation time and complete UM documentation containing the departure and arrival contacts.

EVA also publishes a useful rule for connections: if a transfer or stopover exceeds four hours, parents may need to arrange an authorized adult to meet the child during the stopover and return the child for the onward journey.

In Business Class, EVA limits the number and age of unaccompanied children it accepts, so cabin choice should be confirmed before purchase.

American Airlines

American requires its Unaccompanied Minor service for children aged 5–14 traveling alone; ages 15–17 can use it optionally.

Age affects routing:

Ages 5–7

Only eligible nonstop or direct American-operated flights.

Ages 8–14

Some connecting itineraries are permitted, but connections are limited to specified hubs and operating conditions.

American currently charges US$150 each way plus applicable taxes for the UM service.

For international travel, American advises substantially more airport check-in time than a normal solo adult booking, and the adult dropping off the child must provide identification and complete the required paperwork.

American also explicitly warns parents that flight attendants have their normal cabin duties and cannot continuously monitor the child throughout the flight.

That is an important expectation to set with the child before departure.

Delta

Delta's UM program is mandatory for children aged 5–14 traveling alone and optional at ages 15–17.

Ages 5–7

Travel is limited to eligible nonstop flights.

Ages 8–14

Eligible nonstop and certain connecting itineraries are possible.

Delta currently charges US$150 each way, and one fee can cover up to four children traveling together under the program.

Delta allows UM connections only within specified operating-airline arrangements. It also restricts certain late-night and last-flight-of-the-day itineraries because disruption creates particular problems for children who cannot independently arrange overnight accommodation.

At departure, an adult remains responsible through the handover process and should stay until the aircraft has left the ground. At arrival, Delta checks the identity of the designated pickup person before releasing the child.

Nonstop, connecting and codeshare flights: the part parents should check first

For a child flying alone, the cheapest itinerary is not always the most workable itinerary.

Nonstop is the simplest option

For a first solo journey, a nonstop flight removes several failure points:

• - no transfer airport;
• - no missed connection;
• - no need to move between terminals;
• - no uncertainty about which airline is responsible during the transfer.

Many airline programs become more restrictive for younger children once a connection is involved.

“Direct” does not always mean nonstop

Some airlines use direct flight to describe a flight that may stop en route but keeps the same flight number and sometimes the same aircraft.

Check the actual itinerary rather than assuming "direct" means there is no intermediate stop.

Codeshare flight numbers can be misleading

A ticket might say:

JLxxxx operated by another airline

or:

NHxxxx operated by a partner.

For child-only travel, the important airline is usually the operating carrier.

JAL and ANA both tell passengers to check the operating carrier's rules on codeshare flights.

Separate tickets are particularly risky

Do not assume Airline A will escort a child to Airline B simply because both flights depart from the same airport.

An itinerary that requires:

• - collecting baggage;
• - clearing immigration;
• - changing terminals;
• - checking in again;
• - or transferring between unrelated airlines

may not qualify at all.

Get written confirmation before purchase.

How the Unaccompanied Minor service actually works

The details vary, but the journey usually follows this sequence.

1. Booking

Tell the airline that the passenger is a child traveling alone.

Do not book the child as though they were an ordinary adult passenger and plan to "add assistance later."

Airlines limit the number of UMs accepted on some flights.

2. Adult details are registered

The airline normally records:

• - parent/guardian contact;
• - adult bringing the child to the airport;
• - adult receiving the child;
• - phone numbers;
• - sometimes addresses and ID information.

The pickup person should not be changed casually on travel day.

3. Special airport check-in

UM passengers often cannot use the same self-service process as ordinary passengers.

The accompanying adult may need to:

• - show ID;
• - sign airline forms;
• - submit consent forms;
• - confirm the receiver's identity;
• - remain at the airport until departure.

4. Handover and boarding

Airline staff take responsibility for guiding the child through the controlled part of the departure process.

UM passengers are often boarded before general boarding, though operational circumstances can change the sequence.

5. During the flight

Cabin crew know that the child is traveling alone and provide appropriate assistance.

But this is not a one-to-one babysitting service.

Parents should choose this option only when the child can:

• - use the toilet independently;
• - follow crew instructions;
• - remain seated when instructed;
• - ask for help;
• - manage basic food and belongings;
• - understand what to do if the flight is delayed.

6. Arrival

The child should not simply walk out of the airport independently.

Airline staff escort them through the carrier's arrival process and release them to the registered receiving adult.

The receiving adult should bring valid identification and arrive early.

What documents does a child flying alone need?

There is no single universal "UM document pack."

Airline documents

Depending on the carrier:

• - UM application form;
• - parental consent/release;
• - sender details;
• - receiver details;
• - emergency contact information.

International travel documents

Depending on nationality and destination:

• - valid passport;
• - visa or travel authorization;
• - proof of onward or return travel if required;
• - residence/re-entry documents where applicable;
• - parental consent documentation where required;
• - destination-specific minor-travel documents.

The receiving adult

The airline normally needs the name of the receiving adult before departure.

That adult should travel to the airport with the same type of identification expected by the airline.

Airline acceptance does not equal immigration approval.

A booking agent saying "your child can use our Unaccompanied Minor service" answers an airline-operational question. It does not answer whether the child is legally permitted to enter or transit through the destination country.

A parent checklist for a child flying alone

Before booking

• ☐ Confirm the child's age on the actual travel date
• ☐ Check the operating carrier, not only the marketing flight number
• ☐ Prefer a nonstop itinerary where practical
• ☐ Confirm that UM spaces are available before buying a restrictive ticket
• ☐ Confirm the adult dropping off the child
• ☐ Confirm the adult collecting the child
• ☐ Check passport, visa, transit and minor-consent rules
• ☐ Ask what happens if the flight is cancelled or diverted

After booking

• ☐ Complete the airline's UM forms
• ☐ Save airline contact numbers
• ☐ Give the child a paper emergency-contact card
• ☐ Write the pickup person's name and phone number clearly
• ☐ Pack one simple carry-on the child can manage independently
• ☐ Put medication only where airline/security rules allow it
• ☐ Prepare simple entertainment and snacks if permitted
• ☐ Teach the child to ask only uniformed airline/airport staff for travel help
• ☐ Explain that plans may change during delays

On travel day

• ☐ Arrive earlier than for a normal flight
• ☐ Bring the sending adult's ID
• ☐ Ensure the pickup adult has valid ID
• ☐ Keep your phone switched on after handover
• ☐ Do not leave the airport until airline staff say you may leave
• ☐ Ask where the pickup adult must wait at the destination
• ☐ Ensure the receiving adult arrives well before landing

Should your child actually fly alone?

Being legally old enough is not the same as being ready.

A child is more likely to cope well when they can:

• - speak up when something is wrong;
• - understand basic airport and crew instructions;
• - manage the toilet alone;
• - keep track of a passport and small bag when asked;
• - tolerate a delay without panicking;
• - eat and drink independently;
• - stay with airline staff rather than following strangers;
• - remember who is collecting them.

For a child's first solo flight, the lowest-friction version is usually:

familiar airports + morning departure + nonstop flight + no tight schedule at the destination.

Once the child has successfully handled a simple trip, families can make a more informed decision about longer international journeys.

FAQ

Can a five-year-old fly alone in Japan?

On eligible ANA domestic flights, yes: a five-year-old traveling alone must use ANA Junior Pilot. JAL domestic flights do not accept five-year-olds traveling alone; JAL's service starts at age six.

Can a child fly alone from Tokyo to another country?

Yes, on many airlines, provided the child meets the airline's age and route rules and has all required travel documents. ANA and JAL both accept eligible children from age five on their international UM services.

Does an airline employee sit next to the child for the entire flight?

No. The service provides structured handover, airport assistance and crew awareness, but cabin crew still have responsibility for all passengers. American explicitly states that flight attendants cannot continuously monitor the child.

Is a connecting flight allowed?

Sometimes. It depends heavily on airline and age. China Eastern and China Southern publish much more restrictive rules centered on nonstop/direct services, while Air China and some US airlines accept specified types of connections.

Can two siblings travel together?

Often yes, but each airline has its own age, fee and service rules. Do not assume an older sibling automatically counts as an adult escort.

Can a 12-year-old travel alone without UM service?

On many airlines, yes, but not all rules are identical. Cathay, for example, makes its UM service optional from age 12, while U.S. airlines such as American and Delta keep mandatory UM service through age 14.

Can I use AirTag or a child's GPS tracker?

Check the airline and device rules before travel. ANA and JAL specifically warn that some children's devices can continue transmitting even when they appear to be powered down, and they require appropriate shutdown or airplane-mode handling.

What is the single most important booking rule?

Confirm the operating airline and exact itinerary before paying.

A child's UM eligibility can change because of:

• - age;
• - connection;
• - codeshare;
• - cabin;
• - operating airline;
• - destination;
• - expected weather/disruption.

Sources and verification

For this guide, I would make the article's source section unusually strong because airline rules are time-sensitive.

Primary sources used for this revision include:

Japan

• - ANA Junior Pilot — Japan domestic
• - ANA Junior Pilot — international
• - JAL Children Traveling Alone — domestic
• - JAL Children Traveling Alone — international
• - JAL Children Traveling Alone — Japanese
• - ANA — Travel documents for minors

Asia

• - Cathay Pacific Unaccompanied Minors
• - Singapore Airlines Unaccompanied Minors
• - Air China Unaccompanied Minor Service
• - China Eastern Unaccompanied Minors
• - China Southern Special Assistance for Children
• - China Airlines Unaccompanied Minors
• - EVA Air Unaccompanied Minors

United States

• - American Airlines Unaccompanied Minors
• - Delta Unaccompanied Minor Program

Sources last checked: 28 September 2026.