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British Airways increases the minimum age for children to fly on their own from 12 to 14

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British Airways is rolling out changes to the minimum age for travel for a child flying alone.

From bookings made after 1st May, a child must be 14 before it will be allowed to fly unaccompanied.  This compares to the current age of 12.

British Airways minimum age for child flying alone

In addition, any child aged under 16 MUST bring a completed parent / guardian consent form with them to the airport.  This rule applies to new bookings made after 1st May.

Unaccompanied children will be booked on adult tickets and must travel without a chaperone throughout the entire journey.  The ‘Skyflyer’ service which allocated chaperones to unaccompanied minors was scrapped by British Airways in 2016.

Full details of the changes are on this page of ba.com.


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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

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There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

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You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

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There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

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There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

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Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

Comments (72)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Mark Richards says:

    Regarding your article yesterday re: BA Club World Catering, did BA get in touch or do you offer them a chance to comment? Seems odd to me in some ways that they have not commented as at least they could put a spin on it!

  • Jonathan C says:

    To clarify on the point about under children under 16 needing a completed parent/guardian form – I assume this means for those who are unaccompanied?

    Not an issue like SA where you need all sorts of paperwork if only one parent is travelling etc?

  • simon says:

    I would recommend Emirates , they have a great service for Minors

    My son who is 15 will be shortly flying Norwegian Premium to Singapore alone

    Many children in Asia travel to the UK alone for School , and its those experiences that lead to brand loyalty and now BA lose out on generations of future customers.

    • Michael C says:

      I think the article is about youngsters travelling with NO service for minors?

  • Graeme says:

    OT. I’ve just got the Amex Platinum. How do I refer someone to BAPP card? I only get the option of referring to Platinum, PRG or the green Amex card via the link generated on the main home page after loggin in.

    Also, with the priority pass, when entering a lounge, do you show proof of ID or boarding pass with the card out of interest?

    • Brighton Belle says:

      Always boarding pass

    • Louie says:

      Won’t work if you have an adblocker on your browser.

    • mark2 says:

      You send an invitation for Platinum. They then select other cards>credit cards where they will find BAPP.

      • Graeme says:

        Thanks all, when I go via the link it defaults to the Platinum. Beside the Apply Now button there is a “View Other Cards” button which then scrolls down the page and only gives the options under the heading “Not the right Card for you? Take a look at our other Cards..” which shows the PRG and green card. I can also click on Business Cards which shows Gold and Platinum Business Cards but no BAPP or SPG for example.

        It may sort itself out soon hopefully.

        • mark2 says:

          between ‘Charge Cards’ and ‘Business’ cards is a link to ‘Credit Cards’ including BAPP, SPG, Nectar etc.

        • Graeme says:

          No Credit Cards option Mark2. I can’t reply to your comment directly for some reason. I’ll contact Amex and see why. It only updated this week so might no be fully operational IT wise.

        • KevMc says:

          @Graeme, you will need to turn off any adblockers, and/or try another browser

        • Graeme says:

          You were right Louie and KevMc. I tried via Chrome and credit cards now showing. Thanks everyone.

    • Other Graeme says:

      I’ve never had a problem handing over a PP with a different name on to my boarding pass (if that’s what you’re asking 😉 0.

      • Graeme says:

        No, not at all 😉 Just curious to what ID was required having not used one.

  • Yuff says:

    Are you trying on a mobile device as I had the same issue. I think there is a way to do it on an iPad but I think I used my desktop.
    From my desktop it was a lot easier.
    Priority pass is just the priority pass card and boarding pass. Used it yesterday at the escape lounge, at Stansted, and was very impressed with the lounge as it wasn’t the normal chaos there is in lounges these days.

  • Roger says:

    Tesco

    Do Tesco debit card payment via curve earn CC points?

    • Andrew M says:

      Yes. Effectively Tesco will see these as a purchase at a retailer named Curve.

      • Roger says:

        Thanks,

        Made some txn. last weekend, still no entry in my CC account.
        Do I earn CC point at the end of billing cycle, or does the point credit few days after hitting txn in bank account?

      • Andrew says:

        Do Curve ATM withdrawals linked to a Tesco debit card earn CC points as well?

        • Alex W says:

          Yes I tested it and you do get 1 Clubcard point per £8. I prefer to use IHG Premium though, 2 IHG points per £1.

  • Bill says:

    OT I am planning to book IOM-DUB-TFS using Avios for Aer Lingus flights. Is it cheaper to book on Avios.com or phone BA ?

  • Vasco Alves says:

    Off Topic, but please bear with me. If you get hotel status with the Amex Platinum, say SPG Gold. This would normally take you 10 stays or 25 nights. To then reach platinum status, do you only need the incremental 15 stays/25 nights, or the full 25 stays/50 nights this would otherwise require?

    • Scallder says:

      Full 25/50 I’m afraid. You get gold but you’re not gifted the stays/nights you need to get gold

    • Lee says:

      link to Marriott gold then platinum challenge only require 9 stays in 3 months

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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