Skip To Main Contents

Traveling as a Minor

Traveling as a Minor

(I) Accompanied Minors

1. Transport Requirements

Minors over the age of 2 but under the age of 12 on the day of their flight must be accompanied by an adult. The ticket fare class for both the minor and accompanying adult must be the same. Air China defines an adult as an individual aged 18 or over with full capacity for civil conduct. A request for the Unaccompanied Minor Service must be made if a minor independently purchases a passenger ticket for a particular fare class.



2. Applicable Fares

Child Ticket fares for minors traveling on domestic routes in China are priced at 50% of the standard adult ticket fare for the same flight or other ticket fares with different discount rates. Fares for international and regional tickets are set in accordance with the applicable terms of use.



3. Passenger Quotas

Each adult may serve as the accompanying passenger for no more than: Three minors under the age of 5, one infant and two minors under the age of 5, or one disabled minor.



4. Free Baggage Allowances

Minors traveling on Child Tickets purchased at the corresponding fare are entitled to the free baggage allowance as specified by the ticket fare class.



5. Seating Arrangements

We recommend that passengers book tickets in advance and check in via the Air China official website or app. Alternatively, passengers should arrive at the airport as early as possible on the day of their flight so that the minor and accompanying passenger can be seated together. When passengers are unable to select adjacent seats, we will do our best to arrange adjacent seating for you. However, we are unable to guarantee that adjacent seating can be arranged due to the limited number of these seats available.



(II) Unaccompanied Minors

1. Transport Requirements

Minors over the age of 5 but under the age of 12 on the day of their flight who are traveling alone are eligible for the Air China Unaccompanied Minor Service. Air China only accepts unaccompanied minors for whom all Unaccompanied Minor Service procedures have been completed.

For health and safety reasons, Air China is unable to accept Unaccompanied Minor Service requests for minors who are under the age of 5 on the day of their flight, or deaf/blind minors who are under the age of 16 on the day of their flight.

Unaccompanied minors over the age of 12 and under the age of 18 with no health conditions, and deaf/blind passengers over the age of 16 but under the age of 18 who are traveling alone may submit an Unaccompanied Minor Service request themselves.

The Air China Unaccompanied Minor Service is offered on flights operated by Air China with a flight number attached to Air China. This includes direct flights (domestic, international, regional) and transfer flights (transiting via Beijing, Chengdu or Shanghai Pudong). Sorry, Air China does not currently offer the Unaccompanied Minor Service on interline flights operated jointly by Air China and other airlines.



2. Service Details

Following a successful Unaccompanied Minor Service request, Air China will provide the unaccompanied minor with a wallet that can be used to store all travel documents, boarding passes, etc. Minors must travel with the valid travel document used to purchase their ticket and their Unaccompanied Minor Service Application Form. For convenience, these items can be stored in the wallet provided.

The dedicated Air China ground service team is here to assist unaccompanied minors at each stage of the boarding process, including during check-in, passing through customs and airport security checks and when checking in baggage. The ground service team will accompany unaccompanied minors while they wait for their flight and will ensure that all relevant documentation and vouchers are safely retained. Following boarding, the ground service team will hand over relevant documentation and care of the unaccompanied minor to the cabin crew. Cabin crew personnel are there to look after unaccompanied minors during the flight and ensure that they have a pleasant journey. If the scheduled flight is delayed, Air China will inform the parents and ensure that a member of staff is available to accompany the child during the delay. If the scheduled flight is canceled, Air China will contact parents in a timely manner to let them know they need to collect their child from the airport. Upon arrival at the destination, the Air China ground service team will collect the unaccompanied minor. The ground service team will then quickly and safely arrange pick-up for the minor after verifying the pick-up person’s details.



3. Applicable Fares

Charges for unaccompanied minors consist of the ticket fare and a service fee. For minors over the age of 5 and under the age of 12, Child Ticket fares on domestic routes in China are priced at 50% of the standard ticket fare for the same flight; different discount rates are available for other ticket fares. Fares for international and regional tickets are set in accordance with the applicable terms of use. Tickets for passengers aged 12 or older are priced at the applicable adult fare. Charges for the Unaccompanied Minor Service vary depending on the flight route. Please call 95583 for further details.



4. Request Deadlines

A. Air China direct ticket sales departments and designated authorized sales agents: For domestic routes in China (excluding: Hong Kong, China; Macau, China; Taiwan, China) please submit an Unaccompanied Minor Service request by 15:00 (inclusive) on the day prior to the scheduled flight departure. For international routes and routes departing from or arriving in Hong Kong (China), Macau (China) and Taiwan (China), please submit a request 48 hours (inclusive) before the scheduled flight departure.

B. Air China official website and Air China app: Please submit an Unaccompanied Minor Service request 48 hours (inclusive of departure date, CST) prior to the scheduled flight departure time.

Passengers who require this service can submit a service request through any of Air China’s direct ticket sales departments. And can also submit an Unaccompanied Minor Service request on our website.



5. Passenger Quotas

As Air China is responsible for all unaccompanied minors and is required to provide special services and care in order to ensure their safety throughout their journey, only a certain number of younger unaccompanied minors may be accepted per flight. Air China allows a maximum of five unaccompanied minors over the age of 5 and under the age of 8 per flight.