Can you buy a plane ticket for a minor online?

Question

We are from the USA and my son will be going to the Philippines this summer unaccompanied. He is only 17 years old so he is still a minor.

My question is can I buy him a plane ticket online? We wanted to buy one from Orbitz.com or another site that books plane tickets.

At Orbitz it has a little box for how many passenger that are 18 years old or older. When I put zero since he is not 18 or older it says I cannot buy a plane ticket for him since he is a minor traveling alone.

My friend told me to go ahead and buy the ticket for the adult but just put his name on it. Can I do that?

Answer 1

Yes, my parents did that for me when I was 16 when I went to Germany for Spring Break. You have to buy an adult ticket which is a little more expensive, but they will never check for proof of age at the airport or on the plane. They only ask for ID and Passport when he checks in, to varify that he is who he claims to be and that he can legally leave the country.

No worries. =D

Answer 2

Yes.  You might have to get the Unaccompanied minor program though.  Double check with your airline.  Below is information for Northwest.