Qantas adds new fee for supervising unaccompanied children

Qantas adds new fee for supervising unaccompanied children
By admin


Unaccompanied children booked to fly on the national carrier from next month will now be forced to pay a new fee due to increasing supervision costs, according to Qantas.

Children aged between 5 to 11 and not travelling with a parent, guardian, nominated adult or sibling aged over 15, will pay $50 per booking on domestic and regional flights, and $90 on international flights for travel from November 3.

Children under 6 will not be allowed to travel alone on international flights over 6 hours and those between 12 to 15 can choose to travel as an unaccompanied child without incurring the new charges.

The fees are doubled if not pre-paid ahead of travel, and passengers will be expected to pay $100 per domestic booking and $180 for international flights at the airport.

The airline said the fees were a result of a rising number of unaccompanied children travelling, according to a report in the SMH.

"Qantas recognises the importance of providing children travelling alone with the highest levels of comfort and support," a spokeswoman said, as reported by the paper.

"Given the increasing demand for this extra support, and the increasing costs involved, we cannot continue to provide this service completely free of charge. This change brings Qantas in line with many of its domestic and international competitors."

Virgin Australia has already introduced charges for unaccompanied children between the ages of 5 to 11, with fees set at $40 per sector on domestic journeys and $60 per sector on short-haul international flights. Return bookings would incur higher fees than those set by Qantas, the paper reports.

Additional services outlined by Qantas to SMH for unaccompanied children travelling with the airline include administration at airports, immigration and security screening, onboard assistance and ground staff escort for connecting flights.

"The introduction of an Unaccompanied Minor Supervision Fee will assist in recovering some of the additional costs of the extra services and facilities provided for the comfort and safety of children travelling without a parent or guardian," the spokeswoman said, the paper reported.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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