Booking Award Travel for Nearly 16 Year Old on Air Canada
 

Air Canada (like other airlines) allows a 15 year old to travel alone. Our daughter has done it before and is capable of doing this without paying for the unaccompanied minor service. For a paid ticket it is possible to book directly on Air Canada just like it was last time. It is also possible to use United points for an Air Canada flights but not for a minor. United apparently doesn't realize that Air Canada has different rules from United. I want to use United Miles to fly her on Air Canada, United won't allow me to book it online and actually forces me to book a United flight and pay the fee. Clearly the only possible way around this is to call. Has anyone else tried to do this by phone and been successful? It's pretty obnoxious when on airline imposes its own rules for travel on another carrier when they don't apply on that carrier.

Just check "adult" when you book.

Nice try, I tried that already and it figures out what you are trying to do before you can finalize. The only way around it is to put in the wrong age and I'm not going to try that.

They must have changed the site. It used to work.

I would say it is a system limitation than "obnoxiousness". Imagine if they had to program and maintain every airlines' rule in the system. It is kind of hard to get around it by putting in fake DOB because of Secure Flight Data requirements.

Why? it has no real bearing on anything - there is no database they will check and say "you booked the ticket with the wrong birth year, you're not flying". Air Canada will handle check-in and they will do their own docs-check at that time.

Because I have this belief that it is wrong to lie. So I got it worked out by working with United. That would be my recommendation if you run into the same thing. Escalate if necessary.

And I believe UA just lowered its UM age to 14, starting 12/14.

Website still has 15, https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...s/default.aspx
Where have you seen the age change?

Same question here. It would be interesting if it's true because part of my getting this resolved involved bringing the discrepancy between United and other US based airlines to the attention of United leadership. That would be impressive if they took action that quickly!

Just use the wrong age—AC will fix any minor (e.g., not name) discrepancy at check-in, and even if they don't, the only thing TSA et al check is that name matches ID.

Thank you.

TA website had a release on it. It should become public soon.

Well wouldn't you know it, the page now says that UAM is required to age 14 instead of 15!