My younger sister is going to visit me later this summer. She will be coming out as an unaccompanied minor (parents can’t come bc of work/ expensive tickets) My parents want to know what they need to prepare. My sister also wants to know what it’ll be like to fly alone.
From doing a quick google search I know they need to (1) purchase the unaccompanied minor service. (2) my information (3) a letter saying that my sister will be under my guardianship
Please let me know and share your experiences ~
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I’m wanting information specifically about traveling to Japan.
For example, does Japanese immigration need proof that I’m her sister?
Things like that.
6 comments
This doesn’t really have anything to do with Japan, so don’t be surprised if this gets downvoted.
Perhaps there’s a travel subreddit to check out instead, or even better the airline that she’ll be flying on’s website. They will have all the information your parents will need.
Make sure she has a printed letter with your name, phone number and address that she can give or show to the immigration officials should they need or want to call you.
Check if your airline offers assistance for unaccompanied minors (most do, but iirc you have to notify them beforehand).
In my experience flying as a minor, I was boarded ahead of everyone with other kids who were flying alone and we were sat at the back of the plane where cabin attendants could easily check on us. When we landed we were the last ones to leave and we’d stay with cabin attendants until our guardians came to pick us up. This was years ago and not every airline does it the same way so make sure to read up on what your airline offers.
https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.dev/files/docs/Kids_Fly_Alone.pdf
Check with your airline, not their first rodeo. Make sure she has travel insurance. When I was the same age, my twin brother and I flew from east coast to Sydney, Australia, where our father had already moved. We stopped in LA to visit our aunt to break up the trip, went to Disney & other tourist stuff. When we checked in at LAX, we got bumped to 1st class. This was back in the day when the trans-pacific 747s operated with an upper deck that was a lounge, so we chilled there with the flight attendants, playing cards, eating tons of food and visited the cockpit. No flight has ever been as good.
Which airline are you using? 14 is often too old for the unaccompanied child service. For example on ANA and JAL it’s only available up to 11 years old.
https://www.jal.co.jp/jp/en/dom/support/smilesupport/kids.html
https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/guide/reservation/support/international/kids/