<p>Right classical, minor flying alone is very different from unaccompanied minor. Southwest also has unaccompanied minor fees, that include escorting the child from one gate to another and the child is released to a designated adult. A minor flying alone is just that, no extra fees are paid, however, if a minor is flying alone and a connection is canceled the child can not go to a hotel. I think Southwest was concerned because the other two folks on my daughter’s flight were given hotel vouchers. They could not do the same with her and did not want her in the airport all night. Her connecting flight departed at 9:25A.M and her late flight arrived at 9:35A.M. If they had known she was a minor flying alone, they would have held the connecting flight. </p>
<p>Despite my daughter’s last two flights on Southwest involving missed connections, they have been great. They are usually on time, we do not have to pay unaccompanied minor fees and they did ultimately get her where she needed to be on this last flight, even though it was more than six hours later than planned. </p>
<p>We have not used other airlines for my d because they required unaccompanied minor fees, so I don’t know what others policies would be.</p>