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By Jim Douglas |
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April 17, 2010 -
On Friday, April 23, Southwest Airlines Customers will have the ability
to book Unaccompanied Minors (UMs) on their website. Currently,
Customers booking UM travel must complete their transaction and fill out
the necessary paperwork once they arrive at the airport.
Southwest will
soon offer this service via their website allowing passengers the added
convenience of entering their information online and giving them more
quality time to spend with their young travelers at the airport before
they depart.
"We continuously
evaluate our UM process to ensure that we deliver the best possible
service to our young Customers who are traveling alone," said Teresa
Laraba, Southwest's Senior Vice President of Customer Services. |
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"During a recent audit, we identified several opportunities, including
the creation of an online booking tool for UMs and an enhancement in the
Employee training that comes along with handling our young passengers
who are flying solo."
Children ages five through 11 traveling without an accompanying
Passenger age 12 or older must travel as Unaccompanied Minors (UMs) on
Southwest Airlines. Unaccompanied Minors may only travel on nonstop or
direct flights. The UM program does not permit direct or connecting
flights.
In addition to the new online booking feature, parents and guardians
should know that the UM service charge will go from $25 to $50 each way,
which is still among the lowest in the industry. Even with the increase
in service charge, Southwest will continue to absorb some of the cost
associated with the extra care necessary to safely transport
Unaccompanied Minors.
Last year, Southwest implemented a $25 each way service charge, in
addition to the fare or Rapid Rewards Award ticket, for Customers who
are traveling as an Unaccompanied Minor. The new Unaccompanied Minor
service charge will apply to tickets purchased on April 23, 2010, and
later. Children traveling on tickets booked before April 23 (even if
traveling after that date) will still pay $25 each way at a Southwest
ticket counter. |
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"The
increase in our UM service charge will help us cover the added costs
that come along with safely transporting our youngest travelers, while
still allowing us to maintain our competitive Low Fare advantage," said
Laraba.
After 38 years of
service, Southwest Airlines continues to differentiate itself from other
low fare carriers--offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer
Service. Southwest Airlines is the most productive airline in the sky
and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience, with all
leather seats, all Boeing 737 jets. |
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