Unaccompanied minors at Seattle airport: gate passes, Checkpoint 4 and where to meet

Start with the airline that holds the child’s ticket. It decides the ages, fees, paperwork and gate pass. Ask about the pass at its ticket counter on Level 5, before security. Once you have a pass and clear a checkpoint, you can reach any gate. The Port of Seattle says to arrange a pickup with the airline too, not with a SEA Visitor Pass.

What each airline says

Delta lets ages 5 to 7 fly some nonstop flights only, and ages 8 to 14 some nonstop and connecting flights. American puts ages 5 to 7 on nonstops only. It allows ages 8 to 14 on nonstops or connections through a list of hub cities, and Seattle isn’t on that list. Ask Alaska about your child’s route before booking.

If your child’s carrier isn’t in the table, find it in our SEA airlines directory and ask about its policy before booking.

Dropping off, step by step

1. Book by the airline’s rules. Delta asks the booking adult to provide a 4-digit PIN for itinerary changes.
2. Go to the ticket counter for the child’s paperwork. Alaska’s counter is near Door 29. Our Alaska guide covers its check-in points.
3. Bring the adult’s photo ID. Delta needs a physical ID to issue a gate pass and doesn’t accept a digital ID. American asks for a REAL ID-compliant license, a passport or a U.S. military ID, plus a birth certificate or passport for the child’s age.
4. Give the pickup adult’s details. Delta and American both ask for the name, address and phone number of the person meeting the child at the destination.
5. Take the gate pass through security.
6. Stay until the plane is in the air. Delta and American both ask the adult to stay at the gate until the flight leaves the ground, and United asks you to stay at the airport until takeoff.

The Port of Seattle notes that under-18s traveling within the U.S. don’t need ID under TSA rules. It says most airlines only need the boarding pass.

For airport directions, find a SEA information desk on the ticketing level between Checkpoints 4 and 5, before security. Another is on the baggage claim level in Gina Marie Lindsey Hall near Checkpoint 1, also before security. Past security, the A Concourse desk is between Gates A5 and A6.

Which checkpoint to use

Delta departs from A and B. American departs from D, and United from B. Alaska uses C, D and N. After security, take the Green Line train to N gates or the Blue Line to S gates.

When the airline’s pass doesn’t fit

The Port of Seattle says SEA Visitor Pass also gives you access past security at Checkpoint 4 if the airline’s gate pass policy doesn’t meet your needs. The Visitor Pass needs its own approval before you come.

Minors can use the pass too. Every participant needs a separate registration, but parents or guardians register minors without ID. Minors under 18 stay under escort, and one adult can escort up to five minors.

• Apply online the day of the visit or up to seven days ahead. Each person applies separately, and TSA approves each application.
• Bring the emailed QR code and a TSA-approved photo ID. The Port of Seattle’s Visitor Pass FAQ says a REAL ID is required.
• Use Checkpoint 4 only.
• The Port of Seattle limits the pass to 300 people a day, and you can’t pick a date once a day is full.
• The four-hour limit starts at your first screening. Leaving means screening again.
• Skip the fast lanes. PreCheck and CLEAR don’t work with the pass.

The Port of Seattle’s Visitor Pass FAQ gives two same-day approval estimates, 15 and 30 minutes, so apply well before you leave home. Delta doesn’t issue a gate pass to the pickup adult for a 15- to 17-year-old who isn’t enrolled in the program.

Parking and the curb

The free Cell Phone Lot has a 20-minute limit, and drivers must stay with their cars. If you’re walking to the gate, park in the garage. General Parking on Floors 1 to 3 and 5 to 8 costs $8.00 an hour and $37.00 a day. The Level 4 skybridges lead to the terminal, one level below ticketing. Our parking guide compares the garage options.

Meeting an arriving child

American and Delta both suggest reaching SEA 2 hours before the child’s scheduled arrival to get a gate pass and reach the gate. Delta names the person it will release the child to, and a change means calling Delta. Delta and American ask for a photo ID and a signature before they release the child. United asks you to show ID and sign a release form before leaving the airport with the child.

• Domestic arrivals without customs. United says to get a security pass at the ticket counter, go through security and meet the child at the arrival gate. Be at the gate 30 minutes before arrival.
• Arrivals that clear customs at Seattle. United says you can meet the child in the arrivals area once customs is done. The Port of Seattle says most international arrivals meet outside security at Baggage Claims level, in Gina Marie Lindsey Hall, at the south end near the international airlines.
• Arrivals from Dublin or Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. The Port of Seattle says these passengers were cleared before the flight, so you can meet them at their arrival gate.
• Flights that park away from the gate. For Gate D20, the Port of Seattle says to wait on the escalator landing down to the D Concourse train station, near Gate D2.

If you can’t get a gate pass, ask the airline where it will hand over the child. The public baggage-claim level is Level 3.

If the airline sends you to its baggage service office, our baggage claim page lists Delta at Claim 6, United at Claim 9, Alaska at Claim 14 and American at Claim 16.

When a flight goes wrong

If a delay or cancellation happens en route, Delta says its employees will rebook the child, stay with them until they board another flight and contact the pickup adult or emergency contact. If an American connection is missed because of a delay or cancellation, American says it will contact the people on the child’s form and arrange another American flight. Both airlines say an overnight stay comes with meals and supervision. American may decline unaccompanied minors when weather is expected to disrupt flights.

If a 15- to 17-year-old isn’t using American’s unaccompanied minor service and the flight is delayed or canceled, American says it will accommodate them as an adult customer. Delta expects a teenager outside its program to handle transfers alone. Delta tells the family to warn the teenager never to leave the airport unless a badged Delta employee or a uniformed police officer is with them.

If your child connects through Seattle on Delta, Delta lists Seattle among the airports with a children-only Sky Zone. American lists no unaccompanied minor lounge at Seattle. Delta’s Sky Zone staff let the child wait for the next flight and use a phone to call a parent.

For a wait of any length past security, an escort can use the Children’s Play Areas near Gates A1 and D25, a nursing room or a family restroom. A child who may need extra help can ask for a Sunflower lanyard at an information desk, where Pathfinders also answer questions.

Questions about the airport side go to SEA Customer Care at (206) 787-5388.

Sources

• Our security page and main terminal page
• Our parking guide, private vehicle page, baggage claim page and information desks page
• Our SEA airlines directory, Delta page, American page, Alaska page and Alaska guide
• Our pages on families and kids and visitor pass
• Delta’s Unaccompanied Minor Program
• American Airlines’ Children traveling alone
• United’s Unaccompanied minors
• Alaska Airlines’ Unaccompanied minor service