TORONTO (CP) - Air Canada will no longer let children fly alone on flights that involve stopovers and connectors, CBC's The National reported Wednesday.
Starting April 1, children aged five to 12 will only be allowed to travel by themselves on non-stop flights.
Children under age five have never been allowed to fly alone.
More than 45,000 children fly alone with Air Canada every year, many of them travelling during the March school break and the Christmas holidays.
A spokesperson for the airline told the CBC that the airline is changing its policy because the weather is so unpredictable during March break and Christmas.
As a result, flights are delayed, sometimes overnight, which is hard on children who fly solo.
The new policy is in line with WestJet's rules, the spokesperson said.
Before the policy change, children aged five to 11 were allowed to fly alone on all Air Canada flights, provided they registered with Air Canada's Unaccompanied Minors Program.
The program provides the children with an escort, usually a flight attendant or an Air Canada agent.
Passengers between the age of 12 and 17 who are flying alone have the option of signing up for the program, but it is not mandatory.
If they do choose to register for the program, they will also be restricted to non-stop flights under the new guidelines.
Under the new policy, Air Canada will charge $75 per trip for children flying in the unaccompanied children program.
The fee used to be $60.
The changes are not yet reflected on the airline's website.
(CBC)
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