---
title: "Unaccompanied minors at Miami International · MIA Airport Guide"
description: "Find the right MIA airline counter, gate handover and pickup steps for a child flying alone, plus what to confirm with other carriers."
url: "https://miaairportguide.com/guides/unaccompanied-minors-at-miami-international/"
updated: "2026-10-21"
airport: "MIA"
type: "guide"
---

> Independent guide, not the official MIA website. All pages: https://miaairportguide.com/llms.txt

# Unaccompanied minors at Miami International

Find the right MIA airline counter, gate handover and pickup steps for a child flying alone, plus what to confirm with other carriers.

Updated October 21, 2026

![A small wheeled suitcase and a lanyard pouch at a check-in counter](https://miaairportguide.com/images/mia/unaccompanied-minor-case-t-v3.webp)

At the check-in counter

Start at your child’s **airline ticket counter**, not an airport information desk. For American Airlines, that counter handles the forms and gate pass. You take the child to the departure gate, and the pickup adult collects them at the arrival gate after getting a pass from an American counter. MIA’s travel tips name no shared desk for children flying alone, so plan on your airline’s own handover.

## Find the right counter before you leave home

Use the airline on the child’s ticket to choose the desk. American’s listed counters are **001–113 in D/E**. See the [American Airlines listing](https://miaairportguide.com/airlines/american-airlines/) and follow the airport signs to its ticket counter. Our [terminal guide](https://miaairportguide.com/terminals/) shows how D and E fit together.

American requires its unaccompanied-minor service for children aged 5–14 traveling alone. It is optional for ages 15–17, but the service fee applies if you choose it. Children aged 5–7 can take nonstop flights only. American allows eligible older children to connect through MIA, subject to its flight restrictions. Book the service by phone with American before travel. The airline lists a $150 fee each way, plus applicable taxes, in addition to the ticket.

On another airline, the age limits, forms, escort arrangements and pickup point are that airline’s own, and MIA’s travel tips page doesn’t settle them. Confirm those details with the operating airline before travel, then use our [airline directory](https://miaairportguide.com/airlines/) to find its MIA counter. A private children’s ride or escort company is a separate service, not the airline’s check-in desk.

## Departing on American: counter, security, gate

- **Reach the American ticket counter at least two hours before scheduled departure.** The child cannot check in online or at a kiosk. Tell the agent the child is traveling under American’s unaccompanied-minor service.
- Complete the paperwork with the agent. Bring the child’s birth certificate or passport to prove age. The adult checking them in needs a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or another acceptable ID, such as a passport or US military ID. Give the agent your phone number and the pickup adult’s name, address and phone number. American also requires any necessary Customs and Immigration documents for the journey.
- **Take the security pass from the ticket agent.** It lets you escort the child to the gate. Check our [security page](https://miaairportguide.com/security/) for checkpoint locations and published hours, and allow time for screening.
- **Tell the gate agent you have an unaccompanied minor.** American boards the child early. Stay at the gate until the flight is airborne. The gate agent will tell you when you can leave, then you should tell the pickup adult the child is on the way.

American tells children using its service to **wait for a uniformed team member to walk them off the plane**. If the child needs help on board, they should ask a flight attendant. The crew cannot watch them continuously during the flight.

## Collecting a child arriving on American

Go to the **American Airlines ticket counter first**, even if the flight is about to land. American says the pickup adult needs a gate pass from that counter to meet the child at the gate, and the same ID rules apply as at drop-off. American recommends arriving at least two hours before the child’s scheduled arrival so you can get the pass and reach the gate.

At the gate, an American team member brings the child to the pickup adult. Show your ID and sign the release paperwork. The pickup adult is the person named in the unaccompanied-minor form, so make sure the name you gave at booking is the person who will be at MIA.

If you’re driving, plan for time inside the terminal instead of a quick curbside pickup. Our [Dolphin Garage page](https://miaairportguide.com/parking/dolphin/) covers parking near D/E. The [cell phone waiting lot](https://miaairportguide.com/parking/cell-phone-lot/) is for a driver waiting in a vehicle, so it does not replace the counter and gate visit.

## Connections, delays and missed handovers

For an American connection through MIA, the airline says its escort takes the child to the next gate. American also lists a supervised unaccompanied-minor lounge at MIA, but its policy does not give a public room location. Ask the American counter or gate agent about the child’s specific connection. The [Plane Fun children’s area](https://miaairportguide.com/amenities/family-kids/) near E5 is a separate airport amenity, not a handover desk.

Watch every flight in the child’s itinerary through American’s flight status page. If a delay or cancellation breaks a connection, American says it contacts the people on the form and arranges another American flight, so that call goes to the numbers you gave at check-in.

If the child doesn’t reach the gate you expected, the American gate agent can locate the escort. If you’re still before security, ask at the American ticket counter instead. Ask the agent to complete the identity check and release paperwork when the child arrives.

### Sources

- [Airlines at MIA](https://miaairportguide.com/airlines/), [American Airlines](https://miaairportguide.com/airlines/american-airlines/), [terminals](https://miaairportguide.com/terminals/), [security](https://miaairportguide.com/security/), [Dolphin Garage](https://miaairportguide.com/parking/dolphin/), [cell phone waiting lot](https://miaairportguide.com/parking/cell-phone-lot/) and [families and kids](https://miaairportguide.com/amenities/family-kids/)
- American Airlines unaccompanied minors policy
- MIA traveling with children and pets