For decades, airlines offered a variety of special fares aimed at different segments of travelers. One of the most intriguing—and now largely forgotten—were youth fares These tickets once allowed travelers under a certain age to fly at a steep discount. For young adults with little disposable income but plenty of wanderlust, they made travel possible. There was no strict definition for this category, but it could range anywhere from 12(as under 12 is a child), to 25.
Today, they’re almost extinct. So what happened to youth fares, and do any airlines still offer them?
A Brief History of Youth Fares
Back in the 1960s and 70s, airlines were still heavily regulated, and ticket prices were far less flexible than they are today. To fill empty seats, many carriers experimented with discounts for passengers who might not otherwise be able to fly. Youth fares became one of the most popular strategies.
In the U.S., major carriers like Eastern, TWA, and United offered special tickets for young people, sometimes called “student fares.” These weren’t limited to students; anyone under the cutoff age could buy them. In Europe, youth discounts were even more entrenched, often tied to programs like Eurail youth passes or university travel offices.
Why Youth Fares Disappeared
By the 1980s and 90s, deregulation and the rise of discount airlines made youth fares less relevant. Several factors contributed to their decline:
- Fare competition increased. As low-cost carriers emerged, the cheapest tickets on the market were often cheaper than traditional youth fares.
- Revenue management evolved. Airlines got much more sophisticated at pricing. Instead of broad age-based discounts, they could sell advance-purchase or off-peak fares that appealed to price-sensitive groups without limiting eligibility.
- Verification challenges. Enforcing age restrictions added complexity. Airlines had to check IDs and risk disputes at check-in.
- Shift to loyalty and credit cards. Instead of offering across-the-board youth fares, airlines began rewarding frequent flyers and premium credit card holders—groups that typically skew older.
By the early 2000s, most U.S. airlines had quietly phased them out. Other special fares like bereavement fares have also largely disappeared.
Are Youth Fares Still Around?
While youth fares have disappeared from the big U.S. carriers, a few airlines and programs globally still offer some form of discount:
- Air France and KLM offer discounted fares for travelers aged 12–24 through their youth programs.
- Lufthansa and some other European airlines occasionally market special youth tickets tied to age limits.
- StudentUniverse and similar agencies negotiate discounted fares for students and youth travelers, though these are often just rebadged consolidator or group fares.
In the U.S., however, there’s little left. Occasionally, niche programs or seasonal promotions pop up, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
Child and Infant Fares: A Different Story
It’s worth separating youth fares from child and infant fares, which still exist across many airlines. Infants under two can usually fly free (domestic U.S.) or for about 10% of the adult fare (international) on a parent’s lap. These are not the same as youth fares and continue to be widely offered. A smaller set of airlines still offer fares for children under 12.
Why Youth Fares Likely Won’t Return
In today’s airline landscape, youth fares are unlikely to make a comeback. Airlines can already attract budget-conscious travelers of all ages, not just young ones with:
- Basic Economy fares that strip out extras.
- Promotional deals and flash sales booked online.
- Low-cost carrier competition that keeps entry-level fares down.
The bottom line is that age-based fares have been replaced by behavior-based fares. Instead of “Are you under 25?” the real question is “Are you willing to fly at 6 a.m. on a Tuesday with no carry-on?”
Youth Fares: A Relic of Airline History
Youth fares were once a rite of passage for adventurous travelers. They opened the skies to a generation that otherwise might not have afforded a ticket. But with the rise of low-cost carriers, complex yield management, and modern fare segmentation, they’ve become a relic of the past.
Today, young flyers chase cheap tickets the same way everyone else does: by being flexible, booking strategically, and sometimes putting up with less comfort for a lower price.
