Please make arrangements to fly into The Portland International Airport (PDX) on the first day of your session between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Please book your departure out of PDX between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the last day of your session.
*Any flights on arrival day or departure day not between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. will be charged $75 per camper, per trip.
Each airline has different age requirements and additional fees for flying unaccompanied minors. Campers flying under the status of an UM will be met at their gate by a High Cascade staff member upon their arrival at PDX. If you are scheduling your child's flight as an UM, it is MANDATORY that you note this in your travel itinerary form as well as in the paper copy of your flight itinerary.
Campers NOT flying as UM will not be met at their gate by a High Cascade staff member. All campers not flying as UMs will be met outside the security gate by a High Cascade staff member and will be assisted with their baggage and checked in for their High Cascade shuttle at baggage claim #2. If a camper cannot locate a HCSC representative they should go to an airport paging telephone and page "A HIGH CASCADE CAMP REPRESENTATIVE" to wherever the camper is standing. They can also call the High Cascade office at 800.334.4272.
Please know that although each airline has specific age requirements for flying accompanied minors, you can still fly you child, regardless of their age, as an UM (with applicable fees). In addition to the added airline assistance, this also ensures your that child will be met by a High Cascade staff member at his or her gate.
EXAMPLE: If your 13 year old child is flying on United, (their required UM age is only 11) your child will not be met at their gate by a High Cascade staff member upon their arrival to PDX. However, if you request UM status for your child when purchasing your child’s airline ticket (and note it on his or her travel itinerary form, he or she will then be met by a High Cascade staff member at their gate).
Please look further into the airline of your choice as you get ready to purchase your ticket. Before purchasing your ticket, please be sure to visit the airline’s respective website for up-to-date unaccompanied minor information. You may find that if your child requires an UM ticket, you may not be able to purchase your ticket via the internet. Because each airline has different policies on booking UMs flights with layovers, last legs of the day, etc, booking on the internet may not be the best route.
For more airline specific in-depth unaccompanied minor information, Please click on the airline.
Airline |
UM Age Requirement |
| Alaska/Horizon Airlines | 12 and under |
| American Airlines | 14 and under |
| America West/US Airways | 14 and under |
| Continental | 14 and under |
| Delta Airlines | 14 and under |
| Frontier Airlines | 14 and under |
| JetBlue Airways | 12 and under |
| Northwest Airlines | 14 and under |
| Southwest Airlines | 11 and under |
| United Airlines | 11 and under |
When booking your flight, most airlines will require the name and contact information of the person picking up your child. We will not have that particular person’s name until closer to the start of summer camp; as a holder name, please give them the following information:
You may then call us the week before your child’s session (800.334.4272) and we will give you the name of the actual High Cascade staff member that will be meeting your child at his or her gate.
Please be sure to pay for your unaccompanied minor fees for both legs of your child’s trip. In a lot of cases, airlines do not make this easy for you; making it easy to overlook paying for your returning UM Fee. If you are unable to pay the fee prior to your child’s camp, you must arrange for your child to pay cash for his or her UM fee when they check-in at the airline counter on their departure day.
HCSC staff members are at the Portland International Airport (PDX) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on departure days. Campers will be shuttled to the airport by our trained High Cascade staff approximately three hours prior to their departure time. Upon departing the shuttle, campers will be met by High Cascade staff to assist with luggage and airline check-in procedures. Unaccompanied minors will be escorted to their gate by a High Cascade staff member.
Please note: Once checked in at the desk, campers NOT flying as unaccompanied minors will not be accompanied to their gate.