American Airlines · American Airlines Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Children's Data Collection

Medium severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Rare · 2 of 325 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

American generally does not collect personal data from children under 13, but does collect travel and safety information about minors when required by law or necessary for their transport, and parents can request deletion by emailing privacy@aa.com.

This analysis describes what American Airlines's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

Because airline travel legally requires collection of certain personal data for minors, including passport and identification information, children's data is routinely processed even where general COPPA-style restrictions would otherwise apply.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

If you travel with a child or book travel for a minor, their personal information including identification and travel details will be collected and retained as required for transportation and legal compliance, and parents can request deletion of any data collected without consent.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Delete Your Data
    Email privacy@aa.com to request removal of a child's personal information that was collected without parental knowledge or consent. Include the child's name, relevant booking or account reference, and your relationship to the child.

How other platforms handle this

PlanetScale Medium

When you visit the Careers portion of our websites, we collect the information that you provide to us in connection with your job application. This includes but is not limited to business and personal contact information, professional credentials and skills, educational and work history and other in...

GOAT Medium

We may collect information about your location, including precise geolocation information, when you use our Services. We use this information to provide location-based services, such as showing you products available in your area, and for other purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Netflix Medium

You must be at least 18 years of age or older to subscribe to the Netflix service. Minors may only use the service under the supervision of an adult. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 unless provided by the account holder in connection with creating a Kids Profi...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
American does not knowingly collect personal information directly from children – persons under the age of 13, or another age if required by applicable law – other than when required to comply with the law or for safety and security reasons. Due to the nature of our Services, we may collect travel information, which may include personal information, about children when it is required to comply with the law, including federal aviation or security regulations, as otherwise required to provide transportation needs and services, or for safety or security reasons. If you are a parent or guardian of a child who has provided personal information without your knowledge and consent, you may request we remove this child's information by emailing us at privacy@aa.com.

— Excerpt from American Airlines's American Airlines Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: COPPA applies to online collection of personal information from children under 13 and requires verifiable parental consent prior to collection where American's services are directed at or knowingly collect data from children. The policy acknowledges a carve-out for legally required data collection, which aligns with COPPA's exception for collection necessary to protect child safety or comply with legal obligations. FTC is the primary COPPA enforcement authority. GDPR Article 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 in most EU member states, with lower thresholds permitted. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low to Medium. The policy's carve-out for legally required travel data collection for minors is consistent with COPPA's exemptions, but the breadth of travel data collected about children, including health information and biometric data in some contexts, warrants assessment of whether additional consent or notice requirements apply where data collection exceeds the minimum required for transportation. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU/EEA jurisdictions impose stricter age-based consent requirements under GDPR Article 8 and national implementing laws. California's CPRA and the California Age-Appropriate Design Code may impose additional requirements for services that are reasonably likely to be accessed by minors. The FTC's COPPA enforcement is the primary U.S. framework. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Third parties that process children's travel data, such as identity verification or government customs platforms, should be assessed for COPPA and GDPR age-specific compliance. Parental consent mechanisms for optional program enrollments such as AAdvantage junior memberships should be reviewed. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should confirm that data collected about minors in connection with travel is limited to what is legally required and does not include optional categories such as behavioral tracking or marketing profiling without explicit parental consent. The deletion request mechanism via email should be evaluated for accessibility and response time compliance.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC is the primary enforcement authority for COPPA, which governs collection of personal information from children under 13 in online contexts.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

EU AI Act
European Union
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
American Airlines Privacy Policy
Entity
American Airlines
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 8, 2026
Last verified
May 10, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-009474
Document ID
CA-D-00633
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
ffcf50bd28f0bd22ece8229587b13a3f47c6cdce4b633ef41e6215f8d38a7a2b
Analysis generated
May 8, 2026 08:12 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: American Airlines
Document: American Airlines Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-009474
Captured: 2026-05-08 08:12:57 UTC
SHA-256: ffcf50bd28f0bd22…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/american-airlines/american-airlines-privacy-policy/childrens-data-collection/
Accessed: May 13, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

Other risks in this policy

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does American Airlines's Children's Data Collection clause do?

Because airline travel legally requires collection of certain personal data for minors, including passport and identification information, children's data is routinely processed even where general COPPA-style restrictions would otherwise apply.

How does this clause affect you?

If you travel with a child or book travel for a minor, their personal information including identification and travel details will be collected and retained as required for transportation and legal compliance, and parents can request deletion of any data collected without consent.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 2 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with American Airlines?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by American Airlines.