It is necessary to send children to another city to rest with their grandmother, and parents are not allowed to leave work? Or does your daughter need to fly to England to go to college? Or maybe the child needs to be urgently sent for treatment to Israel?
No problem! Now most airlines around the world have such a service as the transportation of children unaccompanied by relatives.
For a successful trip, you need to know the rules for accompanying children on an airplane.
Who can use the service?
The service "Accompanying a child on an airplane" is mandatory for children 5-12 years old, and if desired, it can be ordered for teenagers up to 16-18 years old (depending on the company).
How to get the service?
The service "Accompanying a child on the plane" is ordered only by parents or guardians.
It is recommended to do this no later than 36 hours before the flight, as a certain amount is allocated for unaccompanied children on the airlinernumber of seats.
The service "Accompanying children on the plane" is not offered by all carriers. This must be clarified before buying tickets.
When buying or booking a ticket, you must immediately inform that the child will fly unaccompanied.
It is advisable to choose direct flights, without transfers.
Children will not be accepted for carriage if you need to transfer to another airport at the transfer point.
Service cost
The service "Accompanying a child on an airplane" is provided on a paid basis.
The cost depends on the following points:
- Places of buying an air ticket.
- Flight type (domestic or international).
- Flying ranges.
- The age of the minor passenger.
You can read about the cost of the service on the airline's website.
Ticket price for ordered escort service
Ticket for an unaccompanied minor is 100% adult fare (no discounts) and must be purchased in advance.
What documents are required?
The exact set of documents depends on whether the flight is domestic or international. May need:
- Birth certificate.
- Passport.
- Ticket.
- Consent from both parents for the travel of children under 18 accompanied by an airline representative indicating the country and dates (signed by a notary).
- Insurance policy.
- Visa.
- Recipe with extract from historydiseases if the child has medication with him.
At departure airport
Unaccompanied minors can only check in at the airport, so you need to arrive early.
Children must be accompanied by one of the parents or another "own" adult representative. The escort must carry photo identification to prove their identity.
An adult checks in a child for a flight, fills out special documents: an application and an accompanying sheet.
The application contains all the necessary information (selectively, depending on whether it is a domestic or international flight):
- Name of the child.
- Age.
- The language the child speaks.
- Country of residence.
- Name, address and phone number of the representative sending the child.
- Route.
- Departure day.
- Flight number.
- Name, address and telephone number of the representative meeting the child.
The accompanying sheet contains information about the representative of the airline and the stewardess - that is, about those who will accompany the child.
When flying unaccompanied children, luggage is accepted in accordance with applicable regulations. A special label must be attached to it, on which contact details are indicated.
It is desirable that the child takes a minimum of things with him to the salon.
Children are given a special bag with documents and the inscription "Unaccompanied child" and explained that it must not be lost,always have it with you.
Set of documents:
- Ticket.
- Boarding pass.
- Baggage receipt.
- Application for escort service.
- Cover sheet.
- Birth certificate.
- Passport.
At the airport, parents hand over their children to the airline representative indicated on the accompanying sheet. This employee goes through all the checks with each child. Then he escorts him to the plane and passes him from hand to hand to the flight attendant indicated on the accompanying sheet.
Parents must be at the airport until departure.
During flight
The child is put on the plane first, before other passengers board, in a convenient and safe place.
During the entire flight, the children are constantly looked after by flight attendants who undergo special training, where they are taught the rules of communication with children and how to solve all their problems.
The flight attendants escort them to the bathroom, answer all their questions and even entertain them (the airline usually gives each child a playset).
At arrival airport
After landing, the child is the last to be removed from the plane, and the flight attendant hands him over to the airline employee at the destination airport.
If the flight is with a transfer, then a representative of the company accompanies the children to the entrance to the airliner. While the transfer is expected, they will be offered soft drinks, juices, tea (already paid for when ordering the escort service).
The baby is undersupervision of a representative until the meeting person indicated in the application arrives (he must have a document confirming his identity with him), even if this person is late.
If he never arrived at the airport, then the airline staff will call the parents and do as they say (deliver the accompanied child to the specified address or send him home on the next flight). In this case, you will have to pay additional costs.
Accompanying a child. Aeroflot
- The service "Accompanying children on the plane" is available only on own flight.
- It is available to children from five to twelve years old, optional - and teenagers up to sixteen years old.
- The service of accompanying a child on an Aeroflot plane is paid: its price is 40 euros one way.
- When ordering the service, the ticket price is 100% of the fare, no discount.
- When buying and booking a ticket, you must inform that the child is flying alone.
- To receive the service, fill out a special application and an application for support.
- The accompanying person remains at the terminal until the departure of the airliner.
- Sheremetyevo Airport at Terminal D has rooms for unaccompanied children that are open 24 hours a day. Here the child can play on the computer and watch cartoons while waiting to board the flight.
- A child who needs special meals due to medical indications or other reasons, you can order it for free when buying a ticket, but no later than one and a half days before the flight.
- Byethe transfer is expected, children will be offered a refreshing drink, juices, tea (if the transfer time is up to 3 hours) and hot food (if the transfer is up to 6 hours). All this is paid when ordering the escort service, if transfers are provided (respectively, 5 and 20 euros).
What do those who used such a service as escorting children on an Aeroflot plane think? Feedback from people who have used this service is overwhelmingly positive, expressing gratitude to the airline staff for their attentive attitude to the child.
It is very convenient that a bag (or file) with documents is hung around the neck of children, where each representative of the company notes in the accompanying sheet: from whom he received the child, to whom he gave it.
It is noted that often an underage traveler from economy class is even transferred to business.
Accompanying a child on an Aeroflot plane is organized so that little passengers feel comfortable. During the entire flight, flight attendants constantly approach the children, asking if they want to drink or go to the toilet, if they are cold, if something hurts. If the child is bored, read a book to him or tell him stories.
The company usually gives gifts to children, such as a tin case containing crayons, stickers, coloring books, etc., which gives children an opportunity to play an exciting game - and flight time flies by!
The case that occurred in 2012 is widely known when two brothers flew unaccompanied from Moscow to New Yorknine and five years old. During the flight, the eldest of them had a severe stomach ache, the temperature rose - there was a suspicion of acute appendicitis. An unforeseen emergency landing was made in Reykjavik. Flight attendant Mikhail accompanied both brothers to the hospital, where the sick boy was carefully examined. Fortunately, everything worked out. The guys, accompanied by Mikhail, arrived in New York, where they were met by a tearful but smiling mother.
Sometimes people write that flight attendants during the entire flight do not pay attention to underage travelers, putting their work on the passengers sitting next to them. But there are very few such negative reviews.
Accompanying children on S7 aircraft (Siberia)
According to the agreement with Siberia Airlines JSC:
- You can order an escort service for children 5-12 years old, if desired - and teenagers under 16 years old.
- Only parents or guardians can purchase the service and ticket directly at the company's sales office or at the airport ticket office by filling out and signing a commitment statement.
- For international transportation, consent from both parents (guardians) for the child's travel (signed by a notary) is required.
- The service "Accompanying a child on the plane" is allowed on our own direct flights, as well as on flights operated jointly with the Globus company.
- Ticket price - 100% of the fare, no discount.
- The child is allocated a comfortable and safe seat on the plane.
- Baggage is carried free of charge according to weight limits.
Escortchildren on the Rossiya plane
This airline is one of the subsidiaries of the aviation holding - the Aeroflot group.
- The service "Accompanying children on the plane" is available only on own flight.
- It is available to children from five to twelve years old, optional - and teenagers up to sixteen years old.
- The service of accompanying a child on an airplane is paid. The cost can be found in the office or on the company's website.
- When ordering the service, the ticket price is 100% of the fare, no discount.
- When buying and booking a ticket, you must inform that the child is flying alone.
- To receive the service, fill out a special application and an application for support.
- The accompanying person remains at the terminal until the departure of the airliner.
- While the transfer is pending, children will be offered a refreshing drink, juice, tea or hot meal (depending on the length of their stay at the airport). All this is paid when ordering the escort service, if transfers are provided.
