Flying on a plane with a child in questions and answers

At what age can children fly

There are no age restrictions on the flight of children, including you can safely take on board a child under the age of one year and infants. However, many airlines do not take children younger than seven days on board for medical reasons, unless it is an emergency.

Usually children without any health problems calmly endure air travel, except that they feel discomfort and stuffy ears. But adults should prepare children for this, especially if this is the first flight, and they are afraid. It should be explained that the plane is safe and very interesting, and in no case do not give a hint of fear and panic, otherwise they will feel it and will also be afraid. Subsequently, to overcome the fear of flight will be much more difficult.

How much do air tickets cost for children

All airlines in the world divide children into these categories:

• Children under 2 years old (inclusive)
• Children from 3 years (inclusive) to 12 years (inclusive).

Children under 2 years of age on domestic flights can fly completely free of charge, if they do not occupy a separate seat. If this is an international flight, then depending on the airline, a significant discount is provided, usually 90% of the cost of an adult ticket.

For children from 3 to 12 years old, the ticket price is usually 50-70%.

For children over 12 years old, no discounts are provided, the ticket is paid as an adult.

Flight of unaccompanied children

Sometimes there is a situation when it is necessary to send a child on a flight independently, i.e. unaccompanied by parents. It is possible to do this, and such a procedure is provided by airlines, and it is free. Rather, conditionally free, since you do not have to pay anything extra, but you will need to pay for the ticket as an adult.

To send a child yourself, you will have to buy a ticket at the airline's office, but this cannot be done via the internet (see below how to purchase a ticket for a child). When the ticket is purchased, one of the parents or guardians will have to hand over the child at the airport to the airline staff along with all the documents. Most airports even provide special waiting rooms for children with games and entertainment. On board, children are also provided with baby food and gifts.

Upon arrival, the child is transferred to the receiving party, i.e. another parent or guardian. In this case, the person on the receiving side is determined in advance when buying a ticket, and can not be replaced.

What documents are needed for the flight of children

For a flight inside Russia, children do not need any special documents other than identity documents, boarding the flight is carried out on a birth certificate or passport, if any. The existing misconception that for a flight to Russia with children you need permission from another parent is completely wrong.

If you are planning a flight abroad, it is mandatory for children to make a new type of passport, or enter children in an old-style passport, if you have one. A new type of passport is made even for the youngest infants.

But there is one more condition: if the child is traveling with relatives or guardians, you need a notarized power of attorney from the parents. And no persuasion will help, the child simply will not be released outside the Russian Federation. It is very easy to issue a power of attorney from any notary, for registration you will need to pay a fee of 1200 rubles.

How to buy a ticket for a child

Buying a ticket for a flight with the whole family of children and adults is not difficult. But it is almost impossible to buy a ticket separately for a child via the Internet, whether it is an airline website or a flight search engine. And there is a logical explanation. Airlines are not ready to take responsibility for transporting an unaccompanied child without specially issued documents. Therefore, such tickets are not sold remotely via the Internet. But this question is solved:

• If you need to buy a ticket for a child in addition to previously purchased tickets for adults

  If your plans have changed, and children unexpectedly joined the journey of adults, then you can buy tickets, including paying for them via the Internet. But to do this in a classic way on the site of a search engine or airline will not work.

  To do this, you will have to contact the ticket seller from whom you bought the tickets, or directly with the airline. This is done by calling the support service or using the feedback forms on the site. Tickets will be specially issued for you, and they will be attached to those previously purchased for adults, and you can also pay for them via the Internet using the link sent or in another way, but this already depends on the specific seller or airline. Please note that the seller is not a flight search site such as Aviasales, for example, and sites where you directly issue or pay for tickets after switching to them from search engines.

• If you need to buy a ticket for a child for a flight without an adult

  The procedure for flying a child unaccompanied by adults is provided by airlines. Airlines accept the child from the transmitting party, accompany and deliver it to the receiving party, but for this all necessary data, including the receiving party, must be documented. But most often such a ticket will be paid as an adult, i.e. at full cost without a discount.

  It is impossible to buy such tickets via the Internet, for this you will have to visit the airline's office and issue the necessary documents there. Addresses of airline representative offices can be found on their websites. To do this, first you can search for air tickets through the classic search engine to find the most convenient option and the lowest prices, and determine the airline. And then go to the airline's website and look for the addresses of representative offices there.

  Both the receiving party (i.e. the parent or guardian to whom the child is flying) and the sending party can buy a ticket. In the office, you will need to take the original passport of the ticket buyer, and originals or copies (depending on what is on hand) of the birth certificate for the child, and passports./the sending party. When buying a ticket, a special document will be issued, where all the data of the transmitting and receiving parties will be indicated, so that the airline employees, when boarding the flight and transferring the child to the receiving party, will be sure that they accept and transfer it to those who need it.