Flying solo this summer: Emirates prepares to welcome more than 3,500 young travelers | News
Emirates is preparing for one of the busiest periods for the Unaccompanied Minors Service as families start their summer holidays ahead of the new school year in Dubai. Over the next two weeks, Emirates will welcome more than 3,500 children who will travel independently using its acclaimed family-friendly service.
In the past five years alone, more than 250,000 children have traveled with Emirates through its unaccompanied minors and young passenger services. Most young travelers are aged 11 and under and the busiest routes connect Dubai with Britain, Russia, Kenya, France, India and Egypt.
When children fly without their families, Emirates is with you every step of the way. Designed to give parents and guardians complete peace of mind, Emirates’ Unaccompanied Minors Service provides dedicated support from check-in to arrival, so children can enjoy a guided and safe journey from check-in to destination, with plenty of fun and unforgettable moments along the way.
A guide for parents and guardians to Emirates’ unaccompanied minors and young passengers service
Book with confidence up to 24 hours in advance
Children aged 5 to 12 years traveling alone are required to use Emirates’ Unaccompanied Minors Service and travel at the adult fare. The service can be booked up to 24 hours before departure via Emirates LiveChat, by calling 00971600555555 or a local Emirates office.
Young travelers aged 12 to 15 may travel independently without the service, at the discretion of their parents or guardian. However, families wanting additional support can request the Young Passenger Service for USD 50 per flight, subject to availability, with the same dedicated guidance and support throughout the journey.
Children aged 5 to 12 can also travel in a different cabin class than their parent or guardian on the same flight, but will be charged the adult fare. The child is considered ‘accompanied’ and will not have access to the Unaccompanied Minors Lounge and special services.
Start the journey in the Emirates Unaccompanied Minors Lounge
When parents and guardians bring their young flyer to Dubai International Airport (DXB), they can go straight to the newly renovated Unaccompanied Minors Lounge near the check-in area. The person delivering the child must provide proof of identity to Emirates and the guardian must sign a consent form. Children are checked in quickly and can then relax with video games on the new PlayStation 5 Pro consoles, enjoy free Wi-Fi and comfortable sofas. In the dedicated private area supervised by the Emirates team, children can enjoy free drinks and snacks while waiting for their flight and use the children’s bathrooms.
Receive support and supervision from a trained Emirates specialist throughout your journey
At the airport, a specialist member of the Emirates team will meet the child at the unaccompanied minor check-in counter. The Emirates specialist will stay with the child throughout the airport, caring for the child and carrying the passport for safety. The specialist will help them through security and immigration procedures and facilitate priority boarding so that the child has time to adjust to their flight before introducing the child to the cabin crew at the aircraft door for the next stage. While in the air, Emirates cabin crew are on hand to ensure the young flyer has a comfortable and memorable journey. Parents and guardians can indicate in advance any special dietary requirements and whether the child would like to sit by the window or aisle, or if siblings would like to sit together. Emirates cabin crew regularly checks to see if the child is enjoying the journey, eating and if they need help adjusting the seat or inflight entertainment system.
Have fun on board with Emirates Cabin Crew
Kids onboard Emirates can pass the time with free toys and giveaways, more than 100 video games and a wide range of kids’ content on the award-winning inflight entertainment lineup, including new films, Disney Classics, Marvel Studios and Star Wars collections, and the complete Harry Potter film series, CBeebies, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.
If it is the child’s birthday, parents and guardians can order a cake 48 hours before the flight and Emirates cabin crew will celebrate the special occasion. Special memories are captured with a Polaroid camera, so children have a memento of their travels.
Arrival accompanied by the Emirates team
Once the children have landed at their destination, a specialist member of the Emirates team will be at the aircraft door to welcome them. The child will be accompanied through the airport until they meet their parent or guardian upon arrival. The person picking up the child must provide proof of identity to Emirates.
Emirates’ Unaccompanied Minor service for connecting customers
The safety and security of children is of paramount importance to Emirates, a family-friendly airline. Some general terms and conditions have been drawn up to protect children from an uncomfortable journey. If the child is transferring from an Emirates flight to another Emirates flight at Dubai International (DXB), the maximum transfer time allowed is 8 hours. If the connection time is more than 8 hours, Emirates approval is required. Children on connecting flights are taken to an Unaccompanied Minors Lounge to rest and wait before being taken to their flight and handed over to the cabin crew. If they need to go to the airport for a meal, they will be accompanied by an Emirates specialist. A young passenger is not allowed to stay overnight at the connecting airport unless an adult guardian has been arranged to pick him up and care for him at the transit point. This is subject to Emirates approval.
