A guide for parents on how to send their children on a flight alone for the first time
Sending a child abroad alone is a move that is accompanied by maximum responsibility, can a child fly to another country alone, this is a topic that concerns quite a few people, for all kinds of reasons there are situations where a parent has to send a child at a young age and then the question arises from what age can one fly alone?
There are many cases in which we are forced to send our children abroad, usually the purpose of the trip is to meet family members there, every parent who sends their child to fly alone wants to know exactly how it is done and whether it is even possible, whether someone accompanies him, whether Someone meets him getting off the plane.
The issue of children flying alone is very sensitive due to many considerations, the Border Control Authority at Ben Gurion Airport and also at airports around the world operate according to very clear procedures and laws, there are countless situations that are important to them to prevent in advance such as child abductions and they make the most of their efforts in this regard, keep in mind that you will have to sign several different forms that it is recommended to prepare ahead of time.
At what age can you fly alone unaccompanied?
The ages at which children can be sent to fly alone is between five and fifteen, most airlines including El Al provide a service called Child Care which provides them with supervision and accompaniment throughout the flight, also if you are interested you can request the service for teenagers as well until the age of eighteen.
Of course you can get all the information about the service in detail to understand what it includes, you can order the service through a travel agent and of course you can contact the company directly and make the order with them, the specific service cannot be ordered online through the websites.
Do special permits need to be issued for children flying alone?
There are permits that a parent must obtain before the child's flight. It is important to find out which permits are required for the country where the child is going to land. Each country will have different permits, so it is necessary to take care of it in advance. .
Among other things, you should pay attention when making the order, what happens when there are stops on the way, does the escort continue, there are certain restrictions on this subject, therefore it is important to find out to the end without leaving any open ends,
In the event that a child between the ages of five and fifteen is accompanied by an adult who is not his parent when they have different last names, a temporary companion on the flight declaration form must be signed by both the parents and the companion who will sign it at the check-in stage.
Receiving the child at the airport
The child must be brought with the parent or companion who received the appropriate approval, the parent or companion must come with the child to a representative of the company and wait there with him until the approval is received, it is important to have all the appropriate approvals, the companion who will continue with the child can only continue after which turned out to have all the details that are correct.
What happens on the flight itself?
The boy or girl is accompanied by an experienced flight attendant. He also informs the crew members that he is responsible for looking after a child during the flight. Food and drink, accompanying to the bathroom and making sure he or she feels good.
In the case of a night flight, the flight attendant will watch over the child and even cover him with a blanket, when landing is approaching, he will explain to the child the rest of the process and what he must do after landing.
What happens after landing?
The representative who accompanies the child comes to a representative from the airline, he shows him all the necessary permits and after he makes sure that everything is in order, he takes the child to the passenger reception area, the escort includes going through passport control, collecting and accepting the luggage and everything that is involved in crossing the border.
In the last step, the escort on behalf of the airline handovers the child only to the escort who is registered on the form filled out by the parents in advance in Israel, the escort waiting at the airport must have all the necessary means of identification, he accepts the child only after all the details have been checked and are correct and after he signs a form .
Questions and answers regarding children flying alone - from what age can you fly alone
Airline ticket prices vary according to the different destinations, if you are sending a child to fly alone, you will pay an extra $100 per child on most airlines, please note the price is per stop, if you are sending two children the price is $150, the price for four children and more is $200 .
Most airlines fly children from the age of five to the age of fifteen. In terms of younger children, this is a problem. If you are interested, the service can be extended to children up to the age of eighteen, the flight is carried out with an escort who takes the child to the destination point.
It varies a lot, of course it's important to know in advance that there are permits that need to be issued before the flight, the permits vary from destination to destination and each country requires its own permits, so it's a good idea to prepare in advance and prepare all the necessary permits. The security check is very careful about every detail.
The service can be obtained through the airlines. Most of the companies offer a service in which a flight attendant accompanies the child on their behalf throughout the entire process, from the reception at Ben Gurion Airport to the delivery of the child to the escort at the destination point. Go to a travel agent, you can also go there physically.
Yes, you can send the child to fly with an escort on your behalf, but even in that case you must take care of the necessary forms, there are several forms that must be filled out before the flight when the escort who takes the child must present them signed at the security check, which is very particular about the details, so it is important to take care of this in advance, so that there are no unnecessary problems.
