Tickets for the child on the plane: age for benefits and cost

Traveling with children is a rather difficult task, because they do not always behave well, and their rules of transportation usually differ significantly from similar rules for adults. On the other hand, for many types of transport, passengers who have not reached a certain age are given discounts on tickets. If the planned trip is to take place on an airplane, long before the flight you should definitely clarify all the formalities associated with the transportation of the accompanying baby.

Additional difficulty in determining the rules of transportation is the fact that some of them are established by the state and are common to all airlines, while others are the decision of the carrier itself. In general, airlines are trying to build their policies in such a way as not to worsen the flight conditions for their customers, but requirements may still differ.

The most important thing in the question of the availability of airfares for a child is whether they exist at all (and how old they are). Actually, there would be no benefits - there would not be this article, so they naturally exist.

Let's start with the youngest category - kids under 2 years old. In the professional dictionary of airlines such passengers are called “babies”, in English according to - “infant”. Financial problems are the least of such children. They fly for only 10% of the cost, and sometimes, if they fly literally in the arms of the accompanying adult - and in general for free. Pricing here depends on the specific carrier.

It is necessary to take into account that if there are more babies than adults, then it doesn’t matter whether they fit on their hands. For all babies, except for one per adult, you will definitely have to arrange separate places, and this will almost certainly not be free. By the way, even if the company does not require any money for transporting the baby, it is still necessary to issue a ticket for it - ticketless passengers are not allowed on board.

There is one more preferential category of small passengers - in tickets it is indicated as “child”, or “child”. These include children aged 2 to 12 years. In principle, they fly the same way as adults - a separate place is reserved for them, there is also provision for them in the “adult” volume, but there is also a discount. It is difficult to specify a specific cost - this is exactly the case when the carrier himself determines how to act, but usually has to pay 50-75% of the total cost of the flight.

A minor teenager must have with him certain documents, the exact set of which depends on who he flies with - unless he travels in the company of both parents.

In this case, remember one important rule: the age of the child when booking tickets is taken into account by the date of arrival, and the specified age limits imply a strictly birthday. In other words, the baby is listed as a baby if he is either 1 year old or not. As soon as a small child turns 2 years old, on the same day he becomes just a child.The same applies to the transition from the “child” stage to an adult — on the day when it turns 12, discount tickets for a small passenger become unavailable. This means that in the case of travel, during which the child is either 2 years old or 12 years old, it is not possible to book tickets under the “back and forth” scheme. You will have to buy them separately, because the passenger during the flight “there” will be listed in one category, and during the flight “back” - already in a more adult one.

Many are also interested in the question of how old a child can fly alone. There is also no concrete answer. On the one hand, from the age of 2, paragraph 104 of the FAP allows flying without parents, but under the supervision of the carrier, however, the airlines reserve the right to increase the minimum age of such a traveler in order to avoid risks. Such conditionally independent flights may be permissible from 3, 4 or even from 6 years old, but more often from the age of 5 years (if, of course, the carrier has such service in general). It is possible that you will have to pay extra for it, and in general, when flying unaccompanied by adults, often even a child has to pay 100% of the ticket price.

When traveling independently under observation, it is important that this observation is not interrupted anywhere else. When sending a ticket, the sending party represented by an adult must contact the carrier’s representative office and fill out all the necessary documents there, and then, before being sent, arrive with the young passenger at the airport and personally hand it over to the airline’s representative. He will give it to the flight attendant and inform the "sender" by phone that the child has flown away. The sending party is also obliged to remain at the airport until the departure of the aircraft.

In the event that no one takes the child, the accompanying persons will first contact their parents. If the situation is somehow impossible to solve, the passenger will be sent back.

Airlines can set restrictions on this kind of movement - for example, to limit escorts only with their direct flights (or to allow transfers). If there are long transfers, the carrier may additionally require a fee for feeding the baby.

Some parents sincerely worry about children 10-12 years old (and even older), so many airlines offer a supervised flight service for passengers up to 16 years old. In this case, observation is mandatory only up to 12 years, and for older passengers it is already optional - at the discretion of the parents. Such a teenager can fly independently.

As for privileges and tariffs, this moment belongs to the field of responsibility of each individual carrier, and not the regulatory authorities. There are some general rules, but they are more of an advisory nature, so the exact cost should be clarified based on the specific airline and a specific date of flight. In general, it is possible to distinguish such patterns (which, again, still not guaranteed):

• Children under 2 years fly for free or almost for free (especially in cases when they do not occupy separate seats).
• Children from 2 to 12 years discounts of 25-50% are provided, but this is only if they fly with adults. If they themselves - discounts may not be at all.
• Additional services (for example, observation of the carrier) can significantly increase the cost of the ticket.
• As with adult flights, Booking travel documents much earlier than the date of travel allows you to get a significant discount.

Where and with whom children would fly, they will definitely need documents, which in any situation they should have with them.We don’t talk about air tickets for granted.

The easiest way is if a child flies with at least one parent - then a birth certificate is enough indicating that the accompanying adult is indeed the closest relative. If the child flies himself, the list of documents increases dramatically. In particular, still need:

• Blanks, specifying passport and contact details (both of the mourners and those who meet).
• If necessary payment support services - payment receipt.
• Birth certificate.
• At the mourners and meet persons - documents proving their identity.

Some airlines seek to take care even of the youngest passengers, therefore they provide various additional services. We already mentioned about the escort service during an independent flight, but this is not all.

In particular, for the smallest, many carriers provide a special cradle, which is very practical for those children who are not too comfortable to sit in a chair yet. In addition, you can get some other useful things, such as diapers and napkins, bibs, even a bottle for drinking.

From the intangible they can be provided with the ability to view cartoons or children's channels during the flight, but there are also material gifts. Usually these are typically children's things - coloring and drawing kits, various books and mosaics, puzzles, toys, games. The transfer points are often equipped with special game rooms that will allow something to occupy the young traveler.

Everything you read above becomes much more complicated if the flight is international. Here, everything largely depends on the country where the child flies, because each state has its own rules.

Let's start with the cost. Discounts for children with the same age categories (up to 2 and up to 12 years old) are common practices throughout the world, but even approximate numbers are difficult to name. In general, it would be fair to say that such discounts are already somewhat less than during flights within the country.

Under current legislation, a child has the right to leave the country accompanied by one of the parents without the documentary consent of the second, unless the court recognizes the right of the second to prohibit such movements. But for self-relocation, the rules may be much tougher - in particular, in some states they are not allowed at all, therefore such information must be clarified either from the carrier or in the embassy of the country where it is sent aircraft.

As for the documents, the task is also somewhat complicated. The only exceptions are Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In these countries, children under the age of 14 can fly on an ordinary birth certificate - provided they travel with adults. Independent travel abroad is permissible from the age of 8 years, but in this case the notarized consent of both parents is required.

Children under 12 years old can enter in the international passport one of the parents (but necessarily the one who flies with the child). If the passenger is older, he will need his own document. If there is a visa regime between countries, similar rules apply to relatively visas.

The list of documents is highly dependent on the rules of the state, because in some cases it may even be necessary to have permission for the medicines needed by the child and carried with them. For this reason, it will be most practical to clarify the rules for the entry of children, as of a specific date, specifically for the country where you plan to go.

Today, there are quite a few ways to get a ticket - now it is so convenient that you can do without even going to the ticket office. Although there is an exception - if you plan to send children under the supervision of the carrier, you will have to get a travel card strictly in the representative office of the company.

The most up-to-date and 100% verified pricing information is provided by the official websites of the airlines, they also usually offer the purchase option. At the same time there are dozens of different sites (and even applications for gadgets), allowing you to visually compare the prices of different carriers in the same direction. However, they also allow you to immediately get what you want. Consider that the prices of air tickets are prone to constant fluctuations. They change both due to currency fluctuations, and depending on a particular day (on weekends and on holidays, it’s usually more expensive to fly) or before the departure time (the earlier you book, the cheaper it is). This means that today you could see the necessary ticket at one price, and tomorrow, deciding to book, you will be surprised by another. Most likely, it will be unpleasant, because over time, the cost almost always increases.

Since the child in all cases requires more attention than an adult, consider the following points in advance:

• Are all the formalities observed? Do not hesitate to ask the carrier once again whether you have prepared all the documents for transporting the baby.
• In the cabin, keep in your carry-on bag everything you need for your baby. If this is a baby, do not forget the pacifier and bottle - not the fact that the carrier will issue them. Such a decision will help, so that during takeoff, it does not lay ears, and for older children, candy or candy will be replaced.
• On the way, the young passenger will certainly want to eat and drink. Try to make it something that will please him - it will not only satisfy hunger, but also relieve stress, as well as improve the mood of the child. Sometimes right on the plane you can get baby food (ordered in advance). You can also ask to warm up taken with you. By the way, the air in the cabin is very dry, so take water with a reserve.
• Think about entertainment on the go - books, toys, coloring books or even multimedia devices with cartoons and educational games will be useful.
• The minimum set of medicines also does not hurt.

For information on what rates are valid for children's tickets, see the following video.