Children travelling alone and young travellers

From booking to arrival, we are here to turn your child’s experience into a wonderful adventure and ensure a trip as safe and smooth as possible!

Unaccompanied minor service

If your child is between 5 and 11 years old and travels alone on Finnair flights*, you are required to book the unaccompanied minor service for them. The unaccompanied minor service is not available online, so please book it via customer service or your travel agency.

With the unaccompanied minor service, the child can also take a trip with a connecting flight if the flights are on the same day and both are operated by Finnair.

5–11-year-old children can travel without the unaccompanied minor service if:

• they travel on Finnair flights within Finland and are accompanied by a family member who is at least 12 years old, or a companion of at least 16 years old who has the consent of the child’s legal parent or guardian.
• they travel on international Finnair flights and are accompanied by a family member who is at least 16 years old, or an adult who is at least 18 years old and has the consent of the child’s legal parent or guardian.

*Flights marketed by Finnair (flight number starts with AY) and operated by Finnair or Nordic Regional Airlines

Step-by-step guide for children travelling alone

Making a booking for the child

• Book flights and unaccompanied minor service
  Contact our customer service or your travel agency to book only for your child and purchase the unaccompanied minor service. The easiest and fastest way to contact us is via chat. Please note that you will need to provide your contact information as well as the contact information (name, phone number and postal address) of the person who will greet the child at the destination airport. The person purchasing the ticket and the person meeting the child at the destination airport must both be adults.
• Fees
  Children aged between 5 and 11 travelling alone will need to fly at an adult fare. Along with the ticket price, there is a service fee for an unaccompanied minor service reservation for each leg of the journey. The unaccompanied minor service fee for each leg is €50 for flights within Finland, €80 for flights within Europe and €140 for long-haul flights.

Before travel

• Baggage allowance
  Children’s baggage allowance while travelling alone depends on their ticket type. Please check our baggage on the Finnair flights page to get more information about our baggage allowances for different routes and travel classes. Please remember that you can always purchase additional baggage as a travel extra.
• Travel documents
  Children may need to have specific travel documents while travelling. Please check our travel documents page to get more information.
• Talk the journey through
  Travelling can be an exciting yet tense adventure for children. It is good to prepare them for their trip by letting them know that our ground and cabin crew will take care of them throughout their journey.
• Prevent stomach growling on board
  Especially for longer flights, we recommend packing your child’s favourite snacks with them to enjoy during the flight. We do not accept cash payments onboard our flights to encourage contactless payment for our customers’ health and safety. If your child’s ticket type doesn’t already include a meal, you can pre-order meals or sandwiches for most of our European routes.

At the departure airport

• Checking in
  It's advisable to arrive at the airport earlier than usual on the day your child is travelling. At Helsinki Airport, unaccompanied minors can use the Special assistance desk. At other airports, please check in at the regular check-in desk. You will need to fill in the UM handling advice form (PDF) at the check-in desk. To speed up the process, you can fill in the form in advance and bring 4 copies to the airport.
• Securing the documents
  Our ground crew will give your child a neck pouch where all important travel documents, such as unaccompanied minor handling forms, boarding passes, passports or visas can be secured throughout the journey. It's also a good time to remind the person who will welcome the child at the destination airport to have proof of identification with them.
• Going to the gate
  At Helsinki Airport, you are welcome to accompany your child to the departure gate when you have booked the unaccompanied minor service for them. Unfortunately, it may not be possible to accompany the child to the gate at other airports. Please consult the ground crew at the check-in desk and be prepared to show your passport as identification. If your child is travelling within the Schengen area, you may also prove your identity with an official photo ID card. 
  
  It’s good to note that we cannot let children travelling alone go to the Finnair Lounges even if the child’s flight ticket or frequent flyer tier status would have it as a benefit. 
  
  You must stay at the airport until the flight has departed.
• Boarding
  We offer priority boarding to unaccompanied minors so they can board the aircraft first. A crew member will help your child settle comfortably into their seat and help them stow their carry-on items.
• Flight disruptions
  In case of a flight disruption (flight delay or cancellation), we will take care of your child and guide them to the next step, and they will always be under our supervision. We will make sure to inform you of all the information and updates.

During the flight

• Care onboard
  Our cabin crew will keep an eye on your child and make sure they have everything they need throughout the flight to ensure their comfort and safety.
• Food onboard
  On our long-haul flights, children will love the tasty hot meal we serve. On European flights longer than 2 hours, we offer a free snack from our onboard menu. We will also serve our most-loved blueberry juice and water is always free of charge on all our flights. You can pre-order a savoury sandwich or a tasty light or hot meal for your child to savour in Economy Class on short-haul routes longer than 2 hours. Children can also purchase snacks or soft drinks from our onboard menu. It is possible to make a payment with Visa Electron on the flights with an internet connection. Children can always bring their snacks from home.
• In-flight entertainment
  On long-haul flights, our in-flight entertainment has a wide range of movies, TV series, music and games for children to keep your little one entertained throughout the flight.

At the connecting airport

• During the layover period
  If your child has a connecting Finnair flight on the same day, a ground crew member will take care of your child while waiting for the next Finnair flight.  Please ensure the children carry reserved money or a credit card with them to buy food and drinks at the transfer airport if needed.

At the destination airport

• Guidance to the arrivals hall
  When the flight arrives at the destination airport, our ground crew member will accompany your child through immigration, baggage claim area and the arrivals hall. Our ground crew member might not speak your child’s language, but they will make sure that your child is always under supervision and ensure their safety. When your child meets the designated person to collect them at the arrivals hall, we will verify the person’s identity before saying our goodbyes.

Children under 5 years old

We know that travelling can be a thrilling experience, and children as young as 5 years old or even younger might be excited to travel with us. We welcome children under 5 years old on Finnair flights within Finland accompanied by a family member at least 16 years of age or by an accompanying adult over 18 years old who has the consent of the child’s legal parent or guardian.

On our international flights, children under 5 years can enjoy travelling with an accompanying adult who is at least 18 years old and has the consent of the child’s legal parent or guardian. Unfortunately, our unaccompanied minor service is not available for children under 5 years old.

Over 12-year-olds travelling alone

Young travellers aged 12 or older are welcome on Finnair flights without an accompanying adult. While we do not require a consent letter from their legal parent or guardian, authorities in some countries may require one. You may contact the nearest consulate or embassy of the destination country to find out about these requirements. If a consent letter is needed, you can check our example of a consent letter (PDF).

Young travellers aged 12 and older travel with normal adult tickets.

The unaccompanied minor service is also available as an optional service for young travellers aged 12 to 17 who are travelling alone. Please note that the unaccompanied minor service is mandatory for all travellers under 15 years old travelling alone to and from the United States.