Children travelling alone
Finnair offers an escort service for children travelling alone, whereby we take responsibility for an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) for the duration of his or her flight, from the departure airport to the destination airport. If you would like us to escort your child, please make a UM escort reservation when you book his or her flight tickets.
Age limitations
- A child under 5 years may not travel as an unaccompanied minor. Children under 5 are allowed on board only when travelling with an escort provided by their legal guardian.
- A child between 5 and 11 years may travel as an unaccompanied minor escorted by Finnair. A UM escort reservation must be made when the child’s tickets are booked.
- A young person between 12 and 17 years may travel alone or escorted by Finnair. If escort is required, a UM escort reservation must be made when the young person’s tickets are booked.
Flight reservation for unaccompanied minors
You can book your child’s tickets and make a UM escort reservation at the same time via the Finnair office or your travel agency – unfortunately, you cannot do this online at this time.
We can escort a maximum of six unaccompanied minors on each flight – therefore, we recommended that you make your booking well in advance of the planned departure date.
You cannot make a UM escort reservation for routes that require overnight stops between scheduled flights or late-evening flights within Finland.
When you book your child’s tickets, you must provide the contact information of the adults who will see off and receive your child. Both these people will be required to show a valid form of identification at the airport when requested.
At the airport and on the plane
Check-in desk for passengers needing assistance
We recommend that your child and his or her guardian arrive at the airport well before flight departure, so that there is sufficient time to fill in our UM Handling Advice form.
There is a dedicated check-in desk at Helsinki Airport for passengers needing assistance. The desk is labelled ”Special Passengers” and is also marked with the corresponding international symbols.
Your child must register at a check-in desk, even if they are only travelling with carry-on baggage.
The staff at the desk will give your child a neck bag and put into it all the documents he or she will need during their journey, such as their UM Handling Advice form, flight tickets, identification papers and visa.
If the person seeing off your child at Helsinki Airport wishes to accompany him or her all the way to the departure gate, they must obtain permission to do so from the check-in desk or ticket office.
Unaccompanied minors must arrive at the departure gate at least 25 minutes before take-off, because they will be allowed to board the aircraft first. The person seeing off your child must wait at the airport until the aircraft has departed.
During the flight
Our cabin crew will attend to your child throughout the flight to ensure his or her comfort and safety. Our crew will provide all children with activity packs and other entertainment materials.
After the flight
When your child gets off the plane at their destination, we will hand them over to an employee of the airport’s ground handling company. This person may not speak your child’s language.
Your child will only be released into the care of the person you have nominated to receive them, and the identity of that person will be verified before your child is handed over. This person must be waiting at the airport when your child arrives.
