Finnair Oyj

Before the flight

Children travelling alone

• Children between the ages 5–11 may be accepted onboard as children travelling alone (UM, Unaccompanied Minor). An appropriate UM reservation must be made when making the flight reservation.
• Young people aged 12–17 years, who are travelling alone, are offered the same escort service that is available for those aged 5–11.
• A flight reservation that includes a request for UM service, has to be made through the Finnair Customer Care Center or your travel agency. The flight can not be reserved on the Internet.
• The number of unaccompanied minors is limited to six on each flight; therefore, it is recommended that the flight be booked well in advance of the planned departure date.
• Reservations for routes requiring overnight stops between scheduled flights and for the last late evening flights within Finland are not accepted for unaccompanied minors.

Children accompanied by an escort

• UM services are not available for children under 5 years of age. A child under 5 years of age is allowed onboard only when travelling with a family member who is at least 16 years of age (unless the child is accompanied by a parent) or a non-family member, who is at least 18 years of age, as an escort provided by the child's guardian.
• On domestic flights, children over 5 years of age are allowed to travel without a UM reservation, provided they are accompanied by a family member, who is at least 12 years of age, or a non-family escort, who is at least 16 years of age, provided by the child's guardian.
• On international flights, children over 5 years of age are allowed to travel without a UM reservation, provided that they are accompanied by a family member, who is at least 16 years of age or a non-family member, who is at least 18 years of age, as an escort provided by the child's guardian.

Not all airlines accept unaccompanied minors arriving on or connecting to flights of other airlines. American Airlines, American Eagle and American Connection, among others, accept children travelling alone for connecting flights on their own flights only.

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Travel preparations

• A flight reservation that includes a request for UM service, has to be made through the Finnair Customer Care Center at +358 600 140 140 (3.12 €/answered call + local network charge, open 24 h) or through your travel agent. The flight can not be reserved on the Internet.
• It is recommended that the airline ticket be purchased in advance, rather than at the airport.
• When making the reservation, the contact information of both the person seeing off the child and the person meeting the child must be given.
• Moreover, it is recommended that the transportation agreement (UM Handling Advice) be completed carefully in advance of the flight. The person seeing off the child agrees to the terms and conditions of the Handling Advice by signing the agreement. He/she must show identification at the airport.
• It is recommended that you arrive at the airport well before the flight departure in order to allow time for checking the details in the documents and rectifying any omissions.
• The UM form is available at most travel agencies and at Finnair's offices. Fill in the actual duplicating form before arriving at check-in.

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Check-in, security control and boarding

Special check-in desk for passengers needing assistance

A special service desk is available at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport for passengers needing assistance and who are checking in in the check-in area 201–232. Check-in desk number 216 is marked with the text Special Passengers and corresponding symbols.

• An unaccompanied minor must register at check-in, even if he/she only has carry-on baggage.
• At the check-in desk, the child will be given a neck pouch, into which all the documents the child needs during the trip, such as the UM Handling Advice and flight tickets are placed. Children travelling outside Scandinavia will also need a passport or an EU identification card and, depending on the country of destination, possibly a visa and a vaccination certificate.
• The check-in official will check whether the flight is on schedule and, in case of any irregularities, will provide assistance in rearranging travel plans.
• If the person seeing off the child at the airport wishes to accompany the child all the way to the departure gate at Helsinki-Vantaa, he or she must obtain permission to do so from the check-in employee or the ticket office.
• Unaccompanied minors must be at the departure gate at least 25 minutes before take-off, as child passengers will be allowed to board the aircraft before other passengers. The person seeing off the child at the airport must wait until the aircraft has departed, that is, until the flight information has been removed from the information boards and monitors.

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During the flight

• The cabin crew will attend to child passengers throughout the flight and provide them with activity packs and entertainment materials to ensure their comfort during the flight

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After the flight

• An unaccompanied minor must be met by an adult at the destination airport.
• The identity of the person meeting the child, as stated in the UM Handling Advice, will be checked upon handing the child over to him/her. The ground personnel handing over the child will make a note of the verification of identification in the UM Handling Advice.
• A child travelling as an Unaccompanied Minor is met at the aircraft by personnel employed by the ground handling company at the airport. This personnel may not always speak the child’s language.

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