Mum, I caught the plane: how to let your child fly alone with Albastar
Do you remember “Home Alone”? It was a 1990 blockbuster film telling the story of a boy who was accidentally left at home alone by his parents during the Christmas holidays.
Well, figures show that reality sometimes goes beyond the imagination to become a growing trend. Let us explain better: today there are more and more unaccompanied children who, for various reasons, catch a plane alone without their parents.
Not all companies accept unaccompanied minors (UM), but we at Albastar do: this category includes children who, at the time of their flight, are between 5 and 11 years old.
Precisely because they are little, they deserve a lot of attention.
We understand that the idea of letting your child fly alone scares even the least apprehensive. This is why we accommodate the needs of both adults, who for some reason cannot embark with them, and smaller travellers with our unaccompanied minors assistance service.
We take care of very young passengers during the flight until after landing, when they will be handed over to the person indicated by their parents, only when they exhibit a valid identification document to us. Every child is in excellent hands with Albastar.
You should also know that children aged between 12 and 16 years are young passengers and do not need our custody service unless you, as a parent, request it.
Please remember that children under the age of 5 must travel accompanied.
All passengers, including children, must have their own valid identity card or passport. To check that everything is in order, read the section on our Check-In procedures.
Here are our tips for flying children unaccompanied. You can help your child cope with the flight like this:
- Explain to your child that there will be a person who will take care of them during the flight and who they can turn to whenever needed.
- Let your child become familiar with the airline by visiting the company’s website together, showing them photos of the aircraft, pictures of the flight attendants’ uniform…
- Give your child a mobile phone and the numbers they can call in case of need.
- Cuddle and reassure your child before their departure and do not forget to them their favourite toy!
Would you like to request information or book our assistance service? There are two ways:
- Contact Albastar’s Call Center directly
- Contact your travel agent who will need to provide us with the details of the person accompanying the child to the departure airport and of the person picking the child up at the destination airport.
Is it time to let your child fly with us?
Please make sure you are on time: you should turn up at the check-in desk with your child at least 2 hours before their flight’s departure time, otherwise Albastar will be unable to guarantee its assistance service and consequently the boarding of your child.
In the event of this, we regret to inform you that you will not be entitled to a refund of the ticket price nor to the reimbursement of the costs incurred to purchase the service.
