Does Saudia accept Unaccompanied Minors travelling alone?
Children between 5 and under 12 years of age travelling alone—or unaccompanied by a passenger who is at least 16 years old—are considered Unaccompanied Minors (UM/UMNR), and accepted on flights subject to the conditions below.
An Overview of Saudia’s Unaccompanied Minors Policy
- Age Restrictions
- Children who have completed their 5th but not the 12th birthday are considered Unaccompanied Minors (UM/UMNR) if they are travelling alone or not accompanied by a passenger who is at least 16 years old.
- Children between 5 and 7 years (inclusive) will be accepted on nonstop and through flights only.
- Children between 8 and below 12 years will be accepted on nonstop, through, and connecting flights.
Note. The Unaccompanied Minor may not be allowed to board a flight at the city of origin if there’s any likelihood of missing a connecting flight that results in overnight accommodations. - Children below 5 years will not be accepted as Unaccompanied Minors on any flight—they must be accompanied by a parent/legal adult guardian.
- The Unaccompanied Minors service is optional for children between 12 and below 16 years. If there’s any doubt regarding the child’s ability to travel alone or if the child is accompanied by another child who is under 12 years of age, the parent/guardian must book the UM service in advance.
- Unaccompanied Minors must either be accompanied by an adult passenger who is at least 16 years old or travel as Unaccompanied Minors after booking the service.
- Saudia’s Unaccompanied Minor services and responsibilities start from the time the Unaccompanied Minor is handed over to the handling agent/supervisor at the departure airport till she/he is handed over to the designated custodian at the arrival airport.
- The maximum number of Unaccompanied Minors accepted on Saudi Arabian Airlines flights must not exceed the number of cabin crew working on the particular flight.
- Unaccompanied Minors must carry the written consent of their parents/guardians authorizing them to travel on the flight. If the itinerary includes an interline flight, the interline carrier’s approval must be obtained before confirming the child’s reservation.
- If your child requires special medical attention on the flight (Saudia or connecting), she/he must carry a Medical Statement Information Model (MEDIF), which must be issued by the child’s attending physician/hospital within 10 days of departure.
How it Works
- At the departure airport
- You must accompany your child to the departure airport.
- Your name and the name of the person who will receive your child at the arrival airport must be mentioned in the handling advice for Unaccompanied Minors.
- You must hand over all the required documents (handling advice form and travel documents) to the supervisor/handling agent at the check-in desk.
- You must stay at the airport until your child’s flight takes off.
- You are responsible for your child until her/his flight is called for embarkation and you hand her/him over to the concerned handling agent.
- Your child will be transferred to one of Saudia’s flight attendants and personally guided to the aircraft.
- During the flight
- Your child will be looked after and made comfortable during the flight.
- At the arrival airport
- Your child will be handed over to a ground handling staff member.
- The ground handling staff member will escort your child through immigration and luggage collection, and hand her/him over to the escort named by you on the handling advice form.
Infants Travelling on Saudia
If you’re travelling with an infant on Saudia, the following conditions will apply:
- Infants below 2 years will only be accepted if accompanied by a passenger who is at least 16 years old.
- Each adult can is allowed to travel with one infant only.
- Infants between 8 days and 23 months (inclusive) can only travel on the accompanying adult’s lap—they will not be allowed to occupy their own seats. If you’re travelling with more than one infant, the second child will be charged the applicable fare and a supplementary oxygen mask will be made available to her/him.
- Infants who reach the age of 2 years before their return journey must pay the applicable child fare, plus taxes, and fees/charges for the return journey.
- You must present the infant’s age proof and valid travel documents at the check-in counter and boarding gate.
- Infants travelling on 10% fares are not entitled to any cabin or checked baggage allowance but are allowed the following items free of charge:
- 1 fully collapsible pushchair/stroller (pre-booking not required)
- Infant equipment of up to 22lb/10kg such as a car booster seat (must be tagged if carried as unchecked baggage)
- The maximum number of infants allowed per flight will depend on the number of decompression oxygen masks and infant life vests on the flight.
- Saudia does not allow more than 1 infant per row section because there’s only 1 additional oxygen mask per section [ e.g., (02 adults + 1 infant) can occupy 2 seat section].
Unaccompanied Minors Fees
What are the service charges for Unaccompanied Minors on Saudia?
The service fee/charges for the Unaccompanied Minor service will be assessed by Saudia based on route and travel class.
Accompanied Children
When travelling with children, the following conditions will apply:
- Children between 2 and below 12 years will be accepted only if they are accompanied by a passenger who is at least 16 years old. They must travel on regular passenger tickets and occupy their own passenger seat.
- 2 children cannot occupy a single seat.
- Children will not be assigned an exit row seat.
- Children below 2 years of age can travel on an adult’s lap on a discounted infant ticket or on their own seat for an additional charge.
- Children who turn 2 years old on a trip will either be given a child discount for the entire itinerary or allocated a seat for the remaining part of the itinerary (in which case the infant discount will not apply).
Newborn Babies
Newborn babies will only be accepted after the first week of birth. Babies older than 48 hours will be accepted subject to medical clearance stating that the baby is in good health and does not need an incubator or oxygen.
Blind and Deaf Passengers
a) Blind or Deaf Passengers, i.e., passengers with single incapacitation:
- Will not be considered incapacitated.
- Can travel alone without any limitation.
- Can travel in groups (without any limitation to numbers) as long as they are accompanied by a medically fit attendant.
b) Blind and Deaf Passengers, i.e., passengers with double incapacitation:
- Will be considered incapacitated.
- Are subject to limitations in number based on aircraft type.