Children under the age of majority can travel by plane with a child escort service offered by almost every airline in the world. When using this service, a number of procedures and rules must be followed. Each airline has its own regulations that you must adhere to. Airlines try their best to provide children with the most comfortable flight to their desired destination. This service is provided mainly for children between the ages of five and 12 traveling within Europe. The service can also be used by children between the ages of seven and 12 traveling between Europe and the USA.
Booking procedure when traveling
In Serbia, this service cannot be reserved online , but exclusively through the contact center. The service must be reserved no later than 24 hours before the trip when it comes to escorting from Belgrade to a European city. If it is an escort from a European city to Belgrade, it is necessary to reserve the service 36 hours in advance. Especially when it comes to Paris. For children, regardless of age, the ticket will be booked in economy class at full price, without a discount for children. The cost of the service you requested will be added to that. When making a reservation, it is necessary to prepare all the necessary information in advance, both about the child and the person who is seeing off or welcoming the child.
Service price
How much the child escort service itself will cost depends primarily on the direction of travel. If an escort is required for departure and return, each of these services is charged separately. One paid service covers the accompaniment of two children, provided that they are related by blood, i.e. they are children with the same surname or address traveling together. On average, the prices range as shown in the table below, but you should definitely ask the contact center when making a reservation.
International flights (Belgrade/Nis/Kraljevo)
| Type of flight | Group 1 | Group 2 | Russia | Group 3 |
| Direct flight | 40 EUR | 50 EUR | 75 EUR | 90 EUR |
| Connecting flight | 60 EUR | 60 EUR | 85 EUR | 120 EUR |
| Connecting flight to/from Russia | 85 EUR | 85 EUR | 150 EUR |
Group 1: Athens, Banja Luka, Vienna, Bucharest, Dubrovnik, Ljubljana, Podgorica, Pula, Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Split, Tirana, Tivat, Venice, Zagreb, Rijeka, Bari, Salzburg, Budapest, Ohrid.
Group 2: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Zurich, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt (FRA/HHN), Istanbul, Cologne, Copenhagen, Larnaca, London, Madrid, Malaga, Malta, Milan, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Bologna, Lyon, Nuremberg, Hanover, Florence, Naples, Catania, Palermo, Hamburg, Cologne, Marseille, Gothenburg, Ankara, Izmir, Corfu, Chania, Heraklion, Rhodes, Krakow, Varna, Cairo, Lisbon, Tel Aviv.
Group 3: New York
Domestic flights (Belgrade-Nis)
| Direct flight | 25 EUR |
Documents necessary for children traveling by plane
Travel and entry requirements for the country you are traveling to are different. Therefore, before your child’s trip, inform yourself about the necessary documentation . It is possible that in addition to the passport, a visa, insurance, consent of the other parent and similar will be necessary. Only for trips within the Republic of Serbia, if the child does not yet have a passport, he can travel with a birth certificate. It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that the child has appropriate documentation. The airline is not responsible if the child is not accepted on the flight.
Additional documents
In addition to the listed documents, you will also need a form that you need to fill out electronically on the Air Serbia website, print it in four copies and sign it. Submit all copies at the flight check-in counter. It should be taken into account that in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries apply additional conditions for entry and travel. Due to the pandemic, some airports have restricted access to non-passengers. We advise that the person welcoming the child has all the necessary documentation, including a copy of the reservation and the child’s passport itself, which can also be in electronic form.
Child travel companion by plane
The person accompanying and welcoming the child must be of legal age, ie over 18 years of age. That person is obliged to be available non-stop on the phone and to stay at the airport until the flight is announced. The child will be boarded among the first on the flight and placed near the crew in case he needs help or has any ambiguities and additional questions. When landing, the child will disembark among the last. Representatives of the airline company will collect the child from the crew and go through all the formalities at the airport, as well as provide assistance with baggage collection. The child will be handed over to the person named in the form as the person who welcomes the child with prior identification. It should be noted that children traveling by plane with an escort are not allowed to bring pets.
Refund of the amount for the reserved service
If you have booked the service but the child still cannot travel, the amount paid will not be refunded. The refund of the service is independent of the refund of the electronic ticket. However, there is one possibility of refunding the money paid for the service of accompanying a child when traveling by plane. This is only and exclusively in case the company is unable to provide the service for any reason. Also, if the company is unable to announce the flight for which the service was paid, the money will be returned.
