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Make sure you register your unaccompanied minor in plenty of time:

Unaccompanied Minor

Unaccompanied minors (UM)   

 

Children travelling without a companion are known as “unaccompanied minors” (UM), and we offer special assistance for them at the airport and on board. This makes sure that your child arrives safely at his destination even when travelling alone. According to international law, children under the age of 12 years are not allowed to travel alone. Below are our answers to the main questions concerning our UM service. Should you have any further questions, our SWISS Service Center will be pleased to help you.

  • Availability: For what age groups is the UM service available? 
    Age of child Air travel guidelines
    Under 3 years of age

    Our UM service is not available. The law requires that children under the age of 3 years be accompanied by an adult.

    3 – 4 years
    • The UM Service is not available for children travelling alone
    • The UM service is compulsory for children travelling with someone aged between 12 and 17 (both must travel with UM Service).
    • The UM Service is available but not compulsory if they are accompanied by a brother or sister aged at least 16 years.
    5 – 11 years
    • The UM service is compulsory for all children travelling alone.
    • If they are accompanied by a companion of at least 12 years
      of age, the UM service is available but not compulsory.
    12 – 18 years

    The UM service is available but not compulsory.

  • Coverage: What does the UM service include? 
    Our assistance staff will collect your child from check-in at the airport. We will accompany your child through passport control and security, and stay with him or her until he or she boards the aircraft. There, one of our cabin crew will take over responsibility for him or her from take-off to landing. At the destination, another member of staff will assume responsibility for your child and take him or her through passport control and customs. We will hand your child over to the person designated by you to collect him or her in the terminal.
  • Registration: How do I register my child for the UM service? 
    • Book the return flights for your child through the SWISS Service Center. Online bookings and web check-ins are not possible for unaccompanied minors.
    • Print the assistance form out at home and complete it carefully.
    Assistance form (PDF)
    • Make copies of the assistance form. We need two copies for each journey. For instance, if your child is flying Zurich-Paris, Paris-Zurich, we need four copies.
    • Take your child to check-in with the copies of the assistance form.
    • Sign the “Handling advice” form at check-in. This confirms that you accept all the costs for your child’s return flight (meals, accommodation, airport transfer etc.) in the event of the authorised person failing to arrive at the destination airport.
    • Your child will be welcomed by our assistance staff – and the journey can begin!
  • Preparation: What do I need to look out for? 
    • Prepare your child carefully for a special trip such as this one. Help to create the desire for and delight in this adventure.
    • Prepare all the travel documentation your child will require. Please note that there are special visa regulations for children in some countries
    Visa regulations and medical information
    • Make sure that you or another authorised adult remain at the airport until the aircraft has taken off.
    • Make sure that an authorised adult is at the destination airport in plenty of time to collect your child.
  • Other airlines: Can I book the UM service if other airlines are also involved? 
    We can only provide the UM service for a child travelling alone if the entire journey is booked on a single ticket (i.e. one coupon number for all involved flights). We cannot accept children travelling alone with several tickets, as the connecting flights cannot be guaranteed.
  • Trip: How do I prepare my child for flying? 
    Explain to your child just how the journey will take place. Tell them how they will be looked after during the flight, and especially who will be meeting them at their destination. Make sure that your child is well rested before travelling and has all the items he or she will require in their hand baggage.
  • Costs: How much does the UM service cost? 

    The assistance charges are collected for children travelling alone on any SWISS flight. The charges are collected per child travelling alone and per flight.

    Per flight / sector CHF EUR USD/CAD
    Domestic (within Switzerland) CHF50 EUR40 USD/CAD60
    Europe CHF50 EUR40 USD/CAD60
    Intercontinental CHF100 EUR80 USD/CAD120
    Example:
    For flights from Geneva – Zurich – Athens, we charge CHF100.- per child (1 x domestic + 1 x Europe charge)
    For a flight from Zurich – Athens, we charge CHF50.- per child (1 x European charge)
    For flights from Paris – Zurich – New York, we charge CHF150.- per child (1 x European charge + 1 x Intercontinental charge)