That the smallest of home trips alone is an increasingly common practice, although it continues to be one of the things that most worries parents who send their children to summer camps abroad.

Due to this trend, Tunisair Express and most airlines now offer services to accompany minors on their flights and allow children to travel alone without being accompanied by an adult to look after them.

In order for everything to run smoothly during the flight and for children to enjoy a summer camp outside their country, all they need to do is meet a series of legal requirements and hire the services of an airline reliable.

Requirements for minors traveling alone

When children are not flying with their parents or guardians (as is often the case on a summer camp trip abroad), other documents are required by law. In these cases, minors can travel accompanied by an adult holding parental authorization certified by the Civil Guard or accompanied by a parent over 18 years of age who takes care of them. This option allows siblings of different ages to travel alone on the plane without the need of an adult and thus be able to enjoy a camp abroad together.

If your child is 18 years old and is traveling alone on a Tunisair Express line, the criteria change if the minor is traveling alone without the company of an adult or a parent over 18 years old, and that is when those parents have more doubts about the procedures.

When the minor is traveling alone and is between 4 and 12 years old, he must take with him the normal documents (identity card, passport or visa) and other forms that the parents must fill in and present at the check-in desk before the flight. This documentation includes a disclaimer in which the company is exempt from all liability in the event of a setback, a document with the minor’s data and information on allergies or special needs, as well as another document in which the personal data and telephone number of the departure companion (the person who accompanied the minor to the departure airport) and the arrival attendant (the person who will pick up the minor at the destination airport).

Requirements for minors flying alone

In order for a minor between 4 and 12 years old to fly alone, it is necessary that his parents hire the escort service from the airline, which guarantees that he will be accompanied throughout the trip. On the other hand, if the minor is between 12 and 17 years old, the escort service is optional and he can legally fly without hiring it.

On the day of the flight, the parents and the minor must present themselves at least one hour before departure at the check-in counter with all the documents mentioned above. From this moment, the minor is in charge of a member of the cabin crew. It is advisable that the family stay at the airport until the plane takes off in case of flight problems, delays or cancellations. When the flight arrives at its destination, the arrival companion waiting at the airport must present their documentation to the airline crew in order to pick up the minor.

Tips for avoiding setbacks

It is increasingly common for minors to travel alone, especially since summer camps abroad are as attractive as sports camps in the United States, England, Ireland and France. The only thing parents need to worry about is booking their flights in advance and reviewing the documentation and requirements that each airline requires a minimal downside to the great vacations the little ones will enjoy in the camps.