# Minor Kids travelling with Grandparents



## ash_ak (Jan 22, 2011)

So my parents are currently visiting us in Dubai. My brothers kids ages 14,15 also came along for the holiday. They were issued visas in India when they booked with emirates and emirates took care of the visas also. 

Question is, we want the kids to stay a few days longer after their grandparents fly back home. But when we spoke with the Emirates agents in India to change the tickets, they are saying that since the kids are minors, they will not be allowed to travel alone and their UAE visa was issued under the condition that an adult accompanies them.

Does this make any sense, I see kids travel alone all the time and my nieces have traveled to the US alone last year and can handle themselves quite well. I don't understand this requirement. Has anyone faced a similar situation.


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

ash_ak said:


> So my parents are currently visiting us in Dubai. My brothers kids ages 14,15 also came along for the holiday. They were issued visas in India when they booked with emirates and emirates took care of the visas also.
> 
> Question is, we want the kids to stay a few days longer after their grandparents fly back home. But when we spoke with the Emirates agents in India to change the tickets, they are saying that since the kids are minors, they will not be allowed to travel alone and their UAE visa was issued under the condition that an adult accompanies them.
> 
> Does this make any sense, I see kids travel alone all the time and my nieces have traveled to the US alone last year and can handle themselves quite well. I don't understand this requirement. Has anyone faced a similar situation.


Hi,
Most airlines operate an unaccompanied kids program - where someone from the airline chaperones them through the immigration/customs & terminal onto the plane and the same the other end until they are handed over to the correct contact.
We might use this service for our son this year to send him to UK for a month.
However - we would book this from the beginning and expect to pay a premium for this service. We would not expect to be doing this on an existing booking - and it may be this that is causing the problem.
Cheers
Steve


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## ash_ak (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks for your message Steve, I didn't realize there was a premium for this sort of booking, but it makes sense.


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

i travelled as a minor once, many years ago, on BA.

I was just about old enough to appreciate how attractive my appointed BA chaperone was, but she was clearly a bit daft, too.

I was safely in her care, fed too much pop and crisps, and then taken to the plane and seated ahead of normal boarding.

Just as the doors were closing, i was whisked off, and put on the right plane.......!
muppets!


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