Korean Air's Unaccompanied Minor service provides for transportation of children without a parent or guardian. The service will also assist the child with him/her at the airport, at boarding, on board, and during disembarkation until he/she is collected by the authorized guardian.
Those between 5-11 years old traveling without an adult companion in international flights must necessarily register in the Unaccompanied Minor program. Extra services for the children from 12 to 16 years old are available on request if the parents want to use the service. There is an agreement in regard to Children Age 5-12 for Korean domestic flights and the service is available without any extra fee for “UM” service.
Korean Air has divided its UM requirements into international and domestic traveling. This is significant since the age requirements, payment policy, guardian requirements, and the booking policy are all not the same on all bookings.
Yes, children can fly alone on Korean Air. Buying a standard ticket is, however, just part of the deal. Children must qualify for the UM service and required request and documentation must be completed prior to departure.
In the case of Korean Air, there are extra prerequisites for your destination countries including Canada, Philippines, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.
There are two different ways of booking the journey: In the case of international travel, Korean Air recommends the customer's traveler contact the Service Center to arrange the ticket and the UM.
Now, Korean Air enables parents to book the Solo-Child service online for eligible domestic flights. Qualifying paid domestic tickets are available for use online with the parent to enter the information of the adults responsible for the child at both airports.
As Korean Air may require the reference for overview or revision of the UM arrangement, parents are requested to retain the reference.
The Korean Air Service Center is the primary agency to make the UM service arrangements in regard to international travel.
Korean Air is asking foreign passengers to inform the Service Center at least 24 hours before the departure day for the UM service.
When the information regarding the UM booking is provided to the airline, then they will send you the form for booking of the Unaccompanied Minor transportation service. The form is sent to the company's phone and email seven days before the trip, the company says.
The form is significant in that it serves as the avenue through which Korean Air gathers information in order to be able to manage the handover of the child.
As for the special service, Korean Air particularly requests customers to confirm this information when inquiring for the service.
Parents need to be aware of each stage so they know when their responsibility ceases and when Korean Air is responsible.
The adult must go with the child to the appropriate Korean Air desk. Assisted trip begins after the guardian information, UM request and reservation and documents are verified.
If a document or reservation detail requires correcting, it could be a problem if arriving and departing from the airport at the same time.
Moreover, there will be a cabin crew member accompanying the child during the whole trip. Travel with Korean Air with their Flying Mom Service on certain medium- or long-haul international flights departing from and returning to busier airports for flyers who want a parent with a dedicated companion.
If the service is available, updates may include meal time, fun activities, sleep and care/overall health. Availability may vary with the route and the operating conditions.
The cost of this international trip varies by child's age and the country of origin. Even for international UM, the airline requests that the child travel on a normal adult fare as opposed to the international UM discounted fare.
| Child's Age | Departure from Korea | Departure from U.S. | Departure from Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 to 11 | KRW 150,000 | USD 150 | CAD 150 |
| 12 to 16 | KRW 200,000 | USD 200 | CAD 200 |
At the present time Korean Air has recently been publishing higher charges for flights from Indonesia for ages 5-11 and 12-16, IDR 2,140,000 and IDR 2,860,000 respectively.
The international UM charge will be paid in the form of cash, credit card or miles as applicable. Korean Air's child rates are 15,000 miles for those 5 to 11 years old, and 20,000 miles for kids 12 to 16.
Yes, but towards the connecting itinerary passes, they have strict limits. When connection between two Korean Air flights is within the 6-hour timeframe at the same airport, same day, the UM service can be provided if a child changes Korean Air flight during the connection.
It is not applicable to service between two airlines. A parent can't necessarily tell by the airline name they saw during booking that the air carrier is the one running the flight, and so it is their responsibility to check the operating carrier.
Documentation requirements will depend on the location. When traveling overseas, a child typically will need a passport and visa or travel authorization from the country of destination.
Other information includes some specific rules for minors in certain places. For countries, Korean Air provides specific information about the countries of Canada, the Philippines, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.
Parents should double check with the destination government as to their immigration restrictions and regulations as these are capped from the airline flight.
Parents need to look through all of the itinerary, not just the flight out.
Not always. For international flights, Korean Air requires children under 5 years traveling alone to book the service, and voluntary requires for children ages 12–16.
Although for most teenagers, the parent may prefer to assist them because of international airport unfamiliarity, or during arrival procedures.
The itinerary itself should also be considered as to the complexity of the itinerary. An older teenager may find it easier to fly straight from Korea than to have numerous procedures at the airports of his or her destination.
Korean Air needs to receive the UM request via its Service Center at least 24 hours prior to the date of travel for international travel. Also, the confirmation will be sent by the airline upon the acceptance of your request.
Plan the service in advance, if possible. Preparing early will allow parents to rectify missing information, adjust an inappropriate trip schedule, or get documents for destinations.
Korean Air adds that domestic same-day departure flights are also not available via its new online domestic booking called UM.
Yes. Miles can be used to pay eligible international UM charges at Korean Air. The published distances are 15,000 miles for kids 5-11 and 20,000 miles for those 12 to 16.
Before opting for this payment option, parents are suggested to check the mileage details and terms and conditions. The claim of the mileage base does not imply a free flight ticket, but the UM service charge is free!
The person picking up the child must be the guardian approved by UM. Korean Air will check the identity of the person picking up the child.
Guardians for departing and arriving international UM must be either 18 or over. A guardian at least 13 years old is required to be the responsibility when taking the trip for domestic Korean UM.
Parents are requested to inform the receiving parent or guardian that they need to arrive with proper identification, and sufficient time to follow the airport check-in process.
Special rules for Korean Air Unaccompanied Minor are established. The most crucial elements include: age of child, whether the trip is domestic or international, airlines operating the flights, connection time, documentation required and adult(s) traveling with the child.
It should be an international service for children from 5 to 11 years old and optional for children from 12 to 16 years old. International UM will be charged on top of the regular adult fare; domestic Korean UM (if eligible) is free after purchasing adult fare is paid.
Parents need to check the rules in place and the itinerary before booking. Make arrangements for the UM service, fill out documentation for transporting the service, review documentation at destination, and ensure that transportation is happening from the right people to the right person with correct information. Child's travel will be a lot easier and less time will need to be spent at both airports if it is prepared correctly.
Only No. Korean Air's Direct segments offer the opportunity of using Korean Air's UM service. It may be quoted not for a codeshare flight on another carrier.
Yes, but as long as it's from Korean Air to Korean Air at the same airport on the same day within 6 hours. Service does not cover connections with another airline.
Korean Air says for flights leaving Korea, an SMS will be sent to the guardian after making his way on board the plane.
It can be. Korean Air says a doc detailing parent-child consent is required for air travel in some countries, where passengers are traveling alone or with a parent other than the primary one. It is dependent on the final destination.
International UM is only accepted through Korean Air's Service Center 24 hours prior to departure. If the day-departure flights are requested for the domestic online booking process, it is not possible to indicate the same-day departure date via the online UM module.