Dubai: Emirates expects more than 3,500 children to travel independently over the next two weeks, in one of the busiest summer periods for its Unaccompanied Minors Service.The surge comes as families begin their summer holidays before the start of the new school year in Dubai, with the airline preparing to handle thousands of young flyers travelling without parents or guardians.More than 250,000 children have used Emirates’ Unaccompanied Minors and Young Passenger services over the past five years. Most are aged 11 and under, with the busiest routes connecting Dubai with the UK, Russia, Kenya, France, India and Egypt.Who can use the serviceChildren aged between 5 and 12 who are travelling alone must use Emirates’ Unaccompanied Minors Service and travel on an adult fare. The service can be booked up to 24 hours before departure through Emirates LiveChat, by calling the airline or through a local Emirates office.Young passengers aged 12 to 15 can travel independently without the service if their parent or guardian chooses. Families who want extra support can request the Young Passenger Service for $50 per flight, subject to availability.Children aged 5 to 12 can also travel in a different cabin from a parent or guardian on the same flight, but they will be treated as accompanied passengers and will not have access to the Unaccompanied Minors Lounge or special services.Dedicated support at DXBAt Dubai International Airport, parents and guardians can take young flyers directly to Emirates’ renovated Unaccompanied Minors Lounge near the check-in area.The person dropping off the child must show proof of identification and sign a permission form. Children are then checked in and can wait in a supervised lounge with PlayStation 5 Pro consoles, free Wi-Fi, sofas, complimentary drinks, snacks and children’s bathrooms.An Emirates specialist stays with the child through the airport, keeps the passport safe, helps with security and immigration, and arranges priority boarding so the young traveller can settle in before other passengers board.Onboard and arrival careOnce on board, cabin crew regularly check on the child, help with meals, seating and inflight entertainment, and provide support throughout the flight.Parents can request special meals in advance, ask for a window or aisle seat, or request that siblings sit together. Children also have access to complimentary toys, more than 100 video games and a wide range of children’s entertainment on Emirates’ ice system, including Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, CBeebies, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network content.Birthday cakes can be ordered 48 hours before departure, with cabin crew able to mark the occasion onboard and capture the moment with a Polaroid photo.At the destination, an Emirates specialist meets the child at the aircraft door and stays with them until they are handed over to the approved parent or guardian at arrivals. The person collecting the child must show proof of identification.Rules for connecting flightsChildren transferring between Emirates flights at Dubai International can have a maximum connection time of eight hours. Longer connections require approval from the airline.Young travellers on connecting flights are taken to the Unaccompanied Minors Lounge while they wait, and any airport meal trips are supervised by an Emirates specialist. Overnight stays at a connecting airport are not allowed unless an adult guardian is arranged to meet and care for the child at the transit point, subject to Emirates approval.Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.