Dubai Airport Now Has a Kids-only Lounge for Children Flying Solo

Children traveling alone now have a new respite in the form of a Dubai airport lounge built exclusively for kids who are traveling without their guardians. The lounge, which was built by dnata, one of the world’s largest air services providers, is in Terminal 1 of Dubai International Airport.

The lounge was built to improve the unaccompanied minor travel experience by providing a safe, secure, and fun airport space for kids. The lounge is open 24 hours a day and is equipped with screens and games to keep young travelers entertained. The space will be overseen by an experienced, multilingual staff of over 70 dedicated agents who work to make sure the kids reach their gates on time and get priority boarding.

The lounge was constructed after dnata observed an increase in children flying alone. In 2018, the dnata team — which prepares online meals, helps passengers, and moves cargo — assisted 8,000 unaccompanied minors at Dubai International Airport, which represents an increase of 27 percent from the number of minors assisted five years ago.

“We have earned the trust of thousands of parents with our safe and reliable services for unaccompanied minors over the past years. We are delighted to add more value to our offering and further enhance young passengers’ travel experience by opening our new lounge, which has been specifically designed to meet the needs and taste of children of all ages,” said Steve Allen, the divisional senior vice president of UAE Airport Operations for dnata, in an online statement. “Our friendly team will make sure young flyers spend a memorable time in our new lounge and have a smooth and safe passage through the airport.“

Dnata serves unaccompanied minors flying through the two Dubai airports on over 120 airline partners.