Support programs and benefits have been developed for various vulnerable categories of citizens in the Russian Federation. Students, as one of the needy categories, receive discounts on some types of services. Including air tickets.
general information
Discounts for students on air tickets are provided only within the country; flights abroad are not subsidized by the state. In addition, it is necessary to find out directly from the operators about the availability of discounts for students in higher education institutions, since not all companies operate under government programs.
Discounts for students are provided in the amount of 30-50% of the ticket amount.
Most airlines in the Russian Federation are private, so they have every right to refuse students benefits for flights. This is their legal right, which cannot be challenged in any way.
How to get
In order to receive student discounts on air tickets, you must meet two requirements: be a student at a higher educational institution and have a student ID.
Where to contact
In order to purchase a discounted air ticket, you must contact the airline to familiarize yourself with the existing conditions for students. The right of a private company to independently determine the amount of discounts and the rules for providing them. For example, providing benefits in a less popular season or in less popular destinations.
There are a negligible number of state-owned companies operating under the assistance program.
The most popular air carrier, Aeroflot, is not a state-owned company, and therefore reserves the right not to provide any benefits to students. However, it is Aeroflot that most often organizes promotions on air tickets.
Required documents
Do you need information on this issue? and our lawyers will contact you shortly.
Who can count on discounts
The student card is issued not only in higher educational institutions, but also in many secondary vocational institutions. You can count on benefits for them only if this is provided for by the rules of the air carrier.
Many popular companies do not take into account exactly where the certificate was issued, providing discounts to all students without exception. Age does not matter. Even if a student is 30 years old, he has the right to receive benefits.
If a company refuses to sell discounted air tickets for students, then this remains its right only if the company is not state-owned. A citizen cannot challenge the right of a private air carrier to refuse to provide a discount on a ticket.
State actions
The Government of the Russian Federation has decided to enter into agreements with private air carriers to implement discounts for students. At the same time, the number of companies in 2019 that agreed to participate in the project is insignificant. Many airlines independently set rules that are convenient for them. Students in large cities, where there are several competing companies providing air travel services, can receive the most benefits.
The Government of the Russian Federation does not have the right to oblige carriers to provide benefits to any categories of citizens, but is actively trying to expand the list of those cooperating within the framework of the state program. In this case, the discount percentage is paid from the federal budget and the company does not lose anything through cooperation.
How to save money
In order for a student to save on a flight, there are several tricks. For example, purchasing tickets several months before departure allows you to purchase them 30-50% cheaper than two weeks before departure. In addition, it would be useful to buy everything during the week, when prices are lower - considered an unpopular time.
In addition, in the off-season, tickets are cheaper than in the “hot” seasons. For example, in spring or autumn. At the same time, this option is not very convenient for students, since the academic year is underway, but some can still afford to rest during this period.
If the city is small and there are few air carriers, then you can save money by purchasing tickets from a large neighboring city, which can be reached by intercity transport. The difference in this case will be small, but on a two-way flight (round trip) it will be noticeable.
Dear readers!
We describe typical ways to resolve legal issues, but each case is unique and requires individual legal assistance.
To quickly resolve your problem, we recommend contacting qualified lawyers of our site.
Last changes
In 2017, two popular companies entered into a cooperation agreement: Aeroflot and Ural Airlines. Students are provided with discounts when purchasing tickets, but you must first familiarize yourself with the full terms and conditions of the discounts.
Thus, Aeroflot promises discounts only to those who purchase air tickets in advance, and Ural Airlines, regardless of the time of purchase. For those planning a flight outside the country, it would be a good idea to get an international student ID - ISIC. If it is available, very substantial discounts on international flights are provided - up to 50% of the cost. The certificate itself costs about 500 rubles, must be replaced annually, and can be used up to 6 times during the year. Airlines do not have the right to refuse benefits if they are specified in their rules or in a cooperation agreement with government authorities.
This cooperation is planned to continue in 2019.
Our experts monitor all changes in legislation to provide you with reliable information.
Subscribe to our updates!
Video about what benefits and discounts students can get with an ISIC card
March 17, 2017, 05:22 March 3, 2019 13:49 
The Ural Airlines subsidized ticket program began operating in 2014 by order of the Russian government. This program allows certain categories of citizens to buy cheap (preferential) discounted air tickets throughout Russia. Prices for Ural Airlines tickets are being reduced due to the fact that part of the cost is paid by the state. The government subsidy is usually 50% of the air ticket price.
Subsidized tickets for Ural Airlines are in great demand because they save money, and also give older people and young people the opportunity to fly to their favorite cities in Russia at very low prices. At the same time, it is worth considering that the number of subsidized tickets at special rates is limited and such tickets sell very quickly, like hot cakes, so you need to buy subsidized tickets as soon as possible. Statistics show that most discounted seats can be sold out within the first days of sales. You can buy subsidized Ural Airlines tickets on our website, as well as at the airline’s offices and ticket offices throughout the Russian Federation. You can get additional information about the rules of this program by calling 8 800 770 02 62 (calls within the Russian Federation are free).
There are generally no fuel surcharges on subsidized flights. Ural Airlines, like any other air carrier, has certain rules for the exchange and return of subsidized tickets. Moreover, all adjustments made by the passenger may lead to changes in the final cost of transportation. At the same time, all issues related to the upgrade, exchange or return of purchased air tickets must be agreed with representatives of the airline.
Ural Airlines participates in the program of preferential subsidized tickets in several directions:
- subsidized discount tickets "Far East"
- subsidized discount tickets to Crimea and back (Simferopol)
- subsidized discount tickets to Kaliningrad and back
- subsidized discount tickets to the All-Russian Children's Center "Ocean" in Vladivostok
Subsidized discount tickets "Far East"
Discount airline tickets for Ural Airlines under this program can be purchased by the following categories of citizens of the Russian Federation:
- women 55 years and older
- men 60 years and older
- youth under 23 years old
Discount tickets “Far East” are sold on the following routes:
| Route there | Route back | Ticket price in one side, rub |
|---|---|---|
| Chita - Moscow | Moscow - Chita | 6200 |
| Ulan-Ude - Moscow | Moscow - Ulan-Ude | 6200 |
| Blagoveshchensk - Moscow | Moscow - Blagoveshchensk | 6400 |
| St. Petersburg - Vladivostok | Vladivostok - St. Petersburg | 7500 |
| St. Petersburg - Irkutsk | Irkutsk - St. Petersburg | 6300 |
| St. Petersburg - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky | Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - St. Petersburg | 7500 |
| Khabarovsk - St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg - Khabarovsk | 7300 |
| Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Vladivostok | Vladivostok - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky | 7500 |
| Khabarovsk - Ekaterinburg | Ekaterinburg - Khabarovsk | 6200 |
| Khabarovsk - Novosibirsk | Novosibirsk - Khabarovsk | 5700 |
| Vladivostok - Ekaterinburg | Ekaterinburg - Vladivostok | 6400 |
| Vladivostok - Novosibirsk | Novosibirsk - Vladivostok | 5900 |
| Chita - Ekaterinburg | Ekaterinburg - Chita | 5000 |
In order to buy a subsidized ticket at this fare, the passenger must confirm his Russian citizenship. This can be done by presenting the following documents:
- passports of a citizen of the Russian Federation
- foreign passport
- birth certificates
- certificates of a disabled child
- certificates of a disabled person since childhood
Subsidized discount tickets to Crimea and back (Simferopol)
Air tickets to Crimea with Ural Airlines can be purchased at discounted prices by the following citizens of the Russian Federation:
- women 55 years and older
- men 60 years and older
- youth under 23 years old
- disabled people of the first disability group and their accompanying persons
- disabled children and their accompanying persons
- disabled since childhood, groups 2 and 3
Discount tickets to Crimea and back are sold on the following routes:
| Route there | Route back | Ticket price in one side, rub |
|---|---|---|
| Ekaterinburg - Simferopol | Simferopol - Ekaterinburg | 3750 |
| Kazan - Simferopol | Simferopol - Kazan | 2750 |
| Samara - Simferopol | Simferopol - Samara | 3375 |
| Rostov-on-Don - Simferopol | Simferopol - Rostov on Don | 2500 |
| Barnaul - Simferopol | Simferopol - Barnaul | 6250 |
| Nizhnevartovsk - Simferopol | Simferopol - Nizhnevartovsk | 5500 |
| Kemerovo - Simferopol | Simferopol - Kemerovo | 6250 |
| Chelyabinsk - Simferopol | Simferopol - Chelyabinsk | 3750 |
| Kirov - Simferopol | Simferopol - Kirov | 3550 |
| Krasnoyarsk - Simferopol | Simferopol - Krasnoyarsk | 7000 |
| Magnitogorsk - Simferopol | Simferopol - Magnitogorsk | 5000 |
| Omsk - Simferopol | Simferopol - Omsk | 5000 |
To purchase a subsidized ticket to Crimea, the passenger must confirm Russian citizenship using one of the documents:
- passports of a citizen of the Russian Federation
- foreign passport
- certificates of passport loss or replacement
- birth certificates
- certificates of a disabled person of the first disability group
- certificates of a disabled child
- certificates of a disabled person since childhood
Subsidized discount tickets to Kaliningrad and back
All citizens of Russia, regardless of their place of registration, residence and age, can purchase discounted Ural Airlines tickets from Kaliningrad to the European part of the country and back.
These discounted tickets are sold on the following routes:
In order to buy a discount ticket, you also need to confirm your Russian citizenship using any of the documents:
- passports of a citizen of the Russian Federation
- foreign passport
- certificates about the loss of a passport or its replacement
- birth certificates
Subsidized tickets to the All-Russian Children's Center "Ocean"
Tickets to the educational and recreational All-Russian Children's Center "Ocean", located in Vladivostok, can only be purchased by citizens of the Russian Federation under the age of 18 who have a ticket to the All-Russian Children's Center "Ocean". Sale of discounted tickets to the Ocean Children's Center is carried out only from the cities indicated below, as well as back:
In order to purchase a ticket at this fare, the passenger must confirm his Russian citizenship using the following documents:
- passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation (foreign passport)
- birth certificates
Important Note. The documents required to purchase subsidized discount air tickets can be checked during check-in for the flight or immediately before boarding the plane. If these documents are missing, the airline may refuse the passenger travel. Therefore, we recommend purchasing discounted air tickets only if you really have the right to do so.
Below is a list of common questions that arise for people who are faced with purchasing a plane ticket for the first time. To read the answer, simply click on the question text or the “+” icon
To return the money spent, if this is stipulated by the tariff, you need to contact the sales office.
In accordance with Article 108 of the Russian Air Code, if you return your ticket no later than one day before departure, the airline is obliged to refund you the entire cost of the ticket.
An exhaustive list of places where air tickets are refunded is specified in the internal rules of the air carrier.
You can, and it’s quite simple, find them on the Internet on the company’s website. Websites of some low-cost airlines. There is another possibility. Call helpline
service of the airline company. You will also be given a comprehensive answer.
More details about voluntary and forced refund of an air ticket are written in the article: “Refund of air tickets”
- Purchasing an electronic ticket saves your time. Since you can buy an electronic ticket from anywhere in the world, having only a smartphone, laptop or computer with you.
- As you know, time is money, and this means that an electronic ticket will save your money. In addition, you don’t need to go anywhere to get a ticket or pay money for delivery of the ticket.
- It is impossible to lose an electronic ticket. It will not be chewed by a dog or cat, nor will a child drag it away.
- Recently, the purchase of electronic tickets has become widespread! Keep up with the times!
Most often, the weight of things that one passenger can take with him cannot exceed 5 kg, and the weight of luggage checked into the luggage compartment of the aircraft cannot exceed 20 kg. However, baggage rules may vary between airlines and flights. The amount of hand luggage and baggage also depends on the ticket price.
It is best to arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure. The websites of some airlines say that it is better to arrive at the airport 3 hours before departure. This usually applies to long flights.
Depends on the country you are flying to. The customs service of some countries does not ask the written consent of the second parent for the child to travel abroad. In general, it is better to have such consent with you.
The fact that the child is a school student is not important. The discount does not depend on this. What matters is how old he is. More than twelve or less.
If the passenger traveling with you is a child under the age of twelve, then when purchasing an air ticket online, this information should be indicated in the order form. To do this, enter a number corresponding to the exact number of “babies” (children under two years of age) and “children” (2-12 years old) who are traveling with you. In addition, once a year, people with I and II degrees of disability have the right to an unpaid flight (economy class) to the place where the disabled person is planned to be treated, and on the way back.
To exercise this right, you must contact the department of social protection of the population at your place of residence, where, upon returning from a medical institution, citizens are required to reimburse their expenses. These benefits also apply to a person accompanying a person with disability group I. .
Lawyer. Specialization – civil law. Experience 14 years. Date of: August 23, 2018. Reading time 6 min.
Federal legislation does not guarantee benefits for parents with many children when purchasing air tickets. The issue of their provision is entirely under the jurisdiction of the Russian region in which the family lives. It is possible to purchase tickets for certain destinations at preferential prices, but this preference is related to the age of the children, and not to the status of having many children.
Russians with many children receive many preferences from the state. At the national and local level they are supported by cash benefits and various benefits. However, sometimes citizens with more than three children confuse the plans of legislators with real-life privileges. In particular, it is worth finding out whether there are discounts on air tickets for large families, and whether they are compensated for the costs of flying to their holiday destination.
Regulatory acts: current and rejected
Parents raising at least three children receive state benefits and other payments from the federal budget, including maternity capital, on an equal basis with everyone else. Additional payments, benefits, and monetary compensation for expenses for certain needs are provided to them by local legislators and municipalities. The size mainly depends on the latter.
The main federal document listing what benefits large families are entitled to is the Presidential Decree, signed by B.N. Yeltsin - No. 431 dated 05/05/1992. It instructs regional authorities:
- on the territory of the subject of the Russian Federation entrusted to them, determine the status of large families, that is, formulate which families fall under it;
- establish benefits for them - no less than the standard fixed in the Decree.
However, the above-mentioned document does not say anything about benefits for parents with many children on flights. It only guarantees free travel on intracity public transport, and not to all family members, but only to schoolchildren.
Many legal sites refer to a certain federal law, which states that Russians with many children have the right to compensate 50% of the costs of travel by any transport (including by plane or train) to a place of recreational recreation and back. Since its details are not indicated, we can assume that we are talking about bill No. 98035393-2 of November 17, 1999 - on state support for large families. Already in January 2000, it was rejected by the President. However, this legal act did not provide for discounts or compensation for air tickets.
In recent months, government officials have repeatedly announced the imminent adoption of a separate all-Russian law, clearly regulating which family is large and what preferences it is entitled to. In particular, Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko stated that such a document will appear before the end of 2018.
Perhaps the new law will also guarantee discounts on air tickets for large families. But now the issue is under the jurisdiction of the regions, each of which decides it based on the financial capabilities of the region, region or city.
State subsidies for air travel
A large family can get a discount on air tickets by taking advantage of government subsidies for certain air routes. It is designed to make tickets more affordable and revive passenger traffic between Russian cities.
At the beginning of 2018, the Russian Government of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 215 of 03/02/2018 on the procedure for providing subsidies to airlines. The state offers them to provide certain categories of citizens with low prices for air transportation, and in return is ready to compensate them for lost profits.
Please pay attention! Large families are not directly included in the list of beneficiaries. But there is another privileged category of Russians - citizens no older than 23 years old. That is, any minor child is included in it, regardless of whether he is raised in a large family or an ordinary one.
Also included in the preferential list are disabled people and pensioners. If one of the members of a large family has this status, you can also purchase an air ticket for them at a big discount.
In particular, the official Aeroflot website contains a list of subsidized destinations and ticket prices for benefit recipients who want to take advantage of the discounts. For example, you can fly from Khabarovsk to Moscow for 7,200 rubles, and from Kaliningrad to St. Petersburg for only 3,500 rubles.
Please pay attention! The reduced fare also applies to return tickets. However, the flight (both there and back) can only be carried out in economy class.
To take advantage of the right to subsidized tickets, parents with many children should find an air carrier participating in the government program and contact them to purchase them. In addition to the identity document of the applicant, when purchasing a ticket, the buyer must provide paper (certificate, identification, birth certificate) confirming the right to the benefit.
For information on how to get a refund for a ticket if the flight did not take place, see the article “ ».
What the regions offer
Receiving compensation for air travel depends on several conditions:
- a family raising more than 3 children must have the status of a large family (parents are issued a special certificate);
- she must permanently reside in a region where local laws provide for such a benefit;
- The purpose of the flight is important (usually legislators compensate part of the cost of tickets only if the beneficiary is sent to a sanatorium recommended by doctors to one of the family members, or to a place of study).
Table 1. Compensation for expenses of large families on tickets in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
| Region name | Is there compensation for flights for families with many children? |
| Moscow | In the two capitals, compensation for travel or flight expenses is not provided for this category of residents. |
| Once every 2 years, a large family is compensated no more than 7,000 rubles for the child’s travel to a place of rest or treatment. | |
| Compensation is due only if the health facility is located in the region, and the child rested/was treated there (on the recommendation of doctors). | |
| For large families, compensation is not provided, but if a child is HIV-infected, both he and one of his parents have the right to free travel to the place of treatment. | |
| Kaluga region | The regional law specifically stipulates that only travel by road or rail to the place of study or treatment of a child (aged 7-18 years) is compensated. |
How to use the benefit
Compensation for travel to the place of study or treatment is provided at the request of one of the parents or adoptive parents. First, he purchases air tickets, arranges a voucher, and after the child has rested, he goes to the officials for a compensation payment.
This preference is provided to parents with many children by social protection authorities at the family’s place of residence. You can go there directly or through the multifunctional center, if you can get closer to it. It is also possible to submit documents remotely through the State Services website.
Ticket costs will be reimbursed if the beneficiary provides the necessary documents. Their set may vary depending on the place of supply, but usually it includes:
- parent's identity document;
- a completed application form with a request to reimburse travel expenses to the place of treatment/rest/study (there is no single form, the document form is developed and approved by the regions independently);
- a certificate confirming the status of a large family;
- birth certificates of all children;
- paid air tickets;
- a document certifying that the child was in a sanatorium and underwent the necessary treatment;
- medical report with recommendations to visit a health facility.
If the provision of compensation is linked to the financial situation of the family, documents confirming its total income will be needed. The full list of documents must be clarified at the social security office or the MFC.
The application shall indicate the details of the bank account to which the compensation payment should be transferred. As a rule, it arrives within 1-3 months.
Discounts on other tickets
According to Presidential Decree No. 431, families raising three or more children have the right to visit exhibitions, recreation parks, and museums once a month. And although the circus and theater are not included in this list, regional social services often distribute free tickets to these cultural institutions to large families. Lost profits to organizations are compensated from local budget funds.
