With the summer travel season nearing, Indian families abroad are gearing up for trips to India and looking to spend quality time with loved ones back home. To make their arrival and departure easier and much convenient during this busy season, Air India has launched dedicated ‘Family Assistance’ counters. These special counters are designed to offer on-ground support to families in real time, especially those traveling with children and/or elderly parents needing a little extra help or special assistance.
Currently available at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Air India’s ‘Family Assistance’ counters aim to make your airport experience smoother and far less stressful by providing personalized support and guidance, from check-in to baggage handling, customs queries, and immigration formalities. Air India is not only transforming into a more family-friendly carrier but also joining the ranks of best international airlines to fly between USA and India.
Integral to the Tata Group’s transformation plan – Vihaan.AI – for Air India, the Family Assistance counters extend support to passengers with special requirements, such as wheelchair assistance. This initiative comes in handy if you forget to request wheelchair assistance for yourself or your elderly parent at the time of booking Air India flight tickets. You can ask for wheelchair support at the Family Assistance counter.
Elevating your experience also in the sky, Air India’s new ‘Family Assistance’ service may get you seated with your family on flights from New Delhi to USA, London, Singapore, and other destinations. It depends on seat availability during your airport check-in. This one-stop initiative is very useful for senior citizens’ unaccompanied travel. The airline staff at the Family Assistance counter will offer service to “help them navigate from the check-in counter to the designated boarding gate of their flight while completing all the airport formalities”, and thereby ensuring peace of mind for their families.
Part of Air India’s meet and greet service, the dedicated Family Assistance check-in counters are similar to British Airways’ in-person airport assistance at five Indian airports. British Airways’ ‘Meet and Assist’ team offers assistance in five Indian languages: Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Punjabi, from check-in to boarding at Indian airports to transit at London Heathrow. It seems that this kind of thoughtful passenger-friendly service has become a bandwagon that airlines are jumping on.
Prior to setting up Family Assistance counters at New Delhi Airport, Air India brought screen-free entertainment for children on long-haul flights that Indian Eagle Travel books at the most unbeatable fares. Air India’s collaboration with Vobble, an audio content platform, is a deliberate move to reduce inflight screen time for kids, who otherwise indulge in visual content for hours. During its ongoing transformation journey, Air India has made several key improvements and achieved some milestones – which make Air India worth flying with for trips to and from India.
