Air India Launches Namaskar Sewa to Assist Travelers till Boarding at Major Airports

Senior citizens with difficulty movement, physically challenged individuals, minor children, travelers with infants, first-time travelers, and individuals with travel anxiety do, at times, find it worrisome to travel alone thousands of miles by air. Certain issues like complex airport environment, high-tech security screening procedures, little knowledge of directional signage terminology, difficulty handling heavy bags, inexperience of using self-service devices, and hours-long waiting in check-in and security screening queues make unaccompanied air travel a gnawing concern about their physical or psychological health for their families.

All thanks to Air India’s Namaskar Sewa for alleviating the concern to some extent. The disinvestment-bound national carrier of India has extended ‘Namaskar Sewa’ service from first class to economy and business flights, for unaccompanied travelers and individuals requiring assistance to sail through from the entry gate until boarding.

As part of Air India’s Namaskar Sewa, a meet and greet service, dedicated personnel receive travelers at the airport entrance and assist them every way possible until the latter are seated in the aircraft.

For those with confirmed business or economy flight tickets, Air India will offer Namaskar Sewa on a pilot basis at New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport starting this month. The service can be availed for a nominal fee. Travelers who connect to Air India’s international flights at Delhi IGI airport are the primary focus of the initiative, as they have to transit from one terminal to another.

Based on travelers’ response to the pilot project at Delhi, Air India’s Namaskar Sewa will be available at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports where there are sizeable numbers of Air India’s customers for international destinations.

Available to all flyers from September 23, the ‘Namaskar Sewa’ service will cost domestic travelers Rs 750 each and Rs 1500 per international flyer. Those who register for Air India’s Namaskar Sewa prior to their scheduled flight departure will have a pleasant experience of checking in, screening and boarding at India’s biggest and busiest international airport.

Air India that flew more than 35 lakh international travelers and over 81 lakh domestic flyers from April to June this year does often receive complaints from passengers having faced certain issues at airports. Namaskar Sewa is a welcome move for elderly travelers of economy class, who knowing only regional languages find it upsetting to get past security checkpoints and board international flights.

“Overseas Indians who seek companionship or assistance for their parents traveling alone on international flights, in Facebook groups such as Travel Solution for Indian Parents, can think of Air India’s Namaskar Sewa as a short-time alternative,” remarked the chief customer relations officer of IndianEagle.com, a leading portal for cheap air tickets to India.