Air India Has A New Way To Keep Kids Busy On Long Flights. It Is Called Cloud Chasers

Anyone who has ever boarded a long-haul flight with a toddler in tow knows exactly what kind of mental preparation that requires. The snacks, the tablets loaded with cartoons, the silent prayer that the child doesn't decide to test their lung capacity at 35,000 feet. For years, flying with children has been something parents endured rather than enjoyed. Air India wants to change that. With the launch of Cloud Chasers, the airline has rolled out its most comprehensive kids' travel programme yet, and the timing could not be more on point.

So, What Is Cloud Chasers?

Cloud Chasers is Air India's answer to the above, a dedicated, end-to-end programme for young flyers and their families, covering everything from the moment you check in to the time you land. Think of it less as a single product and more as an entire ecosystem designed with children at the centre.

The programme also comes with a fresh face: a reimagined version of Air India's iconic Maharaja. The turbaned mascot has been a part of the airline's identity for decades, but in the Cloud Chasers universe, he gets a younger, more playful makeover, becoming an adventurous companion who guides children through their journey. It is a smart bit of brand storytelling that gives the programme a character kids can actually connect with.

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What Kids Get Onboard

The most tangible part of Cloud Chasers, at least for children aged 3 to 9, is the activity kit. Available on long-haul and ultra-long-haul flights over eight hours, these kits are packed with puzzles, games, drawing sections, and discovery prompts, all wrapped up in Cloud Chasers branding featuring the new Maharaja. For parents, this is basically a few hours of the occupied child, which, on a ten-hour overnight flight, is genuinely priceless.

There is also a revamped First Flight Certificate, which has been given a whimsical new design. Signed by the captain and crew, it is the kind of memento that ends up framed on a child's bedroom wall rather than forgotten in a junk drawer. Parents can request one to mark their child's first experience in the air, a small but thoughtful gesture that turns a routine boarding into something a bit more memorable.

Entertainment That Actually Works for Kids

The in-flight entertainment offering under Cloud Chasers is genuinely substantial. The Kids Zone on Air India's Vista IFE system now has over 130 hours of content, and for passengers using their own devices, Vista Stream adds another 35 hours of child-friendly programming. Content spans the 3-to-13 age group and has been curated with partners including Moonbug and Red Bull TV, with more being added progressively.

On the interactive side, there is a Kids Maps feature alongside a suite of games, UNO, Angry Birds, Chess, and Ludo Race, among them. For parents who are trying to manage screen time even mid-flight, Air India has also partnered with Vobble to bring learning-based audio stories into the mix. It is the kind of detail that shows the programme was designed with genuine input about what families actually need, not just what looks good on a product sheet.

The Ground-Level Stuff

Cloud Chasers is not limited to what happens once you are airborne. The programme also folds in a set of services designed to make the broader airport and journey experience easier for families. Priority boarding is offered to families with children across airports, and priority check-in assistance is available wherever operationally possible. Infant meals and bassinet seats can be arranged on select domestic and international routes, and Air India's crew, trained specifically to assist families with young flyers, are on hand around the clock.

None of these is entirely new features in isolation, but bundling them under one coherent programme gives families a clearer picture of what to expect when they fly Air India. It removes the guesswork.

The Numbers Behind the Move

Air India developed Cloud Chasers due to compelling data. In FY2025-26, nearly 8% of international and around 5% of domestic Air India passengers were travelling with children. Family travellers made up 5.67% of the airline's total passengers, equating to hundreds of thousands of bookings annually. Route-level data shows the Delhi-Mumbai and Bengaluru-Delhi corridors as the busiest domestically, with 53,000 to 77,000 family PNRs yearly. Internationally, Dubai and London routes were top, with the Dubai-Delhi sector recording about 58,000 family bookings and London-Delhi close at 56,000. These figures highlight the importance of these routes for family travel. Additionally, family travel grew by 13% globally between 2024 and 2025, indicating a rising trend. The decision to create Cloud Chasers was clear: cater to this significant audience by developing the right solution.

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A First Phase, Not a Final Product

Rajesh Dogra, Air India's Chief Customer Experience Officer, was clear that this is the beginning of something larger rather than a one-time launch. "This launch marks the first phase of a long-term vision," he said, "and travellers can expect more enhancements as we continue to elevate Air India's family travel experience."