Air India's Family Assistance Counter: What It Is and How to Find It
By Ishaani Reddy (Ishaani Reddy writes about the consumer-protection side of travel — DGCA passenger rights, OTA refund policies, hidden fees, dynamic-currency-conversion traps and the seven kinds of booking mistakes that quietly drain Indian travel budgets.) · Published · 9 min read
Air India operates dedicated Family Assistance counters at its major hubs — Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM), and Bengaluru (BLR). These counters handle wheelchair assistance, bassinet allocation, and priority family check-in without you needing to stand in the general queue. Here's how to find them and make full use of them.
TL;DR: What the Family Assistance Counter Actually Does
Air India's Family Assistance counters are dedicated check-in desks at major Indian airports — primarily Delhi T2, Mumbai T2, and Bengaluru T1/T2 — that handle requests the general check-in queue isn't equipped for: wheelchair tagging, bassinet seat allocation, travelling-with-infant paperwork, and families with multiple children checking in together. If you've pre-requested special assistance through Air India's manage-booking portal and still want to confirm the physical arrangement on the day, this is your first stop.
Short version: locate the Air India check-in island, look for a counter marked 'Special Assistance' or 'Family Assistance' at the leftmost or rightmost end of the row, and go there first. Don't join the standard economy queue if you have a wheelchair user, an infant, or a bassinet pre-booked.
Where Are the Family Assistance Counters? (BOM, DEL, BLR)
Airport layouts shift whenever a terminal refreshes, so treat these as strong starting points rather than carved-in-stone directions — always verify on the day at the airline information desk near the entrance.
- Delhi Indira Gandhi International (DEL), Terminal 2: Air India operates domestic and select international flights from T2. The Family Assistance counter is typically at the far left of the AI check-in bank as you enter from the main drop-off. Look for the orange 'Special Services' signboard above the counter row. If you arrive early (3+ hours before departure), it will be staffed.
- Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (BOM), Terminal 2: At BOM T2, Air India's check-in counters are on Level 4. The Family Assistance/Special Services desk sits at the end of the Air India island, closest to the central information pillars. Staff there can also issue boarding priority tags for families travelling with children under 5.
- Bengaluru Kempegowda International (BLR), Terminal 1 and Terminal 2: BLR has been phasing operations between T1 and T2 through 2025–26. Confirm your terminal on your e-ticket. In both terminals, the Air India special-assistance desk is adjacent to — not inside — the main check-in block; look for the blue 'AI Assistance' placard. The T2 one is notably easier to spot because it's near the lift bank.
For other airports — Chennai (MAA), Hyderabad (HYD), Kolkata (CCU) — Air India uses the general check-in counter but designates specific lanes for special assistance. Call AI's 24/7 helpline (1800-180-1407, toll-free in India) the evening before to confirm which lane is active at your departure airport.
What Exactly Does 'Family Assistance' Cover?
People confuse this with VIP service, which it isn't. It's a passenger-rights mechanism, and DGCA guidelines require airlines to provide reasonable accommodation for passengers with reduced mobility and families with infants. Here's what the counter staff can actually help with:
- Wheelchair assistance tagging: If you or a family member needs a wheelchair, the counter raises a request with ground handling (IndiGo uses Celebi; Air India uses a mix of SATS and in-house). They'll tag your boarding pass, notify the gate, and arrange a wheelchair from the counter to the aircraft door. You do not need to pay for this — DGCA rules prohibit charging for basic wheelchair assistance on Indian carriers.
- Bassinet seat allocation: Bassinets (infant cradles that clip to the bulkhead wall) are only available on certain aircraft types and on certain rows. If you pre-booked an infant ticket but didn't get bassinet seat assignment confirmed online, the Family Assistance counter is where you escalate — not the regular check-in agent, who often can't override seat locks.
- Infant documentation check: Some Air India international routes require a 'No Objection' letter from a non-travelling parent for minors. The staff here know what's needed for which route and can catch a paperwork gap before you hit immigration.
- Family check-in priority: Families with children under 12 are supposed to be expedited through check-in per Air India's published policy. The Family Assistance counter enforces this; the general queue doesn't always.
- Unaccompanied minor (UM) formalities: Air India's UM programme paperwork is processed here, including the handoff form that must be signed before departure.
How to Pre-Request Assistance Before You Reach the Counter
Walking up cold on the day of travel and hoping the counter sorts everything is fine for straightforward requests. For anything complex — a wheelchair user who needs an aisle seat, a bassinet on a busy holiday weekend, UM paperwork for two children — pre-request at least 48 hours in advance.
Via Air India Manage Booking: Log into airindia.com, go to 'Manage Your Booking', and look for 'Special Services' (sometimes called 'Special Assistance Request'). Options include WCHR (wheelchair to/from the gate), WCHC (passenger can't climb stairs), and BSCT (bassinet).
Via phone: 1800-180-1407 or the AI contact centre. Have your PNR ready. Confirm you get an email or SMS acknowledgement — verbal promises alone can fall through the cracks at a busy hub.
Via an OTA (MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip, Ixigo etc.): Most OTAs pass your SSR (Special Service Request) codes to the airline, but there's a known lag. If you booked on an OTA, also call Air India directly to confirm the SSR is on the PNR. I've seen bassinet requests stuck in OTA systems that never reached the airline's side — annoying when you find out at check-in with an infant in your arms.
If you booked through FlightGPT's AI search and are comparing Air India flights, you can compare seat maps and aircraft types across dates before booking — handy for spotting which aircraft has a bulkhead row for the bassinet.
What to Do If the Counter Is Unstaffed or Can't Help
It happens — especially late-night departures or during peak holiday rushes when the counter staff is pulled to handle overflows. Two practical fallbacks:
- Airport Operations Manager (AOM): Every Air India flight has a duty manager on the ground. Ask any uniformed AI staff to radio the AOM. This escalation gets real results faster than standing at a regular counter and hoping.
- Gate check-in: If wheelchair assistance wasn't arranged and the family assistance counter is swamped, go to the gate early and tell the gate agent. Wheelchairs are staged near gates for exactly this reason; they can still arrange it within 30–40 minutes of departure.
Know your DGCA rights: DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section 3, Series M, Part IV covers passengers with disabilities. Airlines are obligated to provide mobility assistance without charge. If you're refused without good reason or charged for basic wheelchair assistance, file a complaint at pgportal.gov.in and note it in the AirSewa app — both log formally against the airline's compliance record.
Timing: When to Arrive at the Counter
Add 30–45 minutes to whatever arrival time you'd normally target. Family Assistance desks open when check-in opens (typically 3 hours before departure on AI international, 2 hours on domestic) but can get backed up fast on weekends and festival seasons — Diwali week at DEL T2 is not the time to be casual about timing.
A few specifics that trip people up:
- Bassinet requests are first-come, first-served on the day even if you pre-booked — there are only 2–4 bassinet positions on most narrowbodies. Arrive early.
- UM paperwork takes 20–30 minutes to complete. Budget for that on top of normal check-in time.
- Oversized mobility equipment (electric wheelchairs, prams) must be checked at a dedicated oversized-baggage counter after the main check-in. The Family Assistance staff will direct you — it's not the same counter.
A Note on Air India's Post-Merger Ground Experience
Air India absorbed Vistara in late 2024, which means some routes that were Vistara-operated are now under the Air India or Air India Express brand. Ground processes at the airline's counters are still harmonising as of mid-2026. If your ticket shows an AI flight number on a route that was previously operated by Vistara, the Family Assistance counter is the same Air India desk — but do double-check your terminal, because some BOM and DEL operations moved gates in the merger reshuffle.
Also worth knowing: Air India Express (the low-cost arm) does not maintain separate Family Assistance counters at all airports. Express flights use general check-in with designated 'priority' lanes. Wheelchair requests on Express still go through the regular check-in lane, though the process should be the same once you flag it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to pay extra for wheelchair assistance at Air India Family Assistance counters?
No. DGCA rules explicitly prohibit Indian carriers from charging for basic wheelchair assistance (WCHR/WCHC categories). If you're asked to pay, refuse and ask to speak to the duty manager. File a complaint on AirSewa if you're charged.
Can I request a bassinet seat at the Family Assistance counter on the day of travel?
Yes, but bassinets are limited — typically 2–4 positions per aircraft on Air India's narrowbodies. Pre-request via airindia.com at least 48 hours before departure and confirm with a reference number. On the day, the counter can confirm your allocation; walk-in requests are fulfilled only if a bassinet row is still free.
Is the Family Assistance counter available at smaller Indian airports?
At secondary airports (Lucknow, Jaipur, Goa etc.), Air India doesn't operate a dedicated Family Assistance counter. Instead, they designate specific priority lanes at regular check-in. Call 1800-180-1407 the evening before to confirm which lane is active and that your SSR is on the PNR.
My child is travelling as an unaccompanied minor on Air India. Is UM paperwork done at this counter?
Yes — UM formalities including the escort handoff form, emergency contact documentation, and boarding priority are all processed at the Family Assistance counter. Budget at least 25–30 minutes for this at DEL or BOM. Don't attempt it through regular check-in; the agents there may not have the UM forms.
Our family has two different PNRs for the same flight. Can the counter seat us together?
The counter can request seat assignment changes, but it depends on availability at check-in. The earlier you arrive, the better. Ideally, call Air India before the day of travel to link the PNRs — this raises a 'group seating request' that gives the seat-assignment system a chance to block adjacent rows before check-in opens to the public.
What if Air India rerouted us onto a code-share flight operated by a partner? Who handles assistance?
For Air India code-share flights operated by a partner carrier, the operating carrier's ground staff handle assistance. Air India should notify them of your SSR, but always reconfirm with the operating carrier directly — especially for international routes where the aircraft, the ground handler, and the assistance protocols are all different from a domestic AI flight.