India offers an enriching travel experience for families with children, allowing kids to explore cultural landmarks, colonial historic sites, theme parks, museums, and embark on wildlife safaris. Add in Indian cooking classes, traditional art workshops, and cultural performances and you can create an itinerary that’s not only fun but also educational for your kids as well.

India has several dependable airlines that make travel to India from other countries as well as domestic travel within India easy and comfortable. India’s various airlines offer a range of services to cater to different travelling family budgets and needs.

While each airline may have its own strengths and weaknesses, overall, they all provide a reliable transportation option within India. Among the various Indian airlines, some are particularly known for being family-friendly, providing services and amenities designed for travellers with children.

So, whether you’re in need of a Goa to Delhi flight or wanting to fly from Mumbai to Agra, we thought we’d share some info and tips on India’s most family-friendly airlines to help you plan your next family holiday to India.

Travelling with Kids? Family-Friendly Flights from Goa to Delhi

IndiGo

IndiGo is the largest airline in India by number of passengers carried each year, having consistently maintained its position as the leading carrier in Indian aviation and known for being family-friendly. Better yet for families traveling on a restrictive budget is the fact IndiGo operates as a low-cost carrier, focusing on providing affordable air travel options with a no-frills model.

IndiGo has an extensive domestic network covering major cities and regional destinations across India. It operates numerous daily flights connecting key metro areas, making it a popular choice for domestic travel within the country.

IndiGo is known for its punctuality and operational efficiency. The airline has consistently maintained high on-time performance rates which any families travelling with kids will tell you is important in order to keep children who often have little patience happy.

IndiGo has been recognised as the “Best Low-Cost Airline in Central Asia and India”. In addition to being low-cost, IndiGo offers priority boarding for families travelling with infants and young children. They also have family-friendly policies in place, such as allowing parents to carry baby essentials like strollers and car seats without additional charges.

Vistara

Vistara is India’s second largest domestic airline and rather new to the market having been born in 2015. It’s partially owned by Singapore Airlines which is synonymous with dependable and comfortable air travel.

Unlike some other airlines in India that operate on a low-cost model, Vistara is a full-service carrier. It offers a range of services and amenities including complimentary meals, in-flight entertainment, and comfortable seating options which many families travelling with children may prefer.

Vistara’s primary hub is located at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. From this hub, the airline operates domestic flights to major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Internationally, the airline links to cities such as Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok, and Colombo.

When it comes to children, Vistara has India’s “Best Cabin Crew” who go out of their way to makes kids enjoy flights. Flights often offer kid-friendly meals and activity kits to keep children engaged, and often offer discounted fares for children travelling with adults, making it more affordable for families.

AirAsia India

A subsidiary of Malaysian-based AirAsia , AirAsia India is another available low-cost carrier. Like Vistara, this airline is also partially owned and operated by Tata Sons, one of India’s largest business conglomerates.

Like IndiGo, AirAsia India follows a no-frills model, offering families the option to purchase additional services such as meals, seat selection, and baggage allowance. This allows families to customise their air travel needs according to their preferences and budget.

With any low-cost airline, it’s important for families to remember to be prepared to bring their own snacks, entertainment, and other essentials for children during flights. It also pays to keep in mind that not being able to select seats may be an issue for families travelling with kids where sitting together is essential. AirAsia India typically offers seat selection, but as an add-on service for an additional fee.

SpiceJet

SpiceJet serves a wide network of domestic and international destinations. Domestically, it operates flights to major cities and regional destinations across India. Internationally, SpiceJet flies to destinations in Asia and the Middle East.

There is now talk that it may try to purchase India’s now-defunct Go First Airline which would provide it with access to around 27 additional domestic and seven added international airports, along with Go First’s traffic rights which would make its reach far greater.

SpiceJet is a low-cost airline that is perfect once again for families on a budget. I should also mention they also offer a 10% student discount along with 10kg extra baggage allowance for students. The airline also offers a friends or family discount up to 25% off base fares when two or more travellers book together. They offer in-flight entertainment with their Spice Screen, offering kids games and child-appropriate movies and shows.

Air India Express

Air India Express is a low-cost subsidiary of Air India, India’s national carrier. In terms of fleet size and number of passengers it carries annually, Air India is the country’s second largest airline after IndiGo which we covered earlier. It’s also a member of Star Alliance.

Air India Express primarily serves international destinations, particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The airline operates flights to cities in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Air India Express offers competitive fares, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious travellers, particularly those travelling between India and the Middle East. They also offer discounted fares for travelling families. Use their Vista Flex option to enjoy unlimited free changes to your flights bookings up to 2 hours before departure.

While they are a low-cost airline, you can purchase various handy add-on bundles which may include things like priority-boarding, prime seats, hot meals, beverages, and more to make your flight more enjoyable if you have the budget to do so.

Hopefully this overview of India’s family-friendly airlines allows you to better plan your next holiday to India. To make your travel planning even easier, we encourage you to check out Cleartrip, an online travel agency headquartered in Mumbai that facilitates the booking of flights, hotels, trains, and activities throughout India.