No parent flies alone.
Saathi finds trusted company for your parents on their flights, and keeps you updated from check-in to the moment they walk out of arrivals.
- Meet families whose parents are on the same flight, or landing at the same time
- Names and numbers stay private until both families agree
- A simple app for your parent in Hindi or English, with a big help button
Saathi is in early testing. Your answers decide what we build first.
A 20-hour journey, a connection in a foreign airport, and you on the other side of the world.
Every year, thousands of parents fly alone to visit their children abroad. Families worry about the layover, the immigration form, the wheelchair that doesn't turn up, and not knowing where Maa is for most of a day.
Today, the answer is a post in a Facebook group and hoping a stranger replies. We think families deserve better.
Four steps, and your parent is never on their own.
Add the flight
Paste the airline's booking email. Saathi reads the flight, date and seat for you.
Meet a companion
See who else is on that flight or landing nearby. Filter by language, fellow seniors or young helpers.
Families agree first
You request an introduction. Contact details are shared only when both families say yes.
Follow the journey
Your parent taps through each step. You see every update, and get an alert if they need help.
Find company you can trust.
- Matches on the same flight, or arriving or leaving within 90 minutes
- Filter by a shared language like Hindi, Gujarati or Tamil, not just English
- Choose a fellow senior for company, or a young traveller happy to help with bags and forms
- Only first names are shown until both families agree
Big text, their language, one step at a time.
- Opens with a 6-digit code from you. No email, no password
- Switch between English and Hindi at any time, with more languages planned
- Reads itself aloud, with large buttons to call you or their companion
- A step-by-step guide from check-in to baggage claim, and a big red "I need help" button
Know where they are, without calling every hour.
- Updates as they check in, board, land and clear immigration
- An instant alert, with a call button, if they press "I need help"
- Their companion's family is told too, so help is right there
Other options stop at the introduction. Saathi stays with them the whole way.
Here is how Saathi compares with what families use today.
| Facebook and WhatsApp groups | Companion-matching websites | Paid escorts | Saathi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finds people on the same flight | If someone happens to reply | Yes | Not their model | Yes, plus nearby arrivals and layovers |
| Privacy until both sides agree | Posts are public | Varies | Yes | Yes, first names only until then |
| Matches by home language | No | Some | No | Yes |
| App designed for the parent | No | Rarely | No | Yes: Hindi, large text, read aloud |
| Step-by-step journey guide | No | Rarely | A person does it | Yes |
| Updates to family on travel day | No | Rarely | By phone | Yes, at every step |
| Help button that alerts everyone | No | No | No | Yes |
| Cost | Free | Free to about $25 | Often thousands of dollars | Free while we test |
Based on the services' own public descriptions in 2026. Paid escorts and airline wheelchair assistance are still the right choice when a parent needs medical or physical care, and Saathi works alongside them.
Is this worth building? Tell us in 3 minutes.
We're testing the idea before we launch. Your answers decide which features come first, which languages we add and whether Saathi should exist at all.
No sign-up needed. Leave your email only if you want early access.
Has your parent flown alone?
Tell us how it went: what worked, what was hard, who helped. With your permission, we'll share stories here to help other families.
No stories published yet. Be the first to share yours.
Frequently asked questions
How is Saathi different from other companion sites and groups?
Most options help you find someone on the same flight and then leave the rest to you. Saathi goes further:
- It stays with them all day. Your parent gets a step-by-step guide on their phone, and you get an update at every step.
- It's built for the parent, not just for you. Hindi and English, large text, read-aloud and a 6-digit code instead of a password.
- A help button that reaches everyone. One tap alerts you and their companion's family.
- Smarter matching. Same flight, or landing within 90 minutes, filtered by home language.
- Private by default. First names only until both families agree to an introduction.
- Adding a trip takes seconds. Paste the airline's booking email and the details fill in.
How much does it cost?
Saathi is free while we test it. If we add paid features later, we'll ask in the survey first and tell you before anything changes.
Who will my parent be travelling with?
Another traveller whose family has registered their flight: usually a fellow senior, sometimes a younger traveller who has offered to help. You see their first name, age, home city, languages and anything they've shared before you request an introduction.
How do you check people?
Every account is confirmed by email, and families talk to each other before the trip. Contact details are only shared once both families agree.
Before launch we plan to add ID checks and vouching by community associations. The survey asks what would make you trust a match, and your answers will shape this.
Is a Saathi companion a carer?
No. A companion is company: someone to sit with, walk with and keep an eye out. If your parent needs a wheelchair or medical help, book the airline's assistance as well. On flights to and from the US, airlines must provide wheelchair assistance free of charge. Our blog explains how to request it.
Does my parent need a smartphone?
A smartphone gives them the journey guide and help button. Without one, you can still find them a companion and follow the trip from your phone. Their companion can also message you.
Which routes and languages?
We're starting with flights between India and the US, in English and Hindi. Matching works on any international flight, and the survey asks which languages and routes to add next.
What happens to my information?
We use it only to run Saathi. We never sell it and never show phone numbers publicly. You can delete your account and everything in it from the app at any time. See our privacy policy.
When can I download the app?
The app is built and in testing. Join the early access list below and we'll email you when it's on the App Store and Google Play.
I have another question
Send us a message. A real person reads every message and replies by email.
Coming soon to iPhone and Android.
Join the list and we'll email you once, when Saathi is ready to download.