What started as a routine safety briefing on an IndiGo flight soon turned into a moment passengers are unlikely to forget. Midway through the announcement, the pilot switched standard airline protocol for something much more personal — a surprise shout-out to his daughter, who was traveling on the same flight as her classmates.
The pilot, Gurdish Singh, was operating a flight from Mumbai to Nagpur when he revealed that his “little princess” was on board as part of a Class 6 school trip. What followed was an unexpected mix of affection, humor and Gen Alpha slang that made the passengers smile.
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After acknowledging the teachers and support staff accompanying the children, Singh shifted gears and delivered a playful, youth-coded message tailored to his daughter and her classmates. The announcement changed the atmosphere in the cabin to one of collective joy, from the incentive of “snacks and atmosphere” at 36,000 feet to the promise of “illuminated views” outside the window.
The last line sealed the moment – a gentle reminder to one of the kids to behave themselves because “your dad flies this plane.”
Singh later shared the video on Instagram and wrote that his most special passengers that day were his daughter and her classmates.
Watch the viral video here:
The clip has since gone viral, with social media users dubbing him “the coolest dad in the sky” and praising the rare, candid intersection of professional duties and parenthood.
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User wrote: “Coolest dad gen alpha!”
Another user wrote on Instagram: “I see all the passengers are enjoying listening to you.”
A third user wrote: “You are awesome doing the CAPTAIN!”
“Awesome, I hope all angels have fathers like him, even sons have fathers like him,” commented a third user.
“DGCA approved,” wrote a fourth.
“I see all the passengers like to listen to you,” wrote a fifth.
Meanwhile, another pilot’s heartwarming message from December hit the Internet. In a video shared on social media, Pradeep Krishnan is seen addressing passengers with an unusually sincere and empathetic appeal, acknowledging the frustration caused by flight delays and disruptions.
In the clip, Krishnan apologizes to flyers who may have missed important engagements, stressing that the delays are not intentional. He reassures passengers that pilots and crew are doing everything they can in difficult circumstances, adding that even airline employees are eager to get home after long and demanding days.
Referring to the recent disruptions, Krishnan says his heart goes out to travelers who have been stranded or inconvenienced. Recalling his own delayed flight to Coimbatore, he notes that even as emotions ran high at the airports, the passengers on his flight remained calm, patient and supportive – something he said moved him deeply.
The pilot described it as a difficult phase for the aviation industry and expressed confidence that the situation would stabilize soon. He ended his message with a simple but urgent request: for passengers to show kindness to ground staff, who he says are working under enormous pressure to help people get home safely.
The video has since been widely shared, with many users praising the pilot’s honesty and compassion at a time when tempers flared at airports.