CALGARY — Any parent who’s ever had to travel for work knows that the days until their return home can seem extra long, especially to a heartbroken child.

But WestJet has come to the rescue with an innovative new gadget that allows kids to track their parents’ flight in real-time and, in turn, count down the minutes until Mom and Dad are home again.

The Flight Light, which doubles as a nightlight, uses live WestJet data to project the path of a loved one’s flight onto their child’s bedroom ceiling. How it works is simple enough: Parents download the Flight Light App onto a mobile device before takeoff, enter their flight number into the app, including their arrival and departure times, and presto – they’re now synced with their kids at home.

Even cooler? Parents can send messages and fun emojis to the Flight Light, which will automatically be projected onto their kid’s bedroom ceiling.

“Caring for our guests also means caring for the ones they love, and with Flight Light we hope to bring more comfort and joy to parents and their children during their travel journeys,” said Richard Bartrem, WestJet’s Vice-President, Marketing Communications. “Being away from home can be tough and we wanted to develop a fun tool that could help families stay connected to the ones they love in a truly authentic WestJet way.”

The Flight Light’s design was inspired by the WestJet 787 Dreamliner. A detachable flashlight takes the shape of the aircraft body, and when the flight path isn’t being projected, the flashlight can also be used to project a silhouette of an airplane.

A prototype of the Flight Light has been created and beta testing will begin later this year. For more information go to westjet.com/flightlight.