Air India has announced a major expansion of its Maharaja Club loyalty programme, enabling members to earn and redeem Maharaja Points on flights operated by Air India Express across more than 55 destinations spanning South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia.
The enhancement marks a significant step in the integration of loyalty benefits across the Air India Group and is aimed at making Maharaja Points more valuable and relevant for frequent flyers travelling across both Air India and Air India Express networks.
Maharaja Club members can immediately begin earning Maharaja Points and Tier Points on Air India Express-operated flights booked through multiple channels, including the Air India and Air India Express websites and mobile applications, as well as through major travel agents.
Air India stated that eligible Air India Express flights will also contribute towards tier progression within the Maharaja Club programme. These flights will count towards both minimum flight requirements and Tier Points accumulation, allowing members to progress faster to higher membership tiers.
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India and Chairman of Air India Express, said, “Our focus is on continually expanding Maharaja Club in a way that ensures our loyal customers’ travel experiences across destinations contribute meaningfully to their relationship with the Air India group. The growing scale of the Air India Express network makes the introduction of accruals and redemptions on these flights both timely and important, addressing a long-standing expectation of our frequent flyers. It also reflects our aim to build Maharaja Points into a valuable currency over time.”
Members can currently add or modify their Maharaja Club ID during bookings made on Air India and Air India Express digital platforms as well as through select online travel partners. The addition or modification of membership IDs at airport counters and contact centres is not yet available.
The Maharaja Points accrual framework also extends to special fare categories, including senior citizen, student and armed forces bookings.
Reward Points will be calculated based on the base fare and fuel surcharge, following a structure aligned with Air India’s existing framework.
For bookings made directly through Air India Express channels, Red tier members will earn eight points per INR 100 spent, Silver members 10 points, Gold members 11 points and Platinum members 12 points.
Bookings made through other channels, including traditional travel agents and online travel agencies, will earn slightly lower accruals, ranging from six to 10 points per INR 100 spent, depending on membership tier.
Air India has also enabled redemption of Maharaja Points for Air India Express-operated award flights through Air India’s codeshare arrangement.
Currently, members can redeem Maharaja Points on Air India Express-operated flights carrying Air India’s ‘AI’ designator code when booking through the Air India website or mobile app.
For example, passengers booking sectors such as Delhi–Guwahati on Air India platforms may find flights operated by Air India Express under the codeshare arrangement and can redeem Maharaja Points for these services, similar to Air India-operated flights.
Award flight redemptions on Air India Express begin from 1,500 Maharaja Points.
Sample redemption levels include Bengaluru–Chennai and Dimapur–Guwahati starting from 1,500 points, Bengaluru–Goa and Mumbai–Goa from 2,500 points, Bengaluru–Mumbai from 4,000 points, Delhi–Bengaluru from 7,000 points, and international routes such as Amritsar–Dubai, Mumbai–Abu Dhabi, Kochi–Bahrain and Bengaluru–Bangkok starting from 12,000 Maharaja Points.
Air India further stated that future phases of the integration will introduce additional benefits for Maharaja Club members travelling on Air India Express, including priority check-in, priority boarding, Fly Prior services, complimentary seat selection, and cancellation or rescheduling fee waivers on eligible services.
