New Delhi: In a major expansion of its loyalty programme, Air India has announced that members of its Maharaja Club can now earn and redeem Maharaja Points on flights operated by Air India Express across more than 55 destinations in South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia.

The move is aimed at strengthening the airline group’s integrated rewards ecosystem and offering greater value to frequent flyers who travel across the combined network of Air India and Air India Express.

Wider benefits for frequent flyers

With the new integration, Maharaja Club members will be able to earn both Maharaja Points and Tier Points on eligible Air India Express bookings made through official airline websites, mobile applications and select travel agents.

Passengers will need to enter their membership ID at the time of booking to start accumulating points. These flights will also contribute towards tier upgrades, allowing members to move faster through different loyalty status levels.

The airline has clarified that Air India Express flights will also count towards minimum travel requirements needed for status progression under the programme.

However, retrospective claims for past bookings made on Air India Express flights will not be available during the initial phase of implementation.

Reward structure varies by booking channel

The airline has introduced a differentiated reward system depending on the booking platform used by passengers.

Members booking directly through the Air India Express website or mobile app will earn higher Maharaja Points compared to those booking through online travel agencies or third-party travel agents.

Under the programme, Red tier members can earn 8 points per ₹100 spent through official channels, while Platinum tier members can earn up to 12 points per ₹100.

Bookings made through third-party platforms will have slightly lower accrual rates, the airline said.

The company has also stated that Maharaja Club membership IDs can currently only be added or updated during the booking process on digital platforms, while airport counters and contact centres do not yet support this feature.

Redemption begins from 1,500 points

The integration also allows redemption of Maharaja Points on select Air India Express-operated flights that carry Air India’s “AI” designator code under a codeshare arrangement.

Passengers can now redeem points through the Air India website and mobile app on eligible routes along with regular Air India services.

Redemption starts from 1,500 Maharaja Points on select domestic routes such as Bengaluru–Chennai and Dimapur–Guwahati.

Other domestic redemption options include Bengaluru–Goa and Mumbai–Goa at 2,500 points, while longer routes such as Delhi–Bengaluru may require around 7,000 points.

International routes such as Amritsar–Dubai, Mumbai–Abu Dhabi, Kochi–Bahrain and Bengaluru–Bangkok will start from 12,000 points, depending on availability and fare conditions.

Airline plans deeper integration in future

According to the airline, the current rollout is only the first phase of a broader integration strategy aimed at unifying loyalty benefits across its expanding network.

Future enhancements are expected to include priority check-in, priority boarding, preferred seat selection, and additional services such as “Fly Prior” options and fee waivers for cancellations and rescheduling on eligible flights.

Officials said the expansion is designed to make Maharaja Points a more valuable rewards currency for frequent travellers across both full-service and low-cost operations within the Air India group.

Industry experts believe the move will strengthen customer retention and improve competitiveness in India’s fast-growing aviation market, where airlines are increasingly relying on loyalty programmes to attract repeat flyers.