Air India Flying Returns program changes are live: Here are your key takeaways

03.04.2024 - 11:59 / thepointsguy.com / Air India / Airlines

We've previously covered how Air India is refreshing its identity. It started by making a massive aircraft order. Then it rolled out a new aircraft livery for its fleet and started installing refreshed seats on its wide-body aircraft. More recently, Air India continued its makeover with a new website and crew uniforms.

Now, Air India is modernizing its loyalty program. On April 3, the revamped Air India Flying Returns launched with new earning and redeeming structures, as well as changes to its elite status qualification requirements and a way to prevent points from expiring. Plus, no more paper upgrade certificates or calling in to book Star Alliance award flights.

TPG senior points and miles editor Gabrielle Bernardini and I sat down for a chat with several Air India employees, including head of loyalty, marketing and e-commerce, Sunil Suresh, to discuss the loyalty program's first overhaul in over a decade. Here's what we learned about the Air India Flying Returns program changes.

As you read this post, the new Air India Flying Returns program is live. So, although this post offers some additional information we obtained during our interview, you may also want to check the Air India website for specifics that weren't available to us before the program launched.

But for now, here are the key takeaways you should know about the Air India Flying Returns program changes:

The Air India employees we spoke to in our interview noted their next step is to integrate Air India Express and Vistara into the Flying Returns program, such that all three airlines use one common loyalty program. They also hinted the airline may eventually offer one or more cobranded Air India credit cards for U.S. residents, noting they recognize the role cobranded cards play in loyalty rewards programs. The airline may also try to partner with one or more U.S. transferable currencies, which would join its collection of Indian banks that are already transfer partners.

Related: The best ways to fly to India with points and miles

Air India told us it wants to "make it a program that is right up there with the best in the world." The newly revamped Flying Returns program certainly makes several major improvements, including allowing the booking of all Star Alliance award flights online.

The switch from mileage-based earnings to spend-based earnings on Air India flights will have winners and losers. In particular, those who fly on expensive fares and are happy to earn points on non-flight spending will come out well ahead. But those who fly longer less expensive fares will certainly earn less under the revamped program.

However, without a cobranded card in the U.S. or transferable points earned by U.S.-issued rewards cards that you