Air India Flying Returns: The Simple Flying Guide

Air India’s Flying Returns isn’t the most well-known frequent flyer program in the world, but with its airline being a Star Alliance member, it is an important one for many people. We’ll look at the program’s pros, cons, and everything else you need to know about Flying Returns.

Air India and Flying Returns

The Flying Returns loyalty program was set up in 2001. The program quickly added members and went global with its alliance membership in 2014, bringing a fixed award chart for Air India and partner airlines.

Major changes to the program were made in early 2024. It was completely refreshed in early 2024, with significant changes to earning and spending points as well as elite status qualification.

Like many other airline loyalty programs, it has now changed to a revenue-based earning model – at least for Air India flights. As Air India is a member of Star Alliance, there is also the option to earn points from all alliance member airlines. There are limited credit card and retail options, too, for earning points – these may increase as the new program develops. Spending miles on award tickets has also changed to a variable pricing system.

Photo: Soos Jozsef | Shutterstock

The pros and cons of Flying Returns

As with all programs, we’ll examine what Air India’s loyalty program excels at and where it falls short. Starting with the positive:

• Quick path to elite status
  : The requirements to earn elite status with Flying Returns are lower than in many other Star Alliance programs. This was a strong point before the 2024 changes, and levels required since then have dropped around 40% in general. Star Alliance Gold offers excellent alliance-wide benefits, and many will find it easier to obtain with Flying Returns than other programs.
• Elite status offers valuable free upgrades
  . The inclusion of free upgrades as a loyalty benefit varies significantly between airlines. Flying Returns offers domestic upgrades (applicable to any purchased ticket without fare restriction) from the lowest elite level (one at the Silver level, up to three for the Platinum level).
• Good earnings with credit cards.
  If you are an Indian resident, applying for one of the SBI co-branded credit cards can accelerate your mileage earnings substantially. Standard earnings start at two Rewards Points per INR 100 with the Platinum Visa card (double this with the Signature Visa card), and go as high as 30 Rewards Points per INR 100 on Air India flights.
• More to come
  : The refreshed program was only launched in early 2024. The indications are that there is still more to be announced. Partner award rates still seem to be settling down. Plus, Air India has suggested that there will be an offer soon for travelers based in other countries.

Photo: PhotographerIncognito | Shutterstock

However, there are some drawbacks to the program:

• Revenue-based points earning
  . From 2024, all flights with Air India earn points based on the fare paid. This generally results in less lucrative earnings for all but the more expensive last-minute or premium cabin tickets. This is becoming standard with more and more loyalty programs, though. The good news is that partner airlines remain distance-based, which can be much more lucrative.
• Expensive redemptions.
  Flying Returns traditionally had one of the most costly Star Alliance partner charts, charging more for partner flights than its own. Moreover, there are hefty cancelation charges. As the new program settles in, we need to see how these partner award rates compare.

• Limited opportunities outside India:
  Points earned from sources other than flying are very limited outside India. There are also no international credit cards available for earning. This could change in the future, but for now, the program is limited to India-based travelers. Air India also has a minimum flying requirement to obtain elite status.