Air India Extends Maharaja Club Loyalty Benefits to Air India Express Network

Air India has unveiled a major expansion of its Maharaja Club frequent flyer programme, allowing loyalty members to accumulate and redeem Maharaja Points when flying Air India Express services spanning over 55 destinations throughout South, Southeast, and West Asia alongside existing Air India routes.

The initiative represents a strategic move by the Air India Group to enhance value for regular travellers, ensuring that journeys across Air India Express's growing network contribute to member benefits and rewards alongside traditional Air India flights.

Starting immediately, Maharaja Club members can begin earning Maharaja Points and Tier Points on Air India Express bookings made through the Air India website, Air India Express website, their respective mobile applications, and participating travel agencies. Flights booked on Air India Express will also count toward tier progression requirements, allowing members to accumulate Tier Points and satisfy minimum flight thresholds needed for advancing to higher membership tiers.

Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer at Air India and Chairman of Air India Express, stated that the airline group remains committed to strengthening the Maharaja Club programme by ensuring customer travel experiences generate meaningful value. He noted that the expansion addresses long-standing requests from frequent travellers and supports the development of Maharaja Points as a valuable currency within the Air India ecosystem.

Earning Points on Air India Express

Members must provide their Maharaja Club identification during the booking process to accumulate points on Air India Express flights. Retroactive point claims are not available during this initial rollout phase. Members can enter their membership details when booking through Air India and Air India Express platforms, as well as select online travel partners, though airport counters and contact centres do not currently support ID additions or modifications.

The points accrual framework covers all ticket categories, including discounted fares for senior citizens, students, and military personnel. Points are calculated on base fares and fuel surcharges using rates consistent with Air India's structure.

Members booking through Air India Express's direct channels earn between 8 and 12 Maharaja Points per 100 rupees spent, depending on tier status. Those booking through travel agents and online platforms earn between 6 and 10 points per 100 rupees, with Red tier members earning the lowest rates and Platinum tier members earning the highest.

Redeeming Points for Award Flights

Currently, point redemptions apply to codeshare flights displaying Air India's 'AI' flight designator but operated by Air India Express through the interline agreement between the carriers. These redemptions are available exclusively through the Air India website and mobile app.

For example, a member searching for flights from Delhi to Guwahati would see multiple options bearing AI flight numbers on the Air India platform, with some operated by Air India Express. Members can redeem their Maharaja Points for these flights alongside standard Air India services.

Award flight redemptions begin at 1,500 Maharaja Points for economy fares on shorter routes such as Bengaluru-Chennai and Dimapur-Guwahati. Mid-range routes like Bengaluru-Kozhikode require 2,000 points, while longer domestic sectors such as Delhi-Bengaluru demand 7,000 points. International redemptions to destinations including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and Bangkok start at 12,000 Maharaja Points.

Future Benefits

Subsequent phases of the integration will introduce additional privileges for Maharaja Club members on Air India Express flights. These will include priority check-in, priority boarding, the Fly Prior programme, advance seat selection, and fee waivers for cancellations and schedule changes on eligible services.