Air India Launches Revamped Flying Returns Loyalty Program

Air India is in the midst of a huge transformation, and 2024 is turning out to be a pivotal year for the airline.

As part of an overall brand reimagining, Air India has launched a revamped Flying Returns loyalty program.

The changes affect the earning, redemption, and expiration of Flying Returns points, and establish new names and an adjusted structure for the program’s elite status tiers.

Air India’s Revamped Flying Returns Loyalty Program

Air India has launched a completely revamped Flying Returns loyalty program, which was last updated in 2012.

The changes affect everything from how you earn and redeem points, as well as qualifying for elite status.

Earning Flying Returns Reward Points

Air India has overhauled its Flying Returns loyalty program for the first time in over a decade, with the new design and benefits beginning as of April 3, 2024.

A notable feature of these changes is that the Flying Returns loyalty program has shifted from a miles-based points earning structure to a revenue-based structure, both for Reward Points that you can redeem for flights, and for Tier Points that you can use to qualify for status.

Under the new program, members earn at least 6 Flying Returns Rewards Points per INR 100 spent (~$1.60 CAD), and these points can be used for award flight redemptions. 

These points are earned when booking with Air India, and the qualifying charges include the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges.

In addition to this baseline earning rate, elite members can earn bonus points at an increasing rate based on their status tier as follows:

• Silver members earn 8 Reward Points per INR 100 spent (~$1.60 CAD)
• Gold members earn 9 Reward Points per INR 100 spent (~$1.60 CAD)
• Platinum members earn 10 Reward Points per INR 100 spent (~$1.60 CAD)

Everyone can earn an additional 2 Reward Points per INR 100 spent (~$1.60 CAD) when booking directly with Air India on its website or app. These bonus points can be redeemed for award flights, but will not count towards earning elite status.

If you credit your flights with Star Alliance carriers to Flying Returns, you’ll still earn points based on the fare class and distance flown. A full breakdown of the eligible classes and fares can be found on the Air India website.

Flying Returns members will also earn Tier Points for spending on base fares and carrier-imposed surcharges. All members earn Tier Points at a rate of 6…