Air India's revamped loyalty program makes it easier to earn Star Alliance status

In the latest of a series of updates, Air India is rolling out significant changes to its Flying Returns frequent flyer program. The new simplified structure changes from distance-based earnings to one based on revenue and includes several updates and additional features. The most significant change for the new program is how miles are earned. From today, April 3rd, the number of Flying Returns Points Members will earn collect per flight will be based on the amount they spend on a ticket rather than the distance flow. A move the airline believes will provide its loyal passengers with a better return on investment. Flying Returns Points will never expire, regardless of Membership Tier level, provided the member takes at least one flight on Air India every 24 months. Points can also be redeemed on any flight with no blackout dates, thanks to the new ability to combine points and cash on ticket redemptions. Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial & Transformation Officer at Air India, detailed the research that went into the overhaul: “The revamp of Flying Returns is an important step forward in the way the ‘new’ Air India intends to serve and delight customers. We spent the past year listening, gathering insights from over 50,000 customers, and benchmarking our program against the best loyalty offerings out there. This deep dive, coupled with a complete digital overhaul, has resulted in a much stronger and value-delivering programme that we are proud to present today."<br/>