Air India halves mile validity — 36 months

Air India Flying Returns has switched to fare-class earning, with miles earned ranging from 10% to 200% depending on the fare class. Miles are now valid for 36 months instead of 3 calendar years. The changes were rolled out on December 1, 2015. Reinstating expired miles now costs ₹0.6 per mile, up from ₹0.1, and buying miles outright costs ₹1.25 each, a 25% increase. The changes also introduced a rolling 36-month expiry rule, replacing the old calendar-year rule. This means that miles earned will expire 36 months from the date they were earned, rather than at the end of a calendar year. Our take: rolling 36-month expiry plus fare-class earning is a double cut — the cheap tickets most Indians actually buy now earn 10% of distance, and the clock starts the day you earn instead of at year-end. Reinstating what lapses costs ₹0.6 a mile, six times the old ₹0.1, so a lapsed balance is effectively gone. Flying Returns is now a burn-on-sight currency: book the award in front of you, don’t save for a someday trip.