Air India halves Star Alliance value — 81% increase
Air India Flying Returns devalued its Star Alliance award chart, increasing miles required for USA-India and Europe-India one-way awards by 81% and nearly tripling, respectively. This change makes it less desirable to accumulate Air India Flying Returns miles, with cardholders facing significant increases in miles required for popular routes.
Air India Flying Returns dropped a devaluation bomb on its Star Alliance award chart. The USA-India one-way award jumped from 55,000 miles to 100,000 miles, an increase of 81%. The Europe-India one-way award nearly tripled from 32,500 miles to 90,000 miles. The South America-India one-way award doubled to 110,000 miles. Fuel surcharges were dropped, but this change did not benefit Star Alliance flyers out of India. The new 6-zone, distance-tiered award chart replaced the old 11-zone chart, making redemption math more complicated. The devaluation affected economy awards, with significant increases in miles required for popular routes. Our take: if you have Air India Flying Returns miles, consider transferring them to partner airlines or booking awards before the chart changes further. The increased miles required for awards make it less desirable to accumulate Air India Flying Returns miles. With the significant devaluation, cardholders should reassess their loyalty program strategy and consider alternative options.