Award flight · one-way

Cairo to Chennai on points

17,500 pts cheapest economy · American Airlines AAdvantage CAI → MAA great-circle 5,344 km · 3,321 mi 11 programs priced as of

Cairo → Chennai on points: 24 options, the board now symmetric with Chennai → Cairo. Award charts price the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so every program that prices the reverse heading is mirrored here — a mirror still flagged as an estimate never takes the crown. The cheapest verified business seat on the board is 30,000 via American Airlines AAdvantage, and economy starts at 17,500. 12 rows are first-hand chart reads.

read the full take fold the take back up

Economy

The play · economy

American Airlines AAdvantage

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT

17,500 pts
surcharge not published
₹17,500 all-in at house ₹

Which card mints this?

+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →

Program Metal / routing Points Surcharge All-in ₹ vs play
American Airlines AAdvantage the play oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT 17,500 — ₹17,500 the play
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) 20,000 — ₹20,000 1.1×
Avianca LifeMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Avianca LifeMiles ~25,000 est. — ₹25,000 1.4×
Air China PhoenixMiles Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India ⇄ North Africa — Air China PhoenixMiles ~28,000 est. — ₹25,200 1.4×
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (5,344 km) 30,000 — ₹30,000 1.7×
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Etihad via AUH (CAI–AUH–MAA), or Oman Air via MCT — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic) ~30,000 est. — ₹30,000 1.7×
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), India ⇄ North Africa — Alaska Atmos ~30,000 est. — ₹30,000 1.7×
Aegean Miles+Bonus Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Aegean Miles+Bonus 35,000 — ₹35,000 2.0×
United MileagePlus Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — United MileagePlus ~40,000 est. — ₹40,000 2.3×
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/SQ/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India ⇄ North Africa — EVA Infinity MileageLands 51,000 — ₹51,000 2.9×
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — TAP Miles&Go ~80,000 est. — ₹64,000 3.7×

Business

The play · business

American Airlines AAdvantage

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT

30,000 pts
surcharge not published
₹30,000 all-in at house ₹

Which card mints this?

+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →

Program Metal / routing Points Surcharge All-in ₹ vs play
American Airlines AAdvantage the play oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT 30,000 — ₹30,000 the play
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) 35,000 — ₹35,000 1.2×
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (5,344 km) 40,000 — ₹40,000 1.3×
Avianca LifeMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Avianca LifeMiles ~45,000 est. — ₹45,000 1.5×
Air China PhoenixMiles Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India ⇄ North Africa — Air China PhoenixMiles ~50,000 est. — ₹45,000 1.5×
Aegean Miles+Bonus Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Aegean Miles+Bonus 55,000 — ₹55,000 1.8×
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Etihad via AUH (CAI–AUH–MAA), or Oman Air via MCT — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic) ~60,000 est. — ₹60,000 2.0×
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), India ⇄ North Africa — Alaska Atmos ~60,000 est. — ₹60,000 2.0×
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/SQ/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India ⇄ North Africa — EVA Infinity MileageLands 67,000 — ₹67,000 2.2×
United MileagePlus Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — United MileagePlus ~75,000 est. — ₹75,000 2.5×
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — TAP Miles&Go ~125,000 est. — ₹1,00,000 3.3×

First

The play · first

American Airlines AAdvantage

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT

40,000 pts
surcharge not published
₹40,000 all-in at house ₹

Which card mints this?

+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →

Program Metal / routing Points Surcharge All-in ₹ vs play
American Airlines AAdvantage the play oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT 40,000 — ₹40,000 the play
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (5,344 km) 75,000 — ₹75,000 1.9×

All-in ₹ = points × the program's house value (valuation index) + the sourced one-way surcharge; a dash means the carrier doesn't publish it and the ranking counts it ₹0 — the row's note carries the caveat. That surcharge is the airline's own cash charge on an award — YQ, as the notes below call it — and it is not the fuel-surcharge waiver your credit card advertises: that one hands back a hundred rupees or two at a petrol pump, this one runs to tens of thousands and decides whether the award is worth taking at all. “Dynamic” and estimated (~… est.) rows never compete for the play — the crown is always a verified, bookable price. Feed-ins come from the same transfer data as the optimizer, multi-hop chains included.

Chart-priced, not live seats. These prices are read off each programme’s published award chart and valued at our own house ₹/point. 37% of the 39,855 priced options on the board are stated estimates for programmes that publish no chart; they are marked ~ est. and never crowned the play. Nobody here can see whether a seat exists on your date — confirm the space with the programme before you transfer. Points that leave your issuer do not come back.

The cash on top of the miles. Air France-KLM Flying Blue states that a carrier-imposed surcharge is charged on an award. American Airlines AAdvantage, Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards and United MileagePlus make you liable for one if the operating airline levies it, without saying whether it does. Air Canada Aeroplan states it adds none on its own metal. Government taxes and airport charges are payable in every case. Almost no programme publishes the amount, so the desk carries each one’s policy in its own words — on its programme hub — rather than a number nobody published. 6 other programmes priced here publish nothing the desk could read.

Row by row

24 options · 11 sourced charts
Economy

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 17,500 pts

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT

Qatar AirwaysOman Air oneworld

AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.

Feed it: 52,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 105,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 35,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of aa.com
Economy

Copa Airlines ConnectMiles

20,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart)

Star Alliance

Copa ConnectMiles prices Star partner metal off a FIXED region chart (India sits in Copa’s "Central Asia" zone). No Indian card feeds ConnectMiles — buy-miles or a US co-brand only — so treat it as a reference benchmark, not a wallet-reachable route. Copa's partner chart is a strictly upper-triangular region matrix — one cell per unordered region pair, no direction axis at all — so 20,000 is the same published cell as maa-cai, re-read off the official Copa PDF on 2026-08-06 rather than inferred.

Feed it: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of copaair.com
Economy

Avianca LifeMiles

~25,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Avianca LifeMiles

Star Alliance

LifeMiles publishes no chart: Avianca withdrew its public zone table in 2023 and prices Star partner awards off an unpublished internal grid — its one real edge. Business is the value cabin here; economy is mediocre. Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 25,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — Avianca LifeMiles prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. LifeMiles publishes no award chart — Avianca withdrew its public zone table in 2023 and prices Star partner awards off an unpublished internal grid. This level is extrapolated from that historical zone pricing plus dated community booking reports, not a verified chart price.

Feed it: 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 50,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)

as of awardtravelfinder.com
Economy

Air China PhoenixMiles

~28,000 pts est.

Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India ⇄ North Africa — Air China PhoenixMiles

LufthansaSingapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance

PhoenixMiles publishes no India-origin level and its zone tables do not map cleanly onto this city pair, so the value is extrapolated off the nearest published anchors. North Asia is Air China’s only genuine strength; elsewhere it is a weak Star pricer with heavy fuel surcharges. Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 28,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — Air China PhoenixMiles prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. PhoenixMiles' official zone division could not be reconciled with this corridor — Air China publishes no India-origin level, and its published zone tables do not map cleanly onto these city pairs. This value is extrapolated from the nearest published anchors, not a verified chart price.

Feed it: 69,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.46:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 138,000 RBL Reward Points (4.93:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 35,000 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

as of ffp.airchina.com.cn
Economy

Air Canada Aeroplan

30,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (5,344 km)

Star Alliance

Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN. This row is the direct great-circle band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.

Feed it: 15,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 30,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 75,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of aircanada.com
Economy

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

~30,000 pts est.

Etihad via AUH (CAI–AUH–MAA), or Oman Air via MCT — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic)

Etihad AirwaysOman Air

No SkyTeam metal touches Chennai — Chennai's own airline table lists no Air France, KLM, Korean, Vietnam, China Eastern, Kenya, Saudia or Delta. Flying Blue's Chennai door is its non-alliance partner Etihad, connecting at Abu Dhabi (or Oman Air via MCT). Only economy and business are bookable with Miles on these partners — no first. Partner awards carry the operating carrier's surcharges (the published Oman Air datapoints run US$190–390 one-way), which Flying Blue does not publish per route.

Estimate Flying Blue is dynamic and prices partner awards PER SEGMENT (One Mile at a Time, 6-Jun-2024: "you're paying the per segment pricing anyway"). No SkyTeam carrier serves Chennai at all, so this row rides Etihad — a Flying Blue redemption partner since 27-Nov-2023 — via AUH: 2,966 km + 2,378 km banded to 15,000 + 15,000 = 30,000 economy. Bands anchored on published Flying Blue partner datapoints (business one-way: Muscat–Dubai 6,100, Abu Dhabi–Kuwait 9,500, Muscat–Bangkok 42,900, Abu Dhabi–Bangkok 45,000, Muscat–Munich 45,800, Abu Dhabi–Johannesburg 48,000, Abu Dhabi–Washington 87,000); economy is half of business, the one published economy anchor. Dates and demand move the real number.

Feed it: 30,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 15,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 30,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)

as of awardwallet.com
Economy

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

~30,000 pts est.

Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), India ⇄ North Africa — Alaska Atmos

Qatar AirwaysOman Air oneworld

Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle, so a connecting build can read a higher band than the map suggests — plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 30,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

Feed it: 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 50,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.67:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Economy

Aegean Miles+Bonus

35,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Aegean Miles+Bonus

Star Alliance

Aegean Miles+Bonus prices Star partner metal off one region chart published as ROUND TRIPS — its own rule is that a one-way costs exactly half, and the halved figure is what we show. India sits in the "Near East & Central Asia" zone: the Far East is a flat 30k/45k one-way (Tokyo costs the same as Bangkok), Europe 35k/55k, North America 50k/75k. That chart is a single upper-triangular ZONE-PAIR matrix — 45 published cells for 9 zones, exactly one per unordered pair — so CAI → MAA and MAA → CAI resolve to the same cell. Re-read against the chart and promoted from mirror-estimate to chart read on 2026-08-06. No Indian card feeds it — Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only road in, and awards only display once you hold the full balance.

Feed it: 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.57:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 180,000 RBL Reward Points (5.14:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 60,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Economy

United MileagePlus

~40,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — United MileagePlus

Star Alliance

United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so this is a typical Saver partner level on Star metal for this pair. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower. Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 40,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — United MileagePlus prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India ⇄ North Africa on Star Alliance metal; United went fully dynamic in 2020, so this is a typical Saver that moves with availability and cabin scarcity.

Feed it: 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 100,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.25:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)

as of awardwallet.com
Economy

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

51,000 pts

Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/SQ/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India ⇄ North Africa — EVA Infinity MileageLands

Air IndiaLufthansaSingapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance

EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India sits in "Central/South Asia"; one-way = half round-trip). EVA serves no Indian city, so the award rides partner metal end to end. EVA's own Star Alliance requirement table is a triangular ORIGIN/DESTINATION REGIONAL ZONES matrix carrying one cell per region pair, so no second number exists for this heading.

Feed it: 51,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 340,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,275,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)

as of evaair.com
Economy

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go

~80,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — TAP Miles&Go

Star Alliance

TAP Miles&Go prices Star partner metal off its region chart, and the 4-May-2026 devaluation lifted its long-haul cells. A cell holds only while the itinerary stays inside two TAP regions — a build that crosses a third region is billed flight by flight and summed. Lufthansa-group metal carries the heaviest surcharges on Star. Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 80,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

Feed it: 195,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.44:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 390,000 RBL Reward Points (4.88:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 130,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.63:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

Business

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 30,000 pts

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT

Qatar AirwaysOman Air oneworld

AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.

Feed it: 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 180,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 60,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of aa.com
Business

Copa Airlines ConnectMiles

35,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart)

Star Alliance

Copa ConnectMiles prices Star partner metal off a FIXED region chart (India sits in Copa’s "Central Asia" zone). No Indian card feeds ConnectMiles — buy-miles or a US co-brand only — so treat it as a reference benchmark, not a wallet-reachable route. Copa's partner chart is a strictly upper-triangular region matrix — one cell per unordered region pair, no direction axis at all — so 35,000 is the same published cell as maa-cai, re-read off the official Copa PDF on 2026-08-06 rather than inferred.

Feed it: 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.57:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 180,000 RBL Reward Points (5.14:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 60,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of copaair.com
Business

Air Canada Aeroplan

40,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (5,344 km)

Star Alliance

Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN. This row is the direct great-circle band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.

Feed it: 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 100,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of aircanada.com
Business

Avianca LifeMiles

~45,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Avianca LifeMiles

Star Alliance

LifeMiles publishes no chart: Avianca withdrew its public zone table in 2023 and prices Star partner awards off an unpublished internal grid — its one real edge. Business is the value cabin here; economy is mediocre. Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 45,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — Avianca LifeMiles prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. LifeMiles publishes no award chart — Avianca withdrew its public zone table in 2023 and prices Star partner awards off an unpublished internal grid. This level is extrapolated from that historical zone pricing plus dated community booking reports, not a verified chart price.

Feed it: 135,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 270,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 90,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)

as of awardtravelfinder.com
Business

Air China PhoenixMiles

~50,000 pts est.

Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India ⇄ North Africa — Air China PhoenixMiles

LufthansaSingapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance

PhoenixMiles publishes no India-origin level and its zone tables do not map cleanly onto this city pair, so the value is extrapolated off the nearest published anchors. North Asia is Air China’s only genuine strength; elsewhere it is a weak Star pricer with heavy fuel surcharges. Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 50,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — Air China PhoenixMiles prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. PhoenixMiles' official zone division could not be reconciled with this corridor — Air China publishes no India-origin level, and its published zone tables do not map cleanly onto these city pairs. This value is extrapolated from the nearest published anchors, not a verified chart price.

Feed it: 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 62,500 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

as of ffp.airchina.com.cn
Business

Aegean Miles+Bonus

55,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — Aegean Miles+Bonus

Star Alliance

Aegean Miles+Bonus prices Star partner metal off one region chart published as ROUND TRIPS — its own rule is that a one-way costs exactly half, and the halved figure is what we show. India sits in the "Near East & Central Asia" zone: the Far East is a flat 30k/45k one-way (Tokyo costs the same as Bangkok), Europe 35k/55k, North America 50k/75k. That chart is a single upper-triangular ZONE-PAIR matrix — 45 published cells for 9 zones, exactly one per unordered pair — so CAI → MAA and MAA → CAI resolve to the same cell. Re-read against the chart and promoted from mirror-estimate to chart read on 2026-08-06. No Indian card feeds it — Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only road in, and awards only display once you hold the full balance.

Feed it: 135,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.45:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 270,000 RBL Reward Points (4.91:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 90,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.64:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Business

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

~60,000 pts est.

Etihad via AUH (CAI–AUH–MAA), or Oman Air via MCT — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic)

Etihad AirwaysOman Air

No SkyTeam metal touches Chennai — Chennai's own airline table lists no Air France, KLM, Korean, Vietnam, China Eastern, Kenya, Saudia or Delta. Flying Blue's Chennai door is its non-alliance partner Etihad, connecting at Abu Dhabi (or Oman Air via MCT). Only economy and business are bookable with Miles on these partners — no first. Partner awards carry the operating carrier's surcharges (the published Oman Air datapoints run US$190–390 one-way), which Flying Blue does not publish per route.

Estimate Flying Blue is dynamic and prices partner awards PER SEGMENT (One Mile at a Time, 6-Jun-2024: "you're paying the per segment pricing anyway"). No SkyTeam carrier serves Chennai at all, so this row rides Etihad — a Flying Blue redemption partner since 27-Nov-2023 — via AUH: 2,966 km + 2,378 km banded to 30,000 + 30,000 = 60,000 business. Bands anchored on published Flying Blue partner datapoints (business one-way: Muscat–Dubai 6,100, Abu Dhabi–Kuwait 9,500, Muscat–Bangkok 42,900, Abu Dhabi–Bangkok 45,000, Muscat–Munich 45,800, Abu Dhabi–Johannesburg 48,000, Abu Dhabi–Washington 87,000); economy is half of business, the one published economy anchor. Dates and demand move the real number.

Feed it: 60,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 30,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 60,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)

as of awardwallet.com
Business

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

~60,000 pts est.

Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), India ⇄ North Africa — Alaska Atmos

Qatar AirwaysOman Air oneworld

Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle, so a connecting build can read a higher band than the map suggests — plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 60,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

Feed it: 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 300,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 100,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.67:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Business

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

67,000 pts

Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/SQ/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India ⇄ North Africa — EVA Infinity MileageLands

Air IndiaLufthansaSingapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance

EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India sits in "Central/South Asia"; one-way = half round-trip). EVA serves no Indian city, so the award rides partner metal end to end. EVA's own Star Alliance requirement table is a triangular ORIGIN/DESTINATION REGIONAL ZONES matrix carrying one cell per region pair, so no second number exists for this heading.

Feed it: 67,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 446,667 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,675,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)

as of evaair.com
Business

United MileagePlus

~75,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — United MileagePlus

Star Alliance

United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so this is a typical Saver partner level on Star metal for this pair. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower. Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 75,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — United MileagePlus prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India ⇄ North Africa on Star Alliance metal; United went fully dynamic in 2020, so this is a typical Saver that moves with availability and cabin scarcity.

Feed it: 37,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 187,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 165,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.2:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)

as of awardwallet.com
Business

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go

~125,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India ⇄ North Africa — TAP Miles&Go

Star Alliance

TAP Miles&Go prices Star partner metal off its region chart, and the 4-May-2026 devaluation lifted its long-haul cells. A cell holds only while the itinerary stays inside two TAP regions — a build that crosses a third region is billed flight by flight and summed. Lufthansa-group metal carries the heaviest surcharges on Star. Mirrored from maa-cai: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 125,000 is the maa-cai number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-cai — TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the maa-cai business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

Feed it: 300,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 600,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 200,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

First

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 40,000 pts

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT

Qatar AirwaysOman Air oneworld

AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.

Feed it: 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of aa.com
First

Air Canada Aeroplan

75,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (5,344 km)

Star Alliance

Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN. This row is the direct great-circle band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.

Feed it: 37,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 75,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 187,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of aircanada.com

More corridors

39 from CAI · 40 to MAA

Flying back? Chennai to Cairo on points (MAA–CAI). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into South Asia — 380 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.