Award flight · one-way
Chennai → Hong Kong on points: 30 options, the board now symmetric with Hong Kong → Chennai. 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 33,000 via Cathay Asia Miles, and economy starts at 13,000. 19 rows are first-hand chart reads.
The play · economy
Which card mints this?
+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →
One of your cards is in those 7 — see it in the funnel →
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Asia Miles the play | Cathay Pacific nonstop (oneworld), Standard award | 13,000 | — | ₹13,000 | the play |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | Star Alliance metal (SQ/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→North Asia — Air China PhoenixMiles | ~17,000 est. | — | ₹15,300 | 1.2× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — United MileagePlus | ~25,000 est. | — | ₹25,000 | 1.9× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (3,713 km) — or Thai Airways via BKK | ~25,000 est. | — | ₹25,000 | 1.9× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Cathay Pacific nonstop (oneworld partner award) — or Malaysia Airlines via KUL | 25,000 | — | ₹25,000 | 1.9× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | Cathay Pacific nonstop MAA-HKG (oneworld partner award), India→North Asia — Alaska Atmos | 25,000 | — | ₹25,000 | 1.9× |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | Cathay Pacific nonstop (oneworld) via JAL partner chart | 23,000 | — | ₹25,300 | 1.9× |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Avianca LifeMiles | ~27,000 est. | — | ₹27,000 | 2.1× |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Singapore Airlines via SIN (one stop), Saver | 25,000 | — | ₹27,500 | 2.1× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (SQ/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→North Asia — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 30,000 | — | ₹30,000 | 2.3× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Malaysia Airlines via KUL (MAA–KUL–HKG) — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic) | ~30,000 est. | — | ₹30,000 | 2.3× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 30,000 | — | ₹30,000 | 2.3× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 35,000 | — | ₹35,000 | 2.7× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — TAP Miles&Go | 50,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 3.1× |
The play · business
Which card mints this?
+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →
One of your cards is in those 7 — see it in the funnel →
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Asia Miles the play | Cathay Pacific nonstop (oneworld), Standard award | 33,000 | — | ₹33,000 | the play |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | Star Alliance metal (SQ/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→North Asia — Air China PhoenixMiles | ~30,000 est. | — | ₹27,000 | 0.8× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Cathay Pacific business nonstop (oneworld partner award) — or Malaysia Airlines via KUL | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 1.2× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — United MileagePlus | ~45,000 est. | — | ₹45,000 | 1.4× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 45,000 | — | ₹45,000 | 1.4× |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | Cathay Pacific nonstop (oneworld) via JAL partner chart | 42,000 | — | ₹46,200 | 1.4× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (SQ/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→North Asia — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 47,500 | — | ₹47,500 | 1.4× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (3,713 km) — or Thai Airways via BKK | ~47,500 est. | — | ₹47,500 | 1.4× |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Avianca LifeMiles | ~50,000 est. | — | ₹50,000 | 1.5× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | Cathay Pacific nonstop MAA-HKG (oneworld partner award), India→North Asia — Alaska Atmos | 50,000 | — | ₹50,000 | 1.5× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — TAP Miles&Go | 70,000 | — | ₹56,000 | 1.7× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Malaysia Airlines via KUL (MAA–KUL–HKG) — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic) | ~60,000 est. | — | ₹60,000 | 1.8× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 60,000 | — | ₹60,000 | 1.8× |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Singapore Airlines via SIN (one stop), Saver | 62,000 | — | ₹68,200 | 2.1× |
The play · first
Which card mints this?
+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →
One of your cards is in those 7 — see it in the funnel →
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage the play | Cathay Pacific nonstop (oneworld partner award) — or Malaysia Airlines via KUL | 50,000 | — | ₹50,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (3,713 km) — or Thai Airways via BKK | ~55,000 est. | — | ₹55,000 | 1.1× |
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. Cathay Asia Miles and Air France-KLM Flying Blue state that a carrier-imposed surcharge is charged on an award. United MileagePlus, American Airlines AAdvantage, Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 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. 7 other programmes priced here publish nothing the desk could read.
Cathay Pacific oneworld
13,000 Standard in the 751-2,750-mile "type 2" band — the surcharge Cathay applies to any India route — on CX's own MAA-HKG nonstop (2,307 mi). Charts unpublished since May 2026; Standard space is capped per flight.
Feed it: 26,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 13,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 78,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Singapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance
Air China PhoenixMiles prices its own metal (India→Beijing, resumed Apr-2026) plus Star partners. North Asia is its only genuine strength; elsewhere it is a weak Star pricer with heavy fuel surcharges (why the currency sits at ₹0.90). India-origin levels are not published, so all values are estimated off trans-Pacific anchors. One-way (current PhoenixMiles).
Estimate 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: 21,250 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 51,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 102,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~25,000 is a typical Saver partner level to North Asia. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→North Asia 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: 12,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 62,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
Thai Airways Star Alliance
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN — only a CA$39 partner booking fee plus taxes. First is the published top cabin for this band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. Mirrored from hkg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 25,000 is the hkg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of hkg-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the hkg-maa economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.
Feed it: 12,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 25,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 62,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Cathay PacificMalaysia Airlines oneworld
25,000 AA miles Indian Subcontinent → Asia Region 2 on Cathay's own MAA-HKG nonstop — 75,000 Bonvoy at 3:1 (see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage). Asia Miles prices its own metal far cheaper; AA is the fixed-chart fallback.
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 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Cathay Pacific oneworld
Cathay Pacific flies MAA-HKG nonstop, ~2,307 miles, and Alaska Atmos bands partner awards by distance flown — the Asia-Pacific chart's 1,501-3,000 mi band: 25,000 economy / 50,000 business one-way, plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). One-way.
Feed it: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Cathay Pacific oneworld
MAA-HKG's 2,307 miles sit in JMB's 2,001-4,000 partner band — 23,000 one-way on Cathay metal, 10,000 over Asia Miles' Standard. HSBC feeds JMB 1:1; the direct-fed fallback when your points can't reach Asia Miles.
Feed it: 11,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 23,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 57,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Star Alliance
LifeMiles prices Star partner metal off an unpublished grid; India→Europe business ~63k is the headline sweet spot (beats Aeroplan). Business is the value cabin here; economy is mediocre. The chart is semi-fixed/unpublished, so some bands are estimates.
Estimate 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: 81,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 162,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 54,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
Singapore Airlines Star Alliance
Hong Kong is Zone 4, and the Zone 6 → Zone 4 cell carries no asterisk, so SQ prices MAA-SIN-HKG at a fixed 25,000 Saver — a Changi detour on a route Cathay flies nonstop, but fed by more Indian issuers than Asia Miles.
Feed it: 25,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 12,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 50,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)
Singapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance
EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India = "Central, South Asia"; one-way = half round-trip), and Hong Kong/Macau is its own zone priced BELOW China/North Asia: 60k economy / 95k business round-trip from India — 30k / 47.5k one-way. EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal.
Feed it: 30,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 200,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 750,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
Malaysia Airlines oneworld
Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart — and bills partner awards PER SEGMENT, so a connection is a sum. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal, and only economy and business are bookable on partners. Mirrored from hkg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 30,000 is the hkg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of hkg-maa — Air France-KLM Flying Blue prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the hkg-maa economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. 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 Malaysia Airlines — a Flying Blue redemption partner a named Flying Blue partner — via KUL: 2,629 km + 2,543 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)
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. 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: 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)
Star Alliance
Copa ConnectMiles prices Star partner metal off its FIXED region chart, and its regions PDF files Hong Kong under "South Asia" with Singapore and Bangkok, not North Asia — economy prices at the Central Asia↔South Asia 35k cell (business is 60k either way). 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.
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)
Star Alliance
TAP's 4 May 2026 chart repriced India — which sits in its "Asia" origin zone — and intra-Asia went from 40k/60k to 50k/70k one-way, still flat regardless of distance (fine to Tokyo, poor to Colombo). The Gulf was carved out into a Middle East zone of its own at 60k/80k, so Bangkok now undercuts Dubai. Heavy fuel surcharges on Lufthansa-group and TAP metal; steer via Turkish, EgyptAir or Ethiopian to dodge the YQ.
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) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Cathay Pacific oneworld
33,000 Standard one-way to Cathay's own hub (type-2 band) — the best rate on the corridor even after the May-2026 devaluation. SBI feeds Asia Miles 1:1; book the moment Standard space opens.
Feed it: 66,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 33,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 168,000 RBL Reward Points (5.09:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Singapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance
Air China PhoenixMiles prices its own metal (India→Beijing, resumed Apr-2026) plus Star partners. North Asia is its only genuine strength; elsewhere it is a weak Star pricer with heavy fuel surcharges (why the currency sits at ₹0.90). India-origin levels are not published, so all values are estimated off trans-Pacific anchors. One-way (current PhoenixMiles).
Estimate 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: 37,500 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Cathay PacificMalaysia Airlines oneworld
40,000 AA miles for Cathay business nonstop MAA-HKG — 120,000 Bonvoy at 3:1 (see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage). Dearer than Asia Miles' 33,000 Standard on the same jet; hold only if AAdvantage is where your Bonvoy points.
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)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~45,000 is a typical Saver partner level to North Asia. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→North Asia 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: 22,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 112,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 105,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.33:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
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. 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: 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.67:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (5.33:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.78:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Cathay Pacific oneworld
42,000 one-way business in JMB's 2,001-4,000 band on the same Cathay nonstop — 9,000 over Asia Miles' 33,000 Standard, but one-ways are allowed and HSBC feeds it 1:1. For existing JMB balances, not new ones.
Feed it: 21,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 42,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 105,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Singapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance
EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India = "Central, South Asia"; one-way = half round-trip), and Hong Kong/Macau is its own zone priced BELOW China/North Asia: 60k economy / 95k business round-trip from India — 30k / 47.5k one-way. EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal.
Feed it: 47,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 316,667 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,187,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
Thai Airways Star Alliance
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN — only a CA$39 partner booking fee plus taxes. First is the published top cabin for this band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. Mirrored from hkg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 47,500 is the hkg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of hkg-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the hkg-maa business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.
Feed it: 23,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 47,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 118,750 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Star Alliance
LifeMiles prices Star partner metal off an unpublished grid; India→Europe business ~63k is the headline sweet spot (beats Aeroplan). Business is the value cabin here; economy is mediocre. The chart is semi-fixed/unpublished, so some bands are estimates.
Estimate 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: 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 300,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 100,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
Cathay Pacific oneworld
Cathay Pacific flies MAA-HKG nonstop, ~2,307 miles, and Alaska Atmos bands partner awards by distance flown — the Asia-Pacific chart's 1,501-3,000 mi band: 25,000 economy / 50,000 business one-way, plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). One-way.
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) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
TAP's 4 May 2026 chart repriced India — which sits in its "Asia" origin zone — and intra-Asia went from 40k/60k to 50k/70k one-way, still flat regardless of distance (fine to Tokyo, poor to Colombo). The Gulf was carved out into a Middle East zone of its own at 60k/80k, so Bangkok now undercuts Dubai. Heavy fuel surcharges on Lufthansa-group and TAP metal; steer via Turkish, EgyptAir or Ethiopian to dodge the YQ.
Feed it: 180,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.57:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 360,000 RBL Reward Points (5.14:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Malaysia Airlines oneworld
Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart — and bills partner awards PER SEGMENT, so a connection is a sum. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal, and only economy and business are bookable on partners. Mirrored from hkg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 60,000 is the hkg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of hkg-maa — Air France-KLM Flying Blue prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the hkg-maa business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. 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 Malaysia Airlines — a Flying Blue redemption partner a named Flying Blue partner — via KUL: 2,629 km + 2,543 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)
Star Alliance
Copa ConnectMiles prices Star partner metal off its FIXED region chart (India sits in Copa’s "Central Asia" zone). Standout value — India→Europe 45k business, India→Sub-Saharan Africa 17.5k economy on Ethiopian (Cairo is a dearer 20k Middle East cell) — but 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.
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)
Singapore Airlines Star Alliance
62,000 Saver for SQ business Zone 6 → Zone 4 via Singapore — nearly double Asia Miles' 33,000 on Cathay's nonstop, and a stop added. Completeness; the Cathay Standard seat is the buy.
Feed it: 62,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 31,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 124,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)
Cathay PacificMalaysia Airlines oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. First is the chart’s top cabin for this region pair, so the cell is easier to read than to book wherever no oneworld carrier flies a first cabin on the sector. That region-to-region cell is the PAIR, not the direction: every Indian-Subcontinent cell reads identically from either origin chart, so this heading has one published number.
Feed it: 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 300,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 100,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Thai Airways Star Alliance
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN — only a CA$39 partner booking fee plus taxes. First is the published top cabin for this band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. Mirrored from hkg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 55,000 is the hkg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of hkg-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the hkg-maa first cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.
Feed it: 27,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 55,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 137,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Flying back? Hong Kong to Chennai on points (HKG–MAA). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into East Asia — 273 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.