Award flight · one-way

Chennai to Malé on points

7,500 pts cheapest economy · Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards MAA → MLE great-circle 1,221 km · 759 mi — short-haul, ~2 hours 11 programs priced as of

Chennai → Malé on points: 23 options, the board now symmetric with Malé → 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 15,000 via Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards, and economy starts at 7,500. 15 rows are first-hand chart reads.

read the full take fold the take back up

Economy

The play · economy

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

SriLankan Airlines via CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos

7,500 pts
surcharge not published
₹7,500 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
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards the play SriLankan Airlines via CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos 7,500 — ₹7,500 the play
IndiGo BluChip IndiGo via an Indian hub (BLR/COK) — BluChip, dynamic ~10,400 est. — ₹5,200 0.7×
Avianca LifeMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Avianca LifeMiles ~7,500 est. — ₹7,500 1.0×
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (1,221 km) ~7,500 est. — ₹7,500 1.0×
United MileagePlus Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — United MileagePlus ~10,000 est. — ₹10,000 1.3×
Aegean Miles+Bonus Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Aegean Miles+Bonus 12,500 — ₹12,500 1.7×
Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) SriLankan via CMB (oneworld) — Avios partner chart, two Zone-1 segments 13,000 — ₹13,000 1.7×
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ/Thai — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Air India dropped 1-Aug-2026: its only Malé service is Delhi–Malé, so the Chennai build is MAA–DEL–MLE, 4,495 km for a 1,221 km hop — EVA Infinity MileageLands 15,000 — ₹15,000 2.0×
American Airlines AAdvantage oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or SriLankan Airlines via CMB 17,500 — ₹17,500 2.3×
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) 20,000 — ₹20,000 2.7×
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — TAP Miles&Go 50,000 — ₹40,000 5.3×

Business

The play · business

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

SriLankan Airlines via CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos

15,000 pts
surcharge not published
₹15,000 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
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards the play SriLankan Airlines via CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos 15,000 — ₹15,000 the play
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (1,221 km) ~12,500 est. — ₹12,500 0.8×
Avianca LifeMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Avianca LifeMiles ~15,000 est. — ₹15,000 1.0×
United MileagePlus Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — United MileagePlus ~20,000 est. — ₹20,000 1.3×
Aegean Miles+Bonus Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Aegean Miles+Bonus 21,000 — ₹21,000 1.4×
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ/Thai — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Air India dropped 1-Aug-2026: its only Malé service is Delhi–Malé, so the Chennai build is MAA–DEL–MLE, 4,495 km for a 1,221 km hop — EVA Infinity MileageLands 22,500 — ₹22,500 1.5×
Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) SriLankan business via CMB (oneworld) — Avios partner chart, two Zone-1 segments 28,000 — ₹28,000 1.9×
American Airlines AAdvantage oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or SriLankan Airlines via CMB 30,000 — ₹30,000 2.0×
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) 35,000 — ₹35,000 2.3×
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — TAP Miles&Go 70,000 — ₹56,000 3.7×

First

The play · first

American Airlines AAdvantage

AAdvantage region-chart first cell — no oneworld carrier flies a first cabin on this route (SriLankan's top cabin is business); the cell prices, the seat does not fly. Chart completeness only.

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 AAdvantage region-chart first cell — no oneworld carrier flies a first cabin on this route (SriLankan's top cabin is business); the cell prices, the seat does not fly. Chart completeness only. 40,000 — ₹40,000 the play
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (1,221 km) ~25,000 est. — ₹25,000 0.6×

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. Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) states that a carrier-imposed surcharge is charged on an award. Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards, United MileagePlus and American Airlines AAdvantage 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.

Open this corridor in British Airways’ Flight Finder → It fills in your search — MAA to MLE on 29/12/2026, which you change there. It does not show award space, and no link on this page can. It is the only carrier handoff the desk ships: Qatar returns CASH fares under award-looking parameters, Aeroplan discards them behind a login, KrisFlyer’s search has no URL to link to, and the Flying Blue template in circulation has never been verified.

Row by row

23 options · 11 sourced charts
Economy

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

the play 7,500 pts

SriLankan Airlines via CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos

SriLankan Airlines oneworld

Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle: the cheapest Atmos routing is SriLankan Airlines via CMB, ~885 flown miles against a 759-mile nonstop, which reads the Asia-Pacific chart's sub-1,500-mile band — 7,500 economy / 15,000 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: 22,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 45,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 15,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Economy

IndiGo BluChip

~10,400 pts est.

IndiGo via an Indian hub (BLR/COK) — BluChip, dynamic

IndiGo

IndiGo serves Malé, but not from Chennai — a BluChip itinerary backtracks over Bengaluru or Kochi on 6E metal, fare-linked at ~₹0.40-0.80 per point. SriLankan's tidy Colombo routing beats it; this is a balance-dump row.

Estimate IndiGo BluChip is revenue-linked ~Rs0.50/pt; ~= typical one-way IndiGo economy fare / Rs0.50 for ~759 mi - a rupee offset that moves 1:1 with the live fare. Own-metal only, no partners.

Feed it: 15,600 HSBC Reward Points (1.5:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 52,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:1) · 31,200 HDFC Reward Points (3:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

as of pointsmath.com
Economy

Avianca LifeMiles

~7,500 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Avianca LifeMiles

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: 22,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 45,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 15,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)

as of awardtravelfinder.com
Economy

Air Canada Aeroplan

~7,500 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (1,221 km)

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 mle-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 7,500 is the mle-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of mle-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the mle-maa economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

Feed it: 3,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 7,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 18,750 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of aircanada.com
Economy

United MileagePlus

~10,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — United MileagePlus

Star Alliance

United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~10,000 is a typical Saver partner level to a South-Asia neighbour. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.

Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→a South-Asia neighbour 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: 5,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 25,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 30,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)

as of awardwallet.com
Economy

Aegean Miles+Bonus

12,500 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — 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. 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: 37,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 75,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 25,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Economy

Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair)

13,000 pts

SriLankan via CMB (oneworld) — Avios partner chart, two Zone-1 segments

SriLankan Airlines oneworld

No MAA-MLE nonstop; SriLankan connects over Colombo, and both legs are Zone-1 hops — MAA-CMB (402 mi, 6,500) + CMB-MLE (484 mi, 6,500) = 13,000 Avios. A one-stop to the Maldives for less Avios than a single Zone-3 segment costs.

Feed it: 13,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 26,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 13,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)

as of milelion.com
Economy

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

15,000 pts

Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ/Thai — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Air India dropped 1-Aug-2026: its only Malé service is Delhi–Malé, so the Chennai build is MAA–DEL–MLE, 4,495 km for a 1,221 km hop — EVA Infinity MileageLands

LufthansaSingapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance

EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India = "Central/South Asia" zone; one-way = half round-trip). EVA own metal via Taipei covers Japan/N-Asia/SE-Asia/US/Europe; Gulf/Africa/Oceania are partner-metal only. India→US business ~97.5k (possibly ~55-60k on a fully-EVA routing).

Feed it: 15,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 375,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)

as of 10xtravel.com
Economy

American Airlines AAdvantage

17,500 pts

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or SriLankan Airlines via CMB

SriLankan 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: 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→a South-Asia neighbour — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart)

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: 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

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go

50,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — TAP Miles&Go

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)

Business

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

the play 15,000 pts

SriLankan Airlines via CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos

SriLankan Airlines oneworld

Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle: the cheapest Atmos routing is SriLankan Airlines via CMB, ~885 flown miles against a 759-mile nonstop, which reads the Asia-Pacific chart's sub-1,500-mile band — 7,500 economy / 15,000 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: 45,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 90,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 30,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Business

Air Canada Aeroplan

~12,500 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (1,221 km)

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 mle-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 12,500 is the mle-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of mle-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the mle-maa business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

Feed it: 6,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 12,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 31,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of aircanada.com
Business

Avianca LifeMiles

~15,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Avianca LifeMiles

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: 45,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 90,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 30,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)

as of awardtravelfinder.com
Business

United MileagePlus

~20,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — United MileagePlus

Star Alliance

United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~20,000 is a typical Saver partner level to a South-Asia neighbour. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.

Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→a South-Asia neighbour 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: 10,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 50,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)

as of awardwallet.com
Business

Aegean Miles+Bonus

21,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — 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. 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: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.86:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (5.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.9:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Business

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

22,500 pts

Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ/Thai — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Air India dropped 1-Aug-2026: its only Malé service is Delhi–Malé, so the Chennai build is MAA–DEL–MLE, 4,495 km for a 1,221 km hop — EVA Infinity MileageLands

LufthansaSingapore AirlinesThai Airways Star Alliance

EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India = "Central/South Asia" zone; one-way = half round-trip). EVA own metal via Taipei covers Japan/N-Asia/SE-Asia/US/Europe; Gulf/Africa/Oceania are partner-metal only. India→US business ~97.5k (possibly ~55-60k on a fully-EVA routing).

Feed it: 22,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 562,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)

as of 10xtravel.com
Business

Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair)

28,000 pts

SriLankan business via CMB (oneworld) — Avios partner chart, two Zone-1 segments

SriLankan Airlines oneworld

MAA-CMB (Z1, 14,000 J) + CMB-MLE (Z1, 14,000 J) = 28,000 Avios in SriLankan business via Colombo. Two short widebody hops up front for the Maldives; the Colombo layover is the price of the routing.

Feed it: 28,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 56,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 28,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)

as of milelion.com
Business

American Airlines AAdvantage

30,000 pts

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or SriLankan Airlines via CMB

SriLankan 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: 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→a South-Asia neighbour — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart)

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: 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

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go

70,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — TAP Miles&Go

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)

First

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 40,000 pts

AAdvantage region-chart first cell — no oneworld carrier flies a first cabin on this route (SriLankan's top cabin is business); the cell prices, the seat does not fly. Chart completeness only.

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: 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

~25,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (1,221 km)

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 mle-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 25,000 is the mle-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of mle-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the mle-maa first 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)

as of aircanada.com

More corridors

74 from MAA · 48 to MLE

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