Air India Just Revalued Their Award Chart. Here's Every Route That Got Cheaper.
Air India quietly restructured their Maharaja Club award chart. Economy redemptions dropped 30-50% on most routes. Delhi to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, Bali for just 12,000 points.
Air India updated their Maharaja Club award chart, and the new prices are significantly lower on most routes. We pulled the data across six Indian hubs and compared it with what the chart used to be. The short version: if you have Maharaja Club points (or Mag Miles that transfer 1:1), this is a good time to book.
Here's what changed, hub by hub.
The New Award Tiers
The old chart had granular, distance-based pricing. Delhi to Singapore was 20,000, Bangkok was 16,000, Dubai was 18,000. Each route had its own price.
The new chart is simpler. Air India has moved to flat pricing tiers:
| Tier | Points | Example Routes from Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic (short) | 3,000 - 5,000 | Amritsar, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Hyderabad |
| Domestic (medium) | 5,000 - 7,500 | Bengaluru, Goa, Chennai, Kolkata |
| South Asia | 10,000 | Colombo, Kathmandu, Male, Dhaka |
| SE Asia + Middle East | 12,000 | Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, Doha, Bali |
| East Asia | 30,000 | Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai |
| Europe | 35,000 | London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome |
| US/Canada/Australia | 40,000 - 50,000 | New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto |
The biggest winners are long-haul routes. Delhi to San Francisco dropped from 77,000 to 40,000. Toronto from 82,000 to 50,000. These are massive cuts.
12 International Destinations from Delhi for 12,000 Points
This is the standout. From Delhi, you can fly to 12 international cities for just 12,000 Maharaja Club points in economy:
Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Manila, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Dubai, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Nairobi.
Some of these routes were 18,000 to 29,000 points before. Nairobi dropped from 29,000 to 12,000. Bali from 25,000 to 12,000. That's a 50% cut on several routes.
How does this compare to Singapore Airlines?
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer charges 19,000 miles for Delhi to most SE Asian cities. Even with their Spontaneous Escapes promotion (30% off, limited availability), that's 13,300 miles.
Air India's new chart at 12,000 points beats both. And it's the standard chart, not a limited promotion.
Mumbai (BOM): 48 Routes
Mumbai sees similar drops. Eight international destinations are now available for 12,000 points: Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Sharjah, and Singapore.
Colombo and Male are even cheaper at 10,000. Mauritius and Dammam also joined the 12,000 tier.
Domestic routes from Mumbai got cheaper too. Kolkata dropped from 6,000 to 5,000, Goa from 4,000 to 3,000, Amritsar from 9,500 to 5,500. Almost every domestic route saw a reduction.
Delhi Domestic: 24 Routes Got Cheaper
From Delhi, 24 domestic routes dropped in the Value fare. Port Blair saw the biggest cut, from 18,500 to 10,000. Trivandrum went from 11,500 to 7,000. Goa from 9,000 to 5,000.
Only three routes increased slightly: Srinagar (+500), Kochi (+1,000), and Pune (+1,000).
Bengaluru (BLR): 7 International Routes
Bengaluru has fewer international options but the same flat pricing. Singapore dropped from 13,000 to 12,000, London from 38,000 to 35,000. Three new routes were added: San Francisco (40,000), Shanghai (24,000), and Male (8,000).
Hyderabad (HYD): Dubai at 12,000
Hyderabad has 14 routes. The big news is Dubai dropping from 21,000 to 12,000, a 43% cut. Tirupati went from 4,500 to 2,500, and Goa (Mopa) from 7,000 to 2,500.
Chennai (MAA): 15 Routes
Chennai sees Dubai drop from 20,000 to 12,000 and Singapore from 13,000 to 12,000. Bengaluru is just 1,500 points. One exception: Colombo went up from 6,000 to 10,000, likely aligning with the new South Asia tier.
Kolkata (CCU): 10 Routes
Kolkata has a limited network of 10 routes. Imphal dropped 50% from 5,000 to 2,500. Kathmandu (the only international route) stays at 9,000.
What About Business and Premium Economy?
We'll cover these in detail in a separate post. But the quick version: business class dropped significantly on US routes (Delhi to SFO went from 185,000 to 130,000), while Premium Economy saw mixed results with regional routes getting more expensive.
How to Get Maharaja Club Points
You don't need a credit card to earn Maharaja Club points. Mag Miles on the Magnify app transfer 1:1 to Air India Maharaja Club. That means 12,000 Mag Miles gets you the same 12,000 points for a flight to Singapore or Bangkok.
There's also a Mag Miles to Air India transfer bonus coming April 21-28. If you're planning to book, that's the week to transfer.
For credit card transfers, we have a full guide on every card that transfers to Maharaja Club.
The Bottom Line
Air India's new award chart is a clear improvement for economy redemptions. The flat tier structure makes it simpler to understand and, for most routes, significantly cheaper. The 12,000 point tier for SE Asia and Middle East is genuinely competitive, beating even discounted Singapore Airlines pricing.
If you've been sitting on Maharaja Club points or Mag Miles, now's a good time to look at booking.
