Redeeming Maharaja Club points on Air India Express in 2026: what you need to know
By Arjun Kapoor (Arjun Kapoor tracks error fares, mileage runs and award-chart sweet spots for Indian travellers. He moderates two Telegram fare-alert channels and has booked Europe round-trips at sub-₹25,000 four times in the last 24 months.) · Published · 9 min read
One of the cleaner outcomes of the Air India Express integration into the Tata aviation family is that Maharaja Club points are now usable on Express flights. The rates tend to be lower than mainline equivalents — making Express redemptions sometimes the better bang for your Maharaja points. Here is the full picture, including the trade-offs.
TL;DR — can you use Maharaja points on Air India Express?
Yes. Post-merger, Air India Express flights are bookable using Maharaja Club points through the Air India website and app. The integration was completed in phases through 2024–25. Express inventory shows up in the same award search as mainline Air India flights, and you earn Maharaja points on Express tickets too. Award rates on Express economy tend to be lower than equivalent mainline routes — reflecting the Express fare structure — making some Express routes genuinely good value for points redemptions.
What was the situation before the merger integration?
Pre-merger, Air India Express operated under the AirAsia India brand on some routes and had its own loyalty tie-up (AirAsia's BIG loyalty programme at certain points, with a messy history). After the Tata group took over Air India and Air India Express, and after the AirAsia India routes were folded into Express, the loyalty picture was fragmented. Flying Returns (the predecessor to Maharaja Club) had partial earning on some Express flights but award redemptions on Express were inconsistent.
The full integration into Maharaja Club has resolved most of this. You now give your Maharaja Club number at Express booking, earn tier miles at a specified Express rate, and can redeem points for Express awards in the same way you would for mainline. The experience is not always seamless at the airport level — Express still runs its own ground operations on several routes — but the loyalty accounting is unified.
What are the points rates for Air India Express redemptions?
Air India uses a dynamic award pricing model, so the exact points cost varies by route, date, demand and availability — there is no fixed published award chart the way Singapore KrisFlyer or United MileagePlus used to have. That said, some rough ranges based on what members have reported for Express economy routes:
- Short domestic Express routes (e.g., Delhi–Lucknow, Chennai–Coimbatore, Kochi–Mumbai): Economy awards in the range of roughly 3,000–6,000 Maharaja points one-way in lower demand periods. On peak days, dynamic pricing can push this higher.
- Medium domestic routes (e.g., Delhi–Chennai, Mumbai–Kolkata on Express): Economy in the range of roughly 5,000–9,000 points one-way under normal demand.
- Short international Express routes (e.g., Kochi–Dubai, Chennai–Singapore, Kolkata–Bangkok): Express serves several international routes into Southeast Asia and the Gulf. Economy award rates here might run in the range of 12,000–25,000 points one-way, though this varies significantly with demand and lead time. International Express routes are where the points value proposition compared to mainline gets interesting.
These are illustrative ranges only — do not book on the assumption these figures are current. Check the live award search on air.india.in for accurate pricing before planning a redemption. Air India's dynamic pricing means the actual rate on your specific date could be higher or lower.
Express vs mainline: when does Express give better value?
This is the interesting trade-off. Air India mainline and Air India Express increasingly share routes — especially to/from tier-2 Indian cities and on Gulf + Southeast Asia short-haul. Where they compete, the award rates often reflect the cash fare hierarchy: mainline fares are usually higher, and so are the mainline award rates. Express fares are lower, and Express award rates follow.
For points redemption, Express can offer better 'cents per point' (or rupees per point) value when:
- The Express flight time and routing is similar to mainline and the cash fare difference is small but the points difference is meaningful.
- You are redeeming for a short Gulf or Southeast Asia trip where Express operates direct services (Kochi–Dubai, for example) and mainline equivalent is either not available or priced much higher in points.
- You have a large Maharaja point balance and want to clear it on travel rather than let it depreciate — Express redemptions let you use points on more flights.
Where mainline wins for redemptions: business class. Air India Express does not operate a formal business class cabin — it is a low-cost carrier with economy configurations (some Express aircraft have slightly wider/better seats marketed differently but it is not equivalent to mainline business). If you have enough points for a long-haul business class award on mainline (Mumbai–London, Delhi–San Francisco), that is where the value per point typically peaks. Express has no equivalent offering.
How to book an Air India Express award with Maharaja points
The process is the same as booking any Air India award:
- Log into your Maharaja Club account at air.india.in
- Search flights using the 'Redeem' option in the search flow
- In the results, Air India Express flights will appear alongside mainline — look for the 'IX' flight code (that is Air India Express's IATA code) vs 'AI' for mainline
- Select the Express flight, confirm the points price, pay taxes with a card
- The booking appears in your itinerary in the usual way
A note on availability: Express award availability can be tighter than mainline on popular routes in peak demand. The best Express award space tends to appear either well in advance (60+ days out) or in the last 2 weeks before departure when the airline releases unsold seats. The middle period — 3–6 weeks out on peak routes — is often the hardest for award space.
You can scope out the best dates and routes using FlightGPT's flexible date search to understand cash pricing patterns on Express routes, which often mirrors award availability patterns. If cash fares are low, award seats are usually easier to find.
Earning tier miles on Air India Express flights
Express flights earn Maharaja Club tier miles, but at a lower rate than equivalent mainline segments. The exact rate depends on your booked fare class — typically the lowest economy fare classes (the cheapest ticket categories) earn fewer tier miles per kilometre than mid-range or flexible economy fares. Air India publishes an earning table by fare code on the Maharaja Club website; it is worth checking before you assume a cheap Express ticket is helping your status much.
For status-earning purposes — if you are chasing Gold or Platinum — mainline Air India segments in mid-range economy fare classes almost always earn more tier miles per flight than Express tickets in base economy. If your goal is hitting the Gold threshold (roughly 45 segments or 30,000 tier miles), mixing Express for routes where it is genuinely convenient with mainline for longer routes is a reasonable strategy. Just do not assume every Express flight counts the same.
See our full rundown on Maharaja Club tier thresholds and benefits for more on the earning side. And for the latest Maharaja point bonus opportunities, read our piece on the Points Fest bonus promo.
Bottom line on Air India Express Maharaja redemptions
The integration works, and it meaningfully extends the usability of Maharaja Club points — particularly for routes into the Gulf and Southeast Asia where Express has a strong low-cost presence. The trade-off is no business class and generally lower award availability on peak days. Use Express awards for economy redemptions, especially on shorthaul international and domestic routes where the points rates are competitive. Save mainline award availability for longhaul business class where the value per point is highest. Always verify current rates in the live award search — dynamic pricing means these numbers shift with demand.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book Air India Express flights using Maharaja Club points?
Yes. Following the full loyalty integration post-merger, Air India Express flights appear in the Maharaja Club award search on air.india.in (look for 'IX' flight codes). Economy award rates on Express routes tend to be lower than equivalent mainline Air India awards, reflecting the lower cash fare levels. Check the live award search for current pricing.
Does Air India Express have a business class cabin for award upgrades?
No. Air India Express operates as a low-cost carrier with economy-only configurations. There is no business class cabin on Express aircraft, so Maharaja Club business class award redemptions are only available on Air India mainline (AI flights). If you want a longhaul business class award, you need mainline inventory.
Do Air India Express flights earn tier miles for Maharaja Club status?
Yes, but at a lower rate than Air India mainline. Tier miles on Express vary by fare class — the cheapest base economy fares earn the fewest tier miles per kilometre. If you are chasing Gold status (roughly 30,000 tier miles), mainline flights in mid-range fare classes earn more efficiently. Check the Maharaja Club earning table on the Air India website for rates by fare code.
When is the best time to find Air India Express award availability?
Either well in advance (60+ days out, especially on international routes) or in the last 2 weeks before departure when airlines release unsold seats. The 3–6 week window on high-demand routes is typically the hardest for award space. Flexible date searches on FlightGPT can help identify lower-demand periods where award seats tend to open up.
What is the IATA code for Air India Express, and how do I distinguish it from mainline in the award search?
Air India Express uses the IATA code 'IX'. Air India mainline uses 'AI'. In the Maharaja Club award search results on air.india.in, Express flights will show IX followed by the flight number. Mainline flights show AI. The points price and earning rate differ between the two, so it is worth noting which you are booking.