Earn Miles & More on Air India Flights: Indian Flyer Guide 2026
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 · 10 min read
Air India and Lufthansa Group expanded their codeshare partnership, adding around 60 new routes — meaning your Miles & More balance can grow faster on flights you already book. Here's the full earning map for Indian flyers.
TL;DR — Can You Actually Earn Miles & More on Air India?
Yes, and it's gotten meaningfully better. Air India is a Star Alliance member, and Lufthansa Miles & More is also a Star Alliance program — so earning works in both directions. You can credit Air India flights to your M&M account, and the codeshare expansion in 2025–26 (roughly 60 additional routes operated jointly) created new earning paths that simply didn't exist before. The headline catch: earning rates depend heavily on your fare class. Economy saver fares on Air India often earn at the lowest tier or close to zero; full-flex and business fares earn at much better rates. Always check the M&M partner earning table before booking, not after.
How Does the Air India–Miles & More Partnership Actually Work?
Air India joined Star Alliance in 2014. Miles & More, run by Lufthansa Group, honours Star Alliance partner earning — so Air India is a creditable airline for M&M members. What changed recently is the codeshare deal: Air India and Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels) now code-share on a much larger network, with the addition of around 60 routes covering key India–Europe corridors and a handful of domestic Indian connections feeding long-haul.
On a codeshare flight, the operating carrier matters for earning purposes. If you're flying on an Air India-operated flight with a Lufthansa flight number on your ticket, you earn based on Air India's partner earning table in M&M — not Lufthansa's own earning rates. If it's the other way round (Lufthansa-operated, Air India flight number), you earn at Lufthansa's rates. Double-check your ticket's operating carrier before crediting.
For most India-to-Europe itineraries routed via Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich or Vienna, you'll typically be on Lufthansa Group metal for the European leg — and those sectors earn at Lufthansa's rates, which are generally more generous than Air India partner rates on low-priced fares.
What Are the Fare Class Earning Rates on Air India for M&M?
This is where things get granular, and where most people get burned. Air India uses a standard IATA booking class structure (Y, B, M, H, Q, V, W, T, S, L — and higher cabins J, C, D, Z for business; F for first, on select routes). Miles & More publishes an earning table for Air India as a partner; the rates typically look like this:
- Full economy (Y, B): 125% of flown distance — among the better partner rates
- Flex economy (M, H): around 100% of flown distance
- Saver economy (Q, V, W): drops to 50–75% range
- Deep discount (T, S, L): 25–50% or even 0% on the cheapest fares
- Business (J, C, D): typically 150–200% of flown distance
These figures are directional — the actual table is on the Miles & More website under 'Earn miles with partners' and Air India's FFP page. Verify before you book; the numbers have shifted at least twice in the last 18 months.
The practical consequence: if you bought a ₹7,000 Mumbai–Delhi return in booking class L, you might earn fewer than 200 miles total. Barely worth the form-fill. But a Mumbai–London flexible economy at booking class M could net you 3,500–4,000 miles each way — worth having.
The 60-Route Codeshare Expansion: Which New Routes Can You Now Earn On?
The codeshare expansion between Air India and Lufthansa Group, announced in stages through 2024–25 and now operational, covers routes I couldn't earn on before. The broad categories:
- New India–Europe city pairs: Air India now places its code on more Lufthansa/Swiss/Austrian flights beyond the obvious Frankfurt and Munich hubs — including routes through Vienna and Brussels that previously required separate bookings.
- Domestic India feeder routes: Some Air India domestic sectors connecting to international long-haul — think Chennai to Delhi or Hyderabad to Mumbai on an Air India itinerary that then continues to Europe — now carry Lufthansa codeshare codes, making through-ticket earning cleaner.
- Sixth-freedom connections: A small set of Air India routes connecting via Delhi to Southeast Asian and Gulf destinations now have Lufthansa codes, opening M&M earning on routing you might not have associated with Lufthansa Group at all.
The practical tip: when you're on FlightGPT's flight search looking at Air India options to Europe, filter by 'through ticket' rather than separate bookings — a single PNR with both legs allows mileage earning on the full journey, while two separate tickets can create gaps.
How to Credit Air India Flights to Your Miles & More Account
You have two options: provide your M&M number at booking time, or claim retrospectively after travel. Air India's booking flow (on airindia.com or via most OTAs including MakeMyTrip and Cleartrip) has a frequent flyer number field — enter your M&M number with carrier code LH and the miles should post within 4–8 weeks of travel.
If you forgot, Air India allows retrospective claims for up to 6 months after travel (verify the current window on airindia.com — it's changed before). Miles & More has its own retroactive credit request form too, and one of them usually works if the other doesn't. You'll need your boarding pass or e-ticket, booking class proof, and your M&M number. Don't throw away boarding passes for flights you intend to credit.
One thing that trips people up: if you booked through a third-party OTA that didn't pass your FFP number to Air India's reservation system, neither form may auto-resolve — you'll need to call Air India's FFP desk with your PNR and boarding pass scans. Annoying, but doable.
Is Miles & More Worth It for India-Based Flyers?
Honestly — it depends on what you're flying and what you want to redeem for. M&M is genuinely valuable if you're doing regular India–Europe trips, especially if some of those are on Lufthansa Group's own metal (which earns at better rates). The award chart for economy redemptions in the Europe–India range can be surprisingly reasonable, and business class redemptions on Lufthansa long-haul remain one of the better premium cabin sweet spots in the Star Alliance universe.
Where it's less exciting: domestic-only flyers, or people flying IndiGo and Air India Express for short hops, won't find M&M relevant. Air India Express isn't a Star Alliance partner. IndiGo has its own BluChip program. For domestic miles, Air India's own Flying Returns loyalty scheme is more logical if your flying is mostly within India — since it earns on all Air India domestic sectors regardless of booking class, with less complexity.
My honest take: if you already have an M&M number (maybe from a past Lufthansa flight or from a co-branded card in Germany), keep crediting your Air India international flights to it. If you're starting from zero purely for domestic India, skip it and use Flying Returns or even the card-linked points your travel credit card earns instead. The HDFC Infinia points guide covers that angle well.
A Few Practical Tips Before You Book
Some things I've learnt the hard way managing miles across multiple programs:
- Screenshot your booking class at purchase. The booking class sometimes isn't on your e-ticket PDF — it's in the fare rules or on the OTA confirmation page. You'll need it if you have to dispute a miles posting.
- Status matters. M&M Frequent Traveller, Senator, or HON Circle status gives you a multiplier on partner earning. If you have status, even lower booking classes earn more.
- Codeshare vs interline. A codeshare (one PNR, code-shared segments) earns differently from an interline booking (two airlines, linked PNRs). Always prefer the codeshare option for miles continuity.
- M&M miles expire after 36 months of account inactivity — any earning or redemption resets the clock, but if you haven't touched your account in three years, check your balance before it's too late.
For current earning rates and the partner airline table, go to miles-and-more.com — the earning calculator under 'Earn miles' is more accurate than any third-party summary, including this one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I earn Miles & More on Air India domestic flights?
Yes, Air India domestic flights (operated by Air India, not Air India Express) are eligible for M&M earning since Air India is a Star Alliance member. Earning rates on domestic sectors are typically low — often in the 25–50% of flown distance range for discount fares — so the miles per flight will be modest, but they do count and extend your account activity.
What is the minimum booking class that earns any Miles & More miles on Air India?
It varies by fare family and changes periodically, but as of 2026 most deep-discount booking classes (L, T, S on Air India) earn at 25% or may earn zero. The safest classes for meaningful earning are M and above. Always check the M&M partner earning table at miles-and-more.com before booking if miles matter to you.
How long does it take for Air India miles to post to Miles & More?
Typically 4–8 weeks after travel if your FFP number was in the booking. Retrospective claims via Air India's website or the M&M retroactive credit form can take 6–12 weeks and occasionally require a manual review. Keep all travel documents for at least 6 months after each flight.
Does the Air India–Lufthansa codeshare expansion mean I earn more miles?
It means you can earn on more routes — roughly 60 new city pairs now have codeshare coverage. Whether you earn more per flight depends on the operating carrier and fare class. On Lufthansa-operated segments within the codeshare, you typically earn at Lufthansa's own rates (often better than Air India partner rates for mid-range fares).
Should I credit Air India flights to Miles & More or Flying Returns?
For India–Europe international routes, M&M is often a better choice if you plan to redeem for Lufthansa Group long-haul awards. For domestic India flying, Air India's own Flying Returns is simpler and earns across all Air India domestic fares without booking-class complexity. If you have a strong card-miles game (like HDFC Infinia or Axis Magnus), your card points may be more valuable than either airline currency — check the transfer rates before defaulting to airline miles.
What happens to miles if Air India's Star Alliance membership changes?
Air India rejoined Star Alliance in 2014 and as of 2026 remains a full member. There's no publicly announced change to this arrangement. That said, airline alliances and partner agreements do shift — so if you're holding a large M&M balance and planning a redemption on Air India, book sooner rather than accumulating indefinitely.