Vistara into Air India — what happened to PNRs, status, miles and codeshares in 2026
By Ananya Singh (Rohan Bhattacharya is a long-time flyer and aviation analyst covering Star Alliance, oneworld and SkyTeam carriers from India. He focuses on the practical end of loyalty — partner-earning rates, codeshare traps and lounge access — and tracks how the post-Vistara, post-AIX-Connect merged Indian carriers stack up against foreign competition.) · Published · 11 min read
Two years after the Vistara-Air India merger went live, the migration is largely done — but the remaining edge cases on PNRs, Club Vistara miles and codeshare display still trip flyers up. Here is the practical 2026 map.
Quick answer
By mid-2026 the Vistara-Air India merger is essentially complete operationally. Old Vistara UK-coded PNRs have all been migrated to Air India AI-coded PNRs, Club Vistara has been folded into Flying Returns with a posted tier-match table, and the Vistara aircraft fleet now flies in Air India colours under AI flight numbers. The remaining traps for flyers are: legacy partner codeshares that still display Vistara codes (a few residual schedules), miles-equivalence math (Club Vistara to Flying Returns conversion rate), and the lounge access of grandfathered Club Vistara Gold members.
The migration timeline in plain English
The merger was approved in 2023, operationally went live in November 2024 with all Vistara flights moving under the AI flight code, and the Club Vistara to Flying Returns migration completed in waves through 2024-2025. By 2026 the brand 'Vistara' no longer exists as an operating airline — it is now a legacy data layer being progressively cleaned up.
The integration has been smoother than the legacy Air India-Indian Airlines merger of 2007 (which took a decade to sort out) because Tata's team ran a structured migration playbook. But there are still genuine edge cases that catch flyers — particularly NRIs and infrequent travellers who held tickets or miles balances they had forgotten about.
Old Vistara PNRs — what to do if you find one
If you have a confirmed Vistara PNR (six-character code starting with the original UK booking flow) from before November 2024 that you have not yet flown, the practical 2026 status is that it should already have been migrated to an Air India AI flight number on the same date/route. Air India sent migration notifications to the booking email and SMS at the time. If you cannot locate the migration confirmation:
- Pull up the original PNR on the Air India website using the 'find my booking' flow with the old PNR code — if it migrated, the system will show the AI-coded equivalent.
- If the PNR is not found, contact Air India customer service with the original Vistara confirmation email — they have a dedicated escalation queue for legacy Vistara PNR issues.
- If you booked through a travel agent or OTA, the agent should have the migrated PNR. Ask them first.
For PNRs where the schedule changed materially during migration (a rare case where the merged network dropped the route or moved the timing significantly), Air India is offering rebooking or refund per the merger commitments.
Club Vistara to Flying Returns — the tier match math
Club Vistara had a four-tier structure (Base, Silver, Gold, Platinum). Flying Returns has a four-tier structure (Red, Silver, Gold, Platinum). The migration table broadly matched tier-for-tier — Club Vistara Silver became Flying Returns Silver, Gold became Gold, Platinum became Platinum. Status validity was preserved for the remainder of the cycle in which the migration happened.
The miles balance conversion happened at a posted ratio (Club Vistara CV Points converted to Flying Returns Miles at the published rate). The honest read on the conversion rate is that it was reasonable but not generous — high-balance Club Vistara members generally felt the conversion was fair within a few percentage points. If you had a large CV Points balance and have not yet logged into Flying Returns to verify the migrated balance, do that now before you forget. Old Club Vistara accounts that go inactive for 18+ months are subject to the Flying Returns expiry policy.
Lounge access — what changed and what carried over
Club Vistara Gold and Platinum members historically had complimentary access to the Vistara Signature Lounges at DEL, BOM, BLR, HYD and select international destinations, plus partner lounges within the Star Alliance ecosystem. Post-merger, the Vistara-branded lounges have been re-branded as Air India Maharaja Lounges (or are being progressively absorbed). Flying Returns Gold and Platinum tiers, plus Star Alliance Gold status holders on Air India metal, access the Maharaja Lounges.
For grandfathered Club Vistara Gold members who never migrated their account (a small population), Air India is honouring lounge access through the documented transition period — but you must show your migrated Flying Returns tier card, not the legacy CV card. If you fly infrequently and your CV card is still in your wallet, take 5 minutes today to log into Flying Returns and confirm the migration. The lounge desk will not accept the old CV card after the transition window closes.
Codeshares — Vistara codes that linger
Through 2024-2025 a few partner-codeshare schedules continued to display Vistara UK flight codes on the partner airline's booking flow (Singapore Airlines was the most common — SIA was a major Vistara codeshare partner). By mid-2026 most of these have been re-coded to Air India AI flight numbers, but rare residual cases still appear. The practical advice if you see a UK-coded Vistara flight on a partner airline booking flow:
- The flight is operationally an Air India flight — the underlying metal and the operating crew are Air India.
- Earning on the partner airline's loyalty programme is at the partner's posted Air India earn rate, not the legacy Vistara rate.
- Codeshare seat-selection and baggage rules follow the operating carrier (Air India) rules, not the marketing carrier's.
For the Star Alliance partner-earning context, see our forthcoming partner-earning posts. Live partner-earning rates depend on the booked fare class and the partner programme.
What the merged network actually looks like in 2026
The Air India network in 2026 is meaningfully larger and stronger than either pre-merger entity. Domestic: every Tier-1 city with multiple daily frequencies, expanded Tier-2 connectivity, and the merged narrow-body fleet (legacy Vistara A320neos plus Air India and Air India Express A320/A321 metal) flies the volume. International: the full long-haul Air India network plus the legacy Vistara wide-body routes (DEL-LHR Heathrow, BOM-LHR, BOM-FRA Frankfurt and others). The new A350-900 deployment described in our Air India business class transformation guide covers the trunk long-haul.
For Indian flyers the practical takeaway is that Air India in 2026 is genuinely a competitive full-service carrier, not the airline you remember from 2018. The Vistara DNA — soft service, premium economy, structured loyalty earning — has been preserved and built upon, not erased. Skip the brand nostalgia for Vistara and book Air India where the route works.
Practical checklist for the 2026 Vistara migration cleanup
Five things to do this month if you had any Vistara activity:
- Log into Flying Returns at airindia.com. Verify your tier and miles balance matches your old Club Vistara balance via the documented conversion ratio.
- If you have an old unflown Vistara PNR, look it up on the Air India website using the old PNR code and confirm the migrated AI flight.
- If you held a CV credit card, check with your bank — the co-brand has been re-papered in most cases and the migrated card earns Flying Returns miles.
- If you use Star Alliance partners (SQ, Lufthansa, Thai), update your Flying Returns membership number on the partner profiles. Old Club Vistara numbers will no longer credit on partner flights.
- For lounge access, carry your migrated Flying Returns tier card (digital is fine via the Air India app). The old Club Vistara card is no longer accepted at most lounges.
For policy detail see the Air India hub and the Air India fare-types page. Live fares are on FlightGPT.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vistara still an airline in 2026?
No. Vistara was operationally merged into Air India in November 2024. The brand no longer exists as a flying carrier — all former Vistara routes and aircraft now operate under the Air India AI code.
Did my Club Vistara miles carry over?
Yes. CV Points were converted to Flying Returns Miles at the published ratio during the migration. Log into Flying Returns to verify the migrated balance.
What happens to my Club Vistara Gold status?
It was tier-matched to Flying Returns Gold. Status validity was preserved for the remainder of the cycle in which the migration happened. Lounge access and benefits transferred.
I have an old Vistara PNR — is the flight still happening?
It should already have been migrated to an Air India flight number on the same date. Look up the PNR on the Air India website using the old code. If you cannot find it, contact Air India customer service with the original Vistara confirmation email.
Do I still earn Vistara miles on Singapore Airlines codeshares?
No. Earning on partner flights is now at the Air India / Flying Returns rate. Update your Flying Returns number on the SQ profile to credit.
Is Air India in 2026 essentially Vistara in disguise?
Not quite. Air India absorbed Vistara's soft-service DNA and many crew, but the operating airline is Air India. The new A350 product is closer to Vistara's premium standards than the legacy Air India ever was.