Air India Maharaja Club Award Chart Revaluation: Full Analysis

Air India has announced a sweeping overhaul of its Maharaja Club award pricing, effective April 1, 2026. I pulled live pricing for all 193 routes across Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and First — and compared against the pre-change chart. The picture is more nuanced than the press release suggests.

The Headline Numbers

• Economy: 110 routes cheaper (avg -29%), 15 more expensive, 68 unchanged
• Premium Economy: 35 routes cheaper, 99 more expensive (avg +35%) — a hidden devaluation
• Business: 74 routes cheaper (avg -17%), 48 more expensive (avg +27%) — mixed
• First: 23 routes cheaper, 110 more expensive (avg +48%)

The press release highlights Economy — and that's genuinely good. But the picture is more complex in other cabins. Premium Economy got quietly more expensive on most international routes, Business is a mixed bag (Americas slashed, Gulf increased), and First class got more expensive on most routes.

Economy: The Big Win

What happened

Domestic Economy dropped ~28% on average. International Economy dropped ~31%, led by massive cuts to Americas (-39%) and Gulf (-39%) routes. The cheapest domestic redemption is now BLR–MAA at 1,500 points (was 2,000).

The lowest-tier awards, previously available only 90+ days before departure, are now available up to 30 days out. This is a meaningful improvement for spontaneous travel.

Key patterns I noticed

Domestic: 66 of 122 domestic routes got cheaper in Economy, averaging -28%. The drops are broad-based — not just DEL-centric. BOM, BLR, AMD, ATQ, CCU origins all saw meaningful reductions. Tier 2 city routes (AMD, ATQ, BDQ, BHJ, BHO) dropped 30-40%.

Gulf: Virtually every Gulf route from BOM, DEL, and COK is now standardised at 12,000 points Economy — replacing the previous 19,000–23,000 range. This is a blanket 40-48% cut.

Americas: All 8 US/Canada routes dropped in Economy, averaging -39%. DEL–SFO went from 77,000 to 40,000. BOM–EWR from 67,000 to 40,000.

Southeast Asia / Bali / Mauritius: Leisure destinations saw 25-52% drops. DEL–DPS (Bali) and BOM–MRU (Mauritius) both went from 25,000 to 12,000.

Europe: Went UP ~17% across the board — DEL–LHR from 30,000 to 35,000, DEL–FRA same. I think this is regional standardisation — Europe was priced lower than Gulf before, which didn't make geographic sense.

East Asia: DEL–HKG nearly doubled from 16,000 to 30,000 (+88%). DEL–PVG (Shanghai) went from 20,000 to 30,000 (+50%). DEL–ICN (Seoul) from 26,000 to 30,000. These were likely underpriced before and got pulled into a standardised East Asia band.

Premium Economy: The Hidden Devaluation

This is the story the press release doesn't tell. 99 of 192 Premium Economy routes increased — every single international route outside the Americas went up.

• Gulf PEY: all increased
• Europe PEY: all increased
• SE Asia PEY: all increased
• East Asia PEY: all increased
• Americas PEY: all 8 routes DROPPED (~10%)

Domestically it's mixed: 27 drops, 49 increases. That said, Premium Economy was already overpriced relative to Economy on most routes before this change — so the practical impact is limited since few people were redeeming for PE anyway.

Business: Americas Win, Gulf Loses

Business class is genuinely split:

• Americas: All 8 routes dropped, avg -28%. DEL–SFO went from 185,000 to 130,000. DEL–EWR from 180,000 to 130,000. This is the standout improvement.
• Europe: Mixed — 7 drops, 7 increases.
• Gulf: All 23 routes INCREASED.
• Domestic: 54 drops (avg -15%), 14 increases.
• US/Canada: Business routes now price at 130,000 — down 26–33% from the previous 175,000–194,000 range.

Award Flight Cancellation & Rescheduling

A simplified, tier-based structure:

Within these windows, Maharaja Points are fully refunded with no charges.

Other Enhancements

• Points credited within 2 hours of flight completion (AI + Star Alliance partners)
• Priority privileges extended to one co-passenger on same PNR (Platinum/Gold)
• Upgrade award cancellation refunds — Maharaja Points now refunded on cancellation
• Upgrade awards from 4,000 points domestic, 20,000 international
• Faster tier progression (from April 15): Silver 20 flights, Gold 45, Platinum 60 (min AI flights required). Tier Points unchanged. Flights over past 365 days reassessed.

Full Route-by-Route Comparison

I queried every route on the Air India points calculator on April 1, 2026, and compared against the pre-change chart. Here are the full tables for all 193 routes across all cabins.

How to Earn Maharaja Points

Air India credits 6 Maharaja Points per ₹100 spent on flights at Red tier, scaling up to 10 per ₹100 at Platinum. Book on airindia.com for an extra 2 points/₹100 bonus. Your credit card earns its own points on top — that's the double dip.

My Top Picks

Outside India? Rove transfers 1:1 to Maharaja Club and is earn-able through shopping portals and hotel bookings globally.

Sweet Spots After Revaluation

Domestic

Maharaja Club is the only programme that matters for domestic India award flights. The new floor prices are low enough that short-hops cost less than a taxi to the airport — BLR–MAA starts at 1,500 points, HYD–TIR at 2,500, BOM–HSR at 3,000. The big drops are on popular leisure routes: DEL–GOI fell 44% to 5,000, ATQ–BOM dropped to 5,500.

International Economy

The 12,000-point band is where Maharaja Club now dominates. Gulf, SE Asia, and Mauritius all converged to a 12,000-point floor — 32 international routes now start at 12K. On most of them, that's the cheapest published rate of any programme:

• SE Asia (SIN, BKK, HKT, KUL, DPS, SGN, MNL): All at 12,000. KrisFlyer Saver charges 20,000 to SIN, Royal Orchid Plus 17,500 to BKK, LifeMiles 17,000–22,000, Aeroplan 25,000–40,000 depending on origin. Maharaja undercuts everything.
• Gulf (DEL/BOM/COK/HYD to DXB, DOH, JED, RUH, DMM, BAH): 12,000 across the board. Avios from 12,500, Aeroplan 12,500. Maharaja matches or beats — and it's nonstop AI metal.
• Mauritius (BOM–MRU): 12,000 (was 25,000) on AI's nonstop. Aeroplan charges 25,000. Maharaja is now half.
• Maldives (DEL–MLE): Dropped to 10,000. Aeroplan charges 12,500, Qatar Privilege Club 9,000–11,000. Competitive.

Americas Economy is now one of the cheapest ways to fly to the US on points. DEL–SFO dropped from 77,000 to 40,000. United starts at 41,100 (dynamic), LifeMiles 45,000–55,000, Asia Miles 40,000, KrisFlyer 64,000. Maharaja at 40K matches Asia Miles and undercuts most alternatives — and it's bookable on AI's nonstop.

International Business

US nonstops at 130,000 (was 175,000–194,000) are the headline. On the same nonstop AI metal, competitors charge: United 88,000–220,000 (dynamic), Aeroplan 90,000–110,000, LifeMiles from 78,000, KrisFlyer 151,500.

130K sounds like a lot, but Maharaja Club has more Indian credit card transfer partners than any other programme. You can pool points from multiple banks — HSBC, ICICI, Axis, HDFC, SBI, Kotak, IndusInd, RBL, DBS, AU — all transfer to Maharaja Club. That makes it far easier to piece together 130K than the equivalent in Aeroplan or LifeMiles, where you're limited to one or two transfer sources.

Avoid

East Asia got massacred. DEL–HKG nearly doubled from 16,000 to 30,000 — Asia Miles prices CX nonstop at 13,000, Avios from 12,500. DEL–ICN went from 26,000 to 30,000 while Flying Blue books KE from 17,000. DEL–HND at 30,000 Economy when JAL Mileage Bank prices their own nonstop at 17,500. Business is worse: DEL–HND went UP to 90,000–110,000 while JAL charges 40,000 and Flying Club books ANA Business at 37,500. Across East Asia, Maharaja Club is now the most expensive option in both cabins.

Gulf is a mixed bag. Economy at 12,000 is a sweet spot (see above), but Business went to 50,000 (was 40,000–46,000). Avios starts at 24,500 for Qsuite to DOH, Etihad Guest saver starts at 30,000 to AUH, Flying Blue from 44,000 to AUH on EY metal. Maharaja Business is nearly double the cheapest alternatives.

Europe is only worth it if you need multiple tickets on Air India metal in Economy. At 35,000 (was 30,000), it's more than Aeroplan DEL–FRA at 25,000, Turkish M&S via IST at 20,000–25,000, or LifeMiles at 28,000–30,000. But if you're booking a family of four nonstop on AI and have the points across multiple cards, the convenience might justify it. Business at 100,000–130,000 is a no-go — Aeroplan charges 60,000, Turkish M&S 55,000, LifeMiles 51,000–87,000.

East Asia Business is the worst offender. DEL–HKG at 90,000 (was 56,000) — Asia Miles prices CX Business at 32,000. Nearly 3x.

Premium Economy: Increased on virtually every non-Americas international route.

Bottom Line

• Economy: The 12K band (SE Asia, Gulf, Mauritius) is best-in-class. Americas at 40K is the cheapest Star Alliance option to the US. Domestic is trivially cheap. Europe and East Asia got worse.
• Premium Economy: Quietly devalued across 99 routes.
• Business: US nonstop at 130,000 is the headline — more expensive than Aeroplan (90K) or LifeMiles (78–90K) in absolute terms, but competitive when you factor in nonstop availability and transfer ratios from Indian cards. Gulf and Europe Business are not competitive.
• First: Domestic First from 12K is interesting. International First is expensive.

The revaluation sharpened Maharaja Club's positioning: it's now the cheapest programme for Economy to SE Asia, Gulf, Mauritius, and the US from India, and a legitimate option for US Business nonstops. Everything else — Europe, East Asia, Gulf Business — is priced above what other programmes charge.

What I'm Watching

Three things I think will shape whether Maharaja Club becomes a programme worth accumulating in long-term:

• Air India Express redemptions — once I can burn Maharaja points on Express flights, the domestic and short-haul network gets much more useful. I expect this soon.
• The co-branded credit card — if it earns Maharaja miles directly at a decent rate and bundles Silver or Gold status, it could become the default card for AI flyers overnight.
• Fleet refit — the 787 refits started in February and new A350s are arriving through 2026. The 777 refit is starting too. As someone who flies the SFO route often, I'm waiting for the refits to show up — 130K for Business on a new hard product is a very different proposition.

The award chart got better. Now I'm waiting for the product to catch up.