The Best Airline Rewards Programs for Frequent Flyers in India (And How to Stop Running Behind Everyone)

Let’s be real: as a member of HR & Admin team in an Indian corporate setup, half your job is firefighting last-minute schedule changes on WhatsApp, and the other half is politely explaining to a VP why the company won't approve ₹3,000 for extra legroom on a 45-minute Delhi-Chandigarh flight.

If your teams are on planes more often than in their office seats, they are quietly sitting on a mountain of air miles. The question is: are those miles working to make your life easier, or are they just expiring peacefully?

This guide breaks down the best airline rewards programs for frequent flyers in India. More importantly, it shows you how to use them to upgrade the traveller experience, reduce escalations, and look like a total rockstar to the Finance team—all without increasing the annual travel budget.

Here is everything you need to know, strictly to the point.

1. Air India – Maharaja Club

Best for: The high-maintenance VIPs, international flyers, and anyone who insists on airport lounge access.

Air India’s Maharaja Club (formerly Flying Returns) is your best friend when dealing with senior management. Why? Because it’s the gateway to Star Alliance. If your frequent flyers hit Gold or Platinum here, they get VIP treatment worldwide, which means they stop emailing you asking to expense ₹2,500 for airport lounge access.

Maharaja Club – Tier Benefits at a Glance

Why Travel Admins Care: Look at those fee waivers for Gold and Platinum. When the Sales Head suddenly decides to prepone their flight by a day, you don't have to fight with the airline portal or beg Finance for approval to pay the change fee. It’s handled. Plus, the free extra baggage allowance stops those awkward "Why is there a ₹4,000 excess baggage charge on this expense report?" conversations.

2. IndiGo – BluChip

Best for: The volume travellers who basically live on the 6 AM flight to Bengaluru.

For years, IndiGo didn't have a loyalty program because they knew we had no choice but to book them anyway. Now, they’ve rolled out Indigo BluChip. It is incredibly straightforward, based entirely on how much money is spent.

IndiGo BluChip – Core Benefits

Why Travel Admins Care: Since 60% of your domestic bookings are probably on IndiGo, you need to capture this value. The discounts on add-ons are huge. If your policy allows travellers to book their own window seats or Fast Forward boarding, those 10% discounts add up fast, keeping you under budget.

3. Air India Express – NeuPass

Best for: Regional teams, budget-conscious routes, and the India–GCC (Middle East) corridor.

Air India Express loyalty program operates on the Tata NeuPass system. Instead of traditional "tiers," they use "Badges" (Aviator, Explorer, Highflyer, Jetsetter). This is highly practical for teams flying to Tier-2 cities or Dubai/Abu Dhabi.

NeuPass – Badge Benefits

Why Travel Admins Care: Vouchers and free changes. If you have a project team doing regular up-and-down trips to Kochi or Dubai every month, getting them to "Highflyer" status gives you a massive relief for one flight change or cancellation per trip. That saves a ton of administrative headache.

4. SpiceJet (SpiceClub) & Akasa Air

Best for: Tactical, route-specific deployments.

Let’s bundle these two. If your factory or branch office is on a route dominated by SpiceJet or Akasa, you’re going to be booking them.

The Quick Snapshot

How to Actually Use These Programs (Without Losing Your Mind)

Having great airline rewards programs is useless if you have to manage them in a giant, color-coded Excel tracker that breaks every time someone leaves the company.

Here is the Travel Admin’s survival guide to making loyalty work:

1. End the "Missing FFN" WhatsApp Trails

The biggest reason travellers don't get their perks (and you don't get the fee waivers) is that their Frequent Flyer Number (FFN) never makes it into the booking.

• The Fix: Stop asking for them via email or WhatsApp groups. Have every traveller update their profile in your booking tool once.

2. Let TripGain Do the Heavy Lifting

If you are using a platform like TripGain, it acts like an invisible assistant.

• The Fix: TripGain automatically attaches the traveller's Maharaja Club or BluChip ID to every single eligible booking. No manual entry. No typos. The traveller gets their points, the company gets the status perks, and you don't have to lift a finger.

3. Exploit Retro-Claims

Travellers will forget to update their profiles, and they will complain to you about missing points six months later.

• The Fix: Remind them that programs like Air India's Maharaja Club allow retro-claims for up to 12 months. Send them the link, tell them to do the needful themselves, and sip your chai in peace.

4. Use Status as a Soft Perk

You can't control the travel budget, but you can control the experience.

• The Fix: Encourage your frequent flyers to consolidate their travel on 1 or 2 main airlines (usually Air India and IndiGo). When they hit elite status and suddenly get free lounge access, extra legroom, and priority boarding, they feel taken care of. Happy travellers escalate less. And a travel admin with fewer escalations is a happy travel admin.

Want an expert to take you through this and never miss another penny of your loyalty program? Contact Us Today!