Air India Express Flights Now Bookable With Air India Maharaja Club Points

This is one of the biggest practical upgrades to Maharaja Club till now because members can now redeem points not just on Air India-operated flights, but also across Air India Express’ much larger regional and domestic network. The timing makes it even better, Air India already reduced award rates by up to 30% in April 2026, and the Maharaja Club Points Fest is running with up to 50% bonus points until 31st May. Air India Express joined the network right in the middle  - more routes, better pricing, and a bonus window to top up your balance all at once.

Air India Express Flights Are Now Bookable With Maharaja Points

Until now, Maharaja Club redemptions were mostly limited to Air India-operated routes. But with Air India Express now integrated, that means members can now:

• Redeem Maharaja Club points on Air India Express flights

• Access more domestic and regional routes

• Find better redemption availability across India

• Use points on routes that previously had limited redemption options

This is a major improvement because Air India Express operates many routes that regular Air India either doesn’t cover efficiently or doesn’t operate at all.

Redemption Pricing

Air India already made domestic redemptions more accessible in April 2026, reducing the points required across most routes by up to 30%. Economy class redemptions dropped across both domestic and international sectors, making Maharaja Club one of the better program for domestic award travel in India right now. 

With Air India Express now added to the mix, some routes are already showing strong redemption value. For example, Bengaluru to Goa is showing redemptions starting from just 2,500 Maharaja Points.  For frequent domestic travellers, this makes Maharaja Club points meaningfully easier to use.

What Benefits Do You Get on Air India Express Redemptions ?

Air India Express redemptions follow the same rules as Air India award tickets. These benefits are for Air India as a whole.

Depending on the fare and route, travellers may still receive:

• Cabin baggage allowance

• Complimentary onboard meals/snacks on eligible flights

• Seat selection benefits

• Flex-style fare benefits on some bookings

• 20kg baggage allowance on eligible itineraries

The change and cancellation flexibility on redemption bookings is a Maharaja Club program benefit that applies based on your membership tier - these are not Air India Express airline perks, they are loyalty program perks that follow your booking regardless of which Air India group aircraft you fly on. 

Current benefits include:

• Silver Members → Free changes up to 30 days before departure

• Gold Members → Free changes up to 7 days before departure

• Platinum Members → Free changes up to 2 hours before departure

One thing worth noting: elite tier benefits like lounge access, priority boarding, and additional baggage that Gold and Platinum members enjoy on mainline Air India flights are Air India benefits tied to flying Air India-operated services. Whether these extend to Air India Express redemption bookings has not been officially confirmed. Do not assume your elite perks automatically carry over until Air India clarifies this. 

How to Book 

• Go to the Maharaja Club portal on the Air India website and search for your route as you normally would for an award booking. 

• Air India Express options now appear alongside mainline Air India flights in the search results. 

• Select your preferred flight, choose your seats, and confirm with your Maharaja Points balance. 

Maharaja Club Points Fest

This update comes at a particularly good time. The Maharaja Club Points Fest is running until 31st May 2026, giving members up to 50% bonus Maharaja Points on eligible credit card point transfers, partner transactions, and loyalty conversions.

The bonus points earned through the Points Fest can now be redeemed across both Air India and Air India Express flights - which makes the window between now and 31st May genuinely interesting for anyone sitting on transferable bank reward points. 

For the full breakdown of how the Points Fest works and how to participate, read here: Maharaja Club Points Fest 

Here Is How to Make the Most of Your Maharaja Points

Air India finally integrating Air India Express redemptions into Maharaja Club is a genuinely meaningful improvement for the program. Instead of being limited mainly to metro-heavy Air India routes, members now get access to a much broader domestic network with significantly better redemption flexibility.

And with the ongoing bonus transfer promotion live till 31st May, Maharaja Club points currently offer much stronger value than before for domestic travel within India.

Keeping track of your Maharaja Points balance, knowing which routes offer the best redemption value, and staying updated when program like this expand - that is exactly what SaveSage helps you manage, so you never leave points unused.