Maharaja Club Wins Program of the Year Award

Air India Maharaja Club Recognized at Freddie Awards 2026

Air India has announced that its loyalty programme, Maharaja Club, has been named ‘Program of the Year’ in the Middle East and Asia Pacific region at the Freddie Awards 2026.

The recognition comes a year after Maharaja Club was named ‘Up and Coming Program of the Year’ at the Freddie Awards 2025, reflecting the programme’s ongoing development and growing member engagement.

Alongside the top honour, Maharaja Club was also recognised as runner-up in four categories: Best Promotion, Best Elite Program, Best Redemption Ability and Best Customer Service.

The Freddie Awards are determined through votes cast by travellers worldwide and recognize loyalty programmes based on member experience, customer service, redemption opportunities, value and innovation.

Established in 1988, the Freddie Awards are widely recognized within the travel loyalty sector. More than seven million travellers participate in the annual voting process, which is available in 13 languages, including Hindi.

Commenting on the achievement, Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer at Air India, said the recognition reflects the progress made in reshaping the Maharaja Club programme and creating greater value for members. He added that the airline remains focused on enhancing the programme and expanding member benefits.

Maharaja Club underwent a major redesign in 2024, moving from a miles-based rewards model to a spend-based structure. The updated programme introduced a simplified framework, revised membership tiers and new customer-focused features, helping attract millions of additional members over the past two years.

More recently, Air India introduced further enhancements to the programme, including lower redemption requirements on most routes across its network, a tier-based structure for award flight changes and cancellations, and revised qualification thresholds for tier progression.

The airline has also enabled Maharaja Club members to earn and redeem Maharaja Points on Air India Express flights. Air India Express currently serves 55 destinations across South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia with a fleet of more than 100 aircraft.

In addition, Maharaja Club has expanded its partner network to more than 100 organisations across sectors such as aviation, hospitality, retail, lifestyle and financial services. The broader ecosystem allows members to earn points through both travel and everyday spending.

Members can also earn and redeem points across 25 Star Alliance partner airlines, access tier benefits globally, and use more than 1,100 airport lounges worldwide through the alliance network.

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