Can passengers transfer frequent-flyer miles earned before the integration process (with Star Alliance) is completed?
Yes. There will be no restrictions on air miles earned earlier. If you are a member of Air India’s Flying Returns programme, you will be eligible to redeem miles which have been accumulated over a certain period of time. These benefits are applicable to all international passengers travelling to India along with any other frequent-flyer programme that they may be enrolled in. How are the miles valued when it comes to trading them on international carriers? It’s rather complicated; those details are still to be worked out. Redemption of miles varies on various carriers. For example, if you are a member of Singapore Airlines travel mileage programme and want to fly New Delhi-Vienna and back on the Star Alliance-member Austrian, you will need to shell out 55,000 Singapore Airlines’ miles. A member of the Austrian frequent-flyer programme may need to encash 60,000 miles. Also, every time you fly a partner airline, your miles will accumulate for that distance based on your own airline. So a
