Tata SIA Airlines, which operates Vistara Airlines, informed its users on May 15, 2024, that the ‘Club Vistara‘ frequent flyer program will merge with Air India‘s ‘Flying Returns‘ program. Hence, passengers of both airlines should expect some changes.
Experts suggest that important changes for Vistara travelers include enhanced airport lounge access, more international travel options, and expanded opportunities for redeeming reward points.
Here’s a breakdown of what the merger of Club Vistara with Air India Flying Returns will mean for customers.
What the merger means for existing Vistara travellers
According to Vistara‘s email to its customers dated May 15, 2024, “Upon completion of the integration process between Air India and Vistara, your Club Vistara account will be migrated to Air India‘s Flying Returns.”
Here’s what this means:
- Tier status: As per Vistara‘s email, you can maintain at least your current Club Vistara tier status or get upgraded if you qualify based on cumulative points.
- CV points and tier points balance: The CV (Club Vistara) points and tier points available in your Club Vistara account will be transferred to the Air India Flying Returns program at a 1:1 ratio. These points will remain valid for at least one year from the date of migration, even if they are due to expire sooner.
- Future bookings: All future bookings will be transferred, and you and your nominees will receive the revised flight details post migration.
- Vouchers: All valid unused one-class upgrade vouchers and complimentary flight ticket vouchers will be transferred to Flying Returns with the existing validity.
- Co-branded credit cards: Updates will be shared in the upcoming weeks. Experts say the cards will most probably be cancelled, and banks with whom Air India decides to partner will issue new credit cards.
How will the merger impact you?
Air India and 25 other airlines including Air Canada, South African Airlines, Swiss Air, Lufthansa, etc are members of Star Alliance. This membership has many perks and benefits which can now be enjoyed by Vistara travelers. The merger will benefit you in many ways. They are:
Better benefits in terms of priority check in and international airport lounge access
Vistara has said in their email to customers that the tier status of the frequent flyer program will at least remain the same, and for some customers, it may even be upgraded based on the accumulated reward points. “Having an equivalent tier status in the Air India Flying Return program is more valuable than having it in Club Vistara. For example, a gold tier in Air India is more valuable than gold tier in Vistara due to multiple reasons,” says Ashwin Ravi, a credit card and airmiles enthusiast and founder of Desimiles.com.
“Since the tier category will remain the same on migration from Club Vistara to Flying Returns, there are other perks which customers will be entitled to. For instance, I am a Platinum member of Club Vistara. Post the migration, I will become a Flying Returns Platinum member which gets me Gold benefits on Star Alliance (their highest tier). These can be very valuable when flying with Star Alliance airlines such as United, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa which have a large footprint globally especially priority check in and airport lounge access,” says Vinamra Longani, Head of Business – India, SGI Aviation.
Vistara economy class passengers post-merger can access Air India lounges
Experts say the gold tier is the minimum requirement for complimentary airport lounge access. Getting a gold tier status in Vistara is easy if you have the Axis Vistara Infinite credit co-branded card. This is because this credit card gives complimentary gold tier membership and few business class tickets.
“Business and first-class passengers have free access to Airport lounges maintained by Air India and its partners. However now with the migration in effect, even economy class travellers of Vistara can access Air India lounge as long as they at least have gold tier membership. The gold tier membership in Vistara can be availed very easily if an individual takes the Axis Vistara Infinite credit card,” says Jay, founder, RightonPoints.com, a credit card information website.
According to Jay, this credit card, in addition to giving you a complimentary gold tier Club Vistara membership, also gives you access to up to 4 business class tickets in a year. “You get 1 business class ticket for free on taking out this credit card and further 3 more business class tickets on completion of the card’s milestone,” he says.
“I became a Vistara gold member automatically because of the co-branded credit card which I took out. One of the better benefits of this program is the lounge access. Even if I am an economy class traveller of Vistara, I can access the airport lounge as long as I am at least a gold tier member,” says Nikunj Agarwal, a frequent traveller.
International destination travellers will benefit
“Club Vistara members will be able to earn and burn miles on a wider choice of flights on Air India’s large global network and with other Star Alliance airlines. This migration will be especially beneficial for those who travel to the USA and Europe. Vistara does not operate to the former and has limited destinations (in comparison to Air India) in the latter market,” says Longani.
“Gold tier members of Air India Flying Returns can use their accumulated reward points to access our lounge in Cairo International Airport, since Egypt Air has also been a Star Alliance member since 2008. Moreover these travellers can also use their Air India reward points to book travel tickets on all of our network. This is because points can be redeemed for flights on any Star Alliance member airline, irrespective of where you earned them,” said Amr Aly, country manager- India, Egyptair Airlines.
Aly further added that after launch of direct flights, many Indian travellers who went to Cairo for tourism purposes, wedding, etc availed the airport lounge service too.
Reward points can now be used in more routes and will give better benefitsExperts say that since Air India has more flight routes, both domestically and internationally, you have a wider network to redeem the accumulated reward points. “Air India has a wider international and domestic network. Therefore, the customers of Vistara who are holding CV points shall be benefitted by wider utilisation of the same,” says Rajiv Sharma, Partner, Singhania & Co.
Cons of the merger of Club Vistara with Air India Flying Returns
Here are the cons of the merger:
Cost of reward point redemption will go upAccording to Ravi, “I feel that the reward point migration from Club Vistara to Air India Flying Return could have done at a 25-30% bonus (1:1.3). It would have lesser value at 1:1. I am saying this because Air India’s flying return program uses up more points on certain routes and also when the travel date is closer as compared to Vistara. This holds more true for premium economy and business class travellers where the points requirement is higher.”
For example, the reward points required to book Delhi-Mumbai Vistara flight on economy class is 5,000 CV points for economy class.
Club Vistara reward point calculation
Source: Vistara Website as of May 16, 2024
If booked in advance, the same flight (Delhi-Mumbai) would cost 5,000 to 7,500 reward points on Air India. However, if booked near the travel date, it would cost 9,500 reward points. This is for economy class. For premium economy class, it will cost 13,000 reward points.
Source: Air India website as of May 16, 2024
Vistara’s brand appeal might get lost due to merger with Air India
“As a long-term loyalist of Vistara, I am concerned about the merger, and I am not confident that the end-user experience will remain the same, both in terms of the actual travel, as well as the loyalty program,” says Agarwal.
“I actually loved Club Vistara program due to multiple reasons. Like for example, I frequently travel abroad and require carrying quite a bit of luggage. So, the extra luggage allowance benefit which comes with Club Vistara helped me save a lot of money due to excessive weight of the luggage I am carrying,” says Suryansh Singh, a Delhi-based Vistara traveller.
“There was this one time when I was travelling and due to some reason, I missed my flight, so I was given a ticket to another flight on the same route at a reasonable cost due to the fact I am a Club Vistara member. There were many other small gestures like this which made me feel rewarded by enrolling for the Club Vistara program,” says Sajida Khatun, a frequent Vistara and Air India traveller.
