The Maharaja Club of Air India Won the 2026 Freddie Awards' "Program of the Year" Title

News Desk. News Nation 360: At the esteemed Freddie Awards 2026, Air India's loyalty program, Maharaja Club, was named "Program of the Year" for the Middle East & Asia Pacific area. This accomplishment comes after it was named the "Up and Coming Program of the Year" at the 2025 edition, demonstrating a swift change over the previous two years. Since 1988, the Freddie Awards, which are voted on yearly by more than 7 million travellers worldwide in 13 languages, have been the gold standard for benchmarks related to travel loyalty. Maharaja Club not only won the top title but also placed second in four important categories: "Best Promotion," "Best Elite Program," "Best Redemption Ability," and "Best Customer Service." Air India's Chief Commercial Officer, Nipun Aggarwal, expressed gratitude for the confidence of millions of voters, confirming the airline's strategic commitment to building a highly rewarding ecosystem and everyday value. A more equitable, spend-based point system replaced the program's outdated, mileage-based collecting models when it was first overhauled in 2024. This structural simplification has successfully drawn millions of new participants. Reducing point redemption requirements on at least 90% of Air India routes, implementing a tiered charge structure for award trip adjustments, and decreasing flight-count thresholds to expedite premium tier advancement are some recent customer-focused improvements. Additionally, the program integrated with value-carrier Air India Express to enable point accrual and redemptions across more than 55 regional destinations, and it expanded its commercial ecosystem to include over 100 lifestyle, retail, and hospitality partners. Maharaja Club members can easily accrue and use points on 25 international partner airlines as part of the larger Star Alliance network, gaining access to over 1,100 airport lounges and reciprocal tier advantages.

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