The aviation industry has come a long way in India. The introduction of budget air carriers has made frequent flying possible even for a common man. If you regularly travel due to personal or professional reasons, flights now prove to be a time-efficient and affordable option. Moreover, to further enhance your flying experience, there are now frequent flying programs.
While such programs are already very popular in foreign countries, Indians have only recently been introduced to them. And as with anything new, it is completely alright to be a little sceptical about their benefits. So, are such frequent flying programs actually beneficial or just marketing hype?
Let us have a look at some of its key features to make a decision-
- Collecting Air Miles
Needless to say, the biggest reward of joining one such frequent flying program is the air miles you will collect for booking flight tickets. If you collect adequate air miles, you can also redeem them for free flight tickets. However, there is a widespread belief that only people who fly very frequently are able to collect a considerable number of miles.
But this is not true at all as there are now highly rewarding flying programs in India that allow you to earn handsome air miles even on domestic tickets. Moreover, some programs have no expiry on the collected miles as long as you meet some basic requirements. The air carriers also have several partner carriers, and you get to collect miles and redeem them even on such partner carrier flights.
- Additional Flying Benefits with Air Miles
Being part of a frequent flying program is now more than just earning air miles. You now also get a host of additional flying benefits to make your journey more rewarding and comfortable. There are a few flying programs that have a tier-based rewards system.
Some of the top benefits of such programs include priority check-in, additional baggage allowance, zero cancellation fees, lounge access, and more. Moreover, based on the tier you are currently in, you could also earn a higher number of miles to help you get closer to free flight ticket faster.
- Multiple Ways to Earn Miles
Also, if you are not really a frequent flyer, you can still continue earning miles in many different ways. For instance, some programs in India allow you to earn air miles for using co-branded credit cards, shopping, dining, booking hotel rooms, and even renting a car.
You will anyways spend money on these activities in your everyday life, so why not join a flying program and earn miles for them?
- Several Ways to Spend Miles
If you believe that the air miles you collect could only be redeemed for flight tickets, you are wrong again. There are many ways in which you can use your air miles. For instance, JetPrivilege Air Miles or JPMilescan be used for booking hotel rooms, shopping from the online rewards store of the program, or even transferring or gifting them to another member of the program.
So, even if you believe that you will not be able to collect enough miles to be eligible for a free flight ticket, the miles could still be used in many ways. But note that such redemption options are only available with a few flying programs in India.
Are Frequent Flyer Programs Just Hype?
As you can see, the frequent flying programs are the real deal. Irrespective of whether you are a frequent flyer or not, you can now earn and spend the air miles in many different ways.
You can visit the official website of a reputed flying program in India to know more about how they work, their benefits, and the joining process.