Akasa Air has officially launched its first loyalty programme, 'Akasa Elevate', marking a significant strategic shift as the airline seeks to deepen customer retention in India's competitive aviation market. According to reports from Moneycontrol, the programme was launched on the airline's fourth anniversary on August 7, allowing passengers to earn and redeem points on flights and ancillary services while offering tier-based benefits such as priority services, travel flexibility and faster status progression. As reported by The Economic Times, the programme represents a modern, revenue-based loyalty ecosystem that rewards passengers not just for flying, but also for spending on ancillary services, positioning it as a broader customer engagement platform where every interaction with the airline contributes towards earning rewards. The launch comes as Akasa battles with Air India and IndiGo for corporate and leisure traffic, with the Mumbai-headquartered airline now operating 40 Boeing 737 aircraft to 36 destinations.
Unlike conventional airline loyalty programmes, Akasa Elevate offers elite-tier privileges that remain available irrespective of whether passengers book directly with the airline or through travel agents and online travel portals. As reported by The Economic Times, the airline will have one of the fastest tier progressions, with customers able to exercise privileges regardless of their booking channel choice. The programme introduces a flexible same-day travel feature, allowing eligible members arriving early at the airport to shift to earlier flights departing within 12 hours without paying any change fee, subject to seat availability. According to The Economic Times, the programme offers unlimited priority services and exclusive benefits including immediate travel benefits such as priority services, discounts, baggage allowances, fee waivers and faster tier progression, differentiating it from programmes that primarily focus on future reward flights. Members can also enjoy unlimited priority services and exclusive benefits as they move up tiers, with tier benefits exclusively for eligible Akasa Elevate members and cannot be shared with co-travellers, unless a specific benefit states otherwise in the programme Terms and Conditions.
According to The Economic Times, Akasa will allow members to retrospectively claim loyalty points for flights taken from April 1, 2026, even though the programme formally goes live on August 7. The airline has received a wonderful response from the corporate sector, with CEO Vinay Dube noting that Akasa probably has a larger share of corporate travellers than one might associate with an airline operating just 40 aircraft. While the programme has not been designed exclusively for corporate customers, it focuses on thanking anyone who chooses to fly Akasa, with corporate travellers expected to benefit significantly from the flexibility features. As reported by The Economic Times, the programme is heavily centred around rewarding customer spend, simplifying qualification through either flights or expenditure, and delivering immediate value through discounts, priority services and fee waivers.
Akasa Elevate launches with four membership tiers designed to make elite status relatively accessible. Bronze members earn 8 Elevate Points for every ₹100 spent and is automatically assigned when customers enrol. Silver status requires either ₹75,000 in eligible spend or six eligible flights within a membership year, earning 10 Elevate Points per ₹100. Gold status requires ₹1.25 lakh in eligible spend or 15 eligible flights, increasing the earning rate to 12 Elevate Points per ₹100. At the top sits Platinum, which requires ₹2.5 lakh in eligible spend or 30 eligible flights, rewarding members with 14 Elevate Points per ₹100 spent. According to The Economic Times, direct bookings through Akasa's website and mobile app provide four bonus Elevate Points per ₹100 on eligible bookings, meaning a Platinum member booking directly could effectively earn 18 Elevate Points per ₹100 spent before considering any future promotional bonuses. Members can start earning Elevate Points from the day they join Akasa Elevate, with Elevate Points credited only after an eligible journey has been completed, and can claim Elevate Points for past 90-day travel by raising a Retro Claim request.
Akasa Air has demonstrated strong growth momentum with continued expansion adding five destinations this year - Navi Mumbai, Noida, Jaipur, Udaipur and Hanoi. CEO Vinay Dube announced plans to add two more destinations in this fiscal, with the airline adding 10 aircraft in the last twelve months and expecting this pace to increase further. As reported by The Economic Times, the airline is getting three aircraft this month and plans to continue expanding its fleet. The airline reported short of 30% growth in the June-end quarter, which Dube described as great despite higher fuel costs that prevented the airline from passing on entire cost increases to passengers. Dube emphasized that disciplined growth, operational excellence, employee centricity and delivering differentiated experiences remain the airline's focus as it enters its fifth year of operations.
