Vistara And Lufthansa Partner Up To Offer Reciprocal Miles Earnings

Vistara and Lufthansa have announced plans to deepen their partnership this week. Passengers flying on either carrier will now be able to earn and redeem miles on Miles & More or Club Vistara across the airline networks. The move comes after Vistara launched direct flights to Frankfurt, opening up more connection options for passengers. Let’s find out more.

Vistara and Lufthansa first announced a codeshare agreement in December 2019. Photo: Vistara

Earn and burn

Vistara and Lufthansa are teaming up to offer their frequent flyers one more option to earn and redeem precious miles. Passengers can now choose to earn CV or Miles & More points on all flights operated by Lufthansa (spanning over 200 destinations globally) and Vistara (nearing 50 destinations across India and internationally).

The move brings Vistara closer in line with Star Alliance members, making the airline a major draw for inbound and outbound passengers. Today, passengers flying Vistara can credit or redeem their miles to Air Canada, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and United. Minus JAL, all the others are Star Alliance members, a move likely influenced by Vistara’s 49% ownership by SIA.

Lufthansa has long viewed India as a crucial market and is more than happy to grow its presence there. Photo: Vincenzo Pace – Simple Flying

In a statement about the new partnership, Vistara CCO and incoming CEO Vinod Kannan said,

“We are delighted to extend our strong partnership with Lufthansa and bring synergies between our respective frequent flyer programs. I am confident that this will enable us to provide greater value and convenience to our Club Vistara members on their travels across the world. We are also equally excited to welcome Miles & More members and provide them a consistent, world-class flying experience when they fly ‘India’s best airline.”

Seamless experience

Vistara also highlighted the consistency of cabins offered by itself and Lufthansa. The three-cabin layout of economy, premium economy, and business class across nearly all of Vistara’s fleet means passengers coming out of Lufthansa flights will hardly be disappointed by a drop in service no matter what route they are flying.

This will be a big draw for passengers in premium cabins who wish to complete long journeys comfortably, even if it involves a domestic connection. Lufthansa operates a diverse fleet of A320 family jets, the A330, A340, A350, and 787 for its operations. Meanwhile, Vistara operates a fleet of 787s, A320 family jets, and a few 737s.

Vistara’s premium economy offering means travelers from long-haul flights will see consistency on domestic routes too. Photo: Vistara

However, the drawback of this deal will be fewer flights for travelers to pick from. With Vistara’s domestic and international routes still growing, many routes may only have a handful of frequencies to choose from compared to larger airlines. For now, both carriers are betting that the future will see a rapid expansion of networks and passenger numbers.

Codeshare

Currently, the codeshare agreement extends to nearly a dozen cities across India. This includes flights from Delhi to nine cities, including Goa, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Pune, and more. Additionally, Delhi-Mumbai and Bangalore-Chennai are also covered.

While previously only these flights were eligible for mileage earning, now passengers can see the CV or Miles & More option while booking any tickets. For now, the future looks exciting for both carriers as India reopens its border and travel rebounds this year.

What do you think about the new mileage options? Let us know in the comments!

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