The announcement came close on the heels of the government approving Singapore Airlines’ investment into the merged carrier. As a joint venture partner in Vistara, Singapore Airlines holds 49 percent stake in the airline and will have 25.1 percent shareholding in the enlarged Air India after the merger. The wheels for the merger were set in motion in 2022 after the Tata group acquired Air India from the government.

The Indian government’s approval to Singapore Airline’s Rs 2,059-crore investment in the merged airline was the final hurdle before the merger. With all regulatory approvals for the merger now in place, the movement of aircraft and crew from the Vistara’s air operator certificate (AOC) to that of Air India will be done on November 12. The consolidation is a critical part of Air India’s transformation program that seeks to build it into an airline of global reputation.

How is this merger likely to affect Vistara customers in terms of bookings, product, service, and loyalty programs?

What will happen to bookings for Vistara flights?

For customers booked on Vistara flights till November 11, nothing changes as the airline will continue to operate flights till that day. For those already booked on Vistara flights scheduled for November 12 and later, their flights will be operated by Air India.

For Vistara flights on or after November 12, the flight numbers will change to those of Air India. All customers already booked on Vistara flights November 12 onwards will automatically have their reservations converted to Air India flight numbers, and new electronic tickets will be generated for them. This will occur in phases during September, and customers will be individually informed when this occurs.

Customers looking to book Vistara flights for November 12 or beyond will progressively not be able to do so from September 3, and will have to book the flights through Air India instead. Those looking to fly a Vistara flight scheduled for November 11 or earlier can continue to book directly with Vistara.

Similarly, for most add-on services and booking modifications, customers booked on Vistara flights until November 11 can use Vistara’s website, mobile application, and call center. For booking beyond November 11, they would be required to do so through Air India.

Will the product and service for Vistara customers change immediately?

Given Vistara’s brand and positioning as a premium airline, one question that is bound to crop up in the minds of many of its customers would be: what are the changes in product and service that one can expect from November 12? The short answer: not too many changes in most cases, at least initially.

From November 12, all Vistara flights will be operated under the Air India brand as all aircraft and crew of Vistara would have migrated to the Air India AOC on November 12. However, for nearly all such flights, the schedule, operating crew, and the Aircraft will be from Vistara’s existing fleet until early 2025, Air India’s Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson said in an internal communication to employees.

This means that at least for the first few weeks, those flying on what will then be the erstwhile Vistara aircraft can expect continuity in terms of product and service in most cases. But the possibility of using Air India planes for such flights, even in the early days of the merger, cannot be completely ruled out as aircraft allotment is contingent upon complexities of scheduling and availability.

Of course, after the initial few months, the lines between the Vistara and Air India in terms of product and service would progressively blur as the carriers’ integration — aircraft, crew, and network — gathers pace. A few months down the line, aircraft and crew deployment is likely to be a lot more unified.

Air India is in the process of refurbishing its older aircraft even as it continues to induct new aircraft on a regular basis. As part of the exercise, Air India is also adding the premium economy class to its cabin layout. Vistara already has the premium economy offering. With this fleet modernization exercise and new planes coming in, Air India hopes to enhance its product and service quality and bring it up to the level offered by Vistara.

What will happen to Vistara’s loyalty program Club Vistara?

Along with the merger of Vistara into Air India, Club Vistara will also merge with Air India’s frequent flyer program Flying Returns. The Club Vistara program will continue to exist until the integration of the two airlines is complete, after which Club Vistara accounts will be migrated to Flying Returns.

Those with existing accounts in both loyalty programs can link the two accounts through the Club Vistara section on Vistara’s website. In case a customer does not link the two accounts by the time of the merger, her accounts will be automatically merged, provided key identification and contact details are common in both accounts. For accounts where there is any mismatch in these details, a new Flying Returns account will be created and the Club Vistara points will be transferred to the new account. Members can then merge any duplicate Flying Returns accounts that may have been created due to data mismatch.

A member’s tier status in the loyalty program will be assigned based on the cumulative points of both Club Vistara and Flying Returns. Members will be able to at least maintain their current Club Vistara tier status or get upgraded based on their cumulative points under the two programs. Going forward, the rules of Flying Returns will apply.

“On the day of migration, the CV (Club Vistara) points balance, and the Tier Points available in the member accounts will be transferred to the Flying Returns program at a 1:1 ratio. The points will remain valid for at least one year from the date of migration, even if they are due to expire sooner,” Vistara states on its website. It added that valid and unused flight or upgrade vouchers issued to Club Vistara members will be transferred to their Flying Returns accounts with existing validity.

Both Air India and Vistara have co-branded credit cards as part of their loyalty program offerings, but the airlines and their partner credit card companies have so far not provided details of how the offerings and point accruals on these cards will shape up with the merger. of Club Vistara and Flying Returns. The details are expected to be released over the coming weeks.