Using Air India Flying Returns to get 10 Kgs extra baggage allowance free

I truly think that Air India Flying Returns is not a great loyalty program and I’ve said it before. However, in the wake of Air India, Jet Airways, Go Air and Indigo dropping their free baggage allowance to 15 Kgs, it seems to have become an inconvenience to some travellers who still feel the need for more baggage allowance. Baggage allowance seems to be going at Rs. 250 (~$4) per Kg above the allowance, and it pinches pockets to pay. SpiceJet is the only Indian carrier offering 20 Kgs at the time of writing this.

Anyhow, there is a simple trick for the heavy travellers who choose to book with Air India. Most airlines with a loyalty program offer their elites an extra baggage allowance, such as Jet Airways. However, Air India also offers base level members of their Flying Returns program a 10Kg extra baggage allowance.

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All you need to do? Sign up for Flying Returns if you don’t have an account, and make sure you include your Flying Returns number when you are flying on an Air India ticket. You’d be eligible for 25 Kgs allowance instead of 15 kgs. And if you’re a family of four, you end up getting 40 kgs extra baggage.

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About Ajay

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

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Comments

  1. I was told at kathmandu airport that from january 16 extra 10 kgs will not be allowed against base ff card. Is it so. Please confirm.

  2. I just called Flying Returns and they definitively said that just getting the Flying Returns membership and booking using that is not adequate to get into ‘active’ status. You need to become ‘active’ to avail the 10kg benefit. This can be done either by taking a flight after registration or by using a flight that has been taken upto 6 months prior of the registration date. So, if you have no flights for the past 6 months, then the first flight of your domestic leg will be just used to ‘activate’ the benefits – but they can’t be used on that flight. All subsequent flights will have the benefits
    I asked him specifically about what folks have posted on forums like these – but he said that the checkin agent can’t make decisions since the information is accessible via the checkin terminal he/she uses and the membership has to be ‘active’
    I wonder if anyone here has had the experience of presuming the benefit, only to be rejected while checkin. And if anyone has used the benefit, even on their first flight – and how

    • @VK unless AI has improved their systems this is totally subjective. Back in the day a lot of people managed to just get the AI number on their ticket and get 10 kgs. Now waiting to hear new experiences.

  3. Hello,
    I have the same question as Ricka. Am I eligible to the 10kg extra luggage allowance even on my first trip?
    Thanks for your answer in advance.

      • Hello,
        Thank you for your fast reply.
        I am really confused because the air india service centre is telling me that I need to activate the card by doing a trip then on return flight I can benefit the 10kg extra allowance but not on the first trip. Do you really think it is allowed on the first trip itself? I am sorry.. But I am travelling to India in two days and I love to have 10kg more.
        Thank you again

      • Thank you for your fast reply.
        I am really confused because the air india service centre is telling me that I need to activate the card by doing a trip then on return flight I can benefit the 10kg extra allowance but not on the first trip. Do you really think it is allowed on the first trip itself? I am sorry.. But I am travelling to India in two days and I love to have 10kg more.
        Thank you again

  4. what is the way forward to avail the Flying Returns extra baggage or do i have to fill any form etc. Please reply on my email

  5. I am flying from Delhi TO Frankfurt on 8th April 2015 and returning back on15th April 2015,kindly register me to avail extra baggage on my trip as i am a frequent traveller.please let me know how to go further on this to avail this facility on my email.

  6. Hi Ajay

    I have got FR number after I booked the tickets and I have gone to manage bookings and added my trip it is showing under active bookings now under FR membership is this extra 10 KGs available on both journeys like to and from ?

  7. Hello, I’m very confused about this 10kg extra baggage allowance as Air India and my travel agent have told me two very different things.
    When calling Air India they tell me I am not eligible for extra 10kg until I make one journey as my card will only be active then. However, my travel agent told me you do not need to make one journey and you are eligible for 10kg extra as soon as you make a membership and add the number to your ticket.
    Can someone with experience in travelling with AI please clarify. Am I eligible for extra 10kg even though this will be my first journey as a member? Also, is there even a way for airport staff to check if the card is active or not?
    Thanks in advance

  8. I used flying returns miles of my bro to book tkt for me and my wife. Against both our names, my bro’s FF number is mentioned.

    Will we still be eligible for extra baggage and will it be 20 kgs or 10 kgs only.

  9. Hello,
    I am travelling from Newark to Ranchi via Mumbai on 27th August 2014 back from J1 visa. There was a student’s offer regarding an additional baggage allowance for students under J1 visa. I tried Calling up AI but no clear instructions was given. What should I do? Also, my FF is activated. Please reply ASAP

  10. I’m travelling to Delhi from Sydney in November and just signed up for the Flying Returns program to get the extra baggage allowance. But I called up air india and they told me I will not be getting this extra baggage allowance until my card is active (it gets active after you make one trip with that membership number). This is contradicting to other comments on this page though so i’m not 100% sure on how correct the guy was. Any idea if I’ll still be able to get the extra 10kg?

  11. Hi,
    I want to fly to Dubai to mangalore sep 30th
    I want to book tiget my credit card, I want to be 10 kg extra baggage how can I use this facility, please advaise me the option

  12. That’s okay, I just used their online chat and they did it for me. They say I must have activated my card before with another flight to benefit the 10 extra kg though. It’s in contradiction with what you and some people say, so I’m not so confident. Do you mean we are not suppose to benefit this if our membership card is not activated, but as they never (can’t?) check, it’s ok?
    Another question: do we have to carry another luggage of 10kgs to register, or we just have the right to have 10 more kgs in the same suitcase?
    Thank you in advance for your help!

    • @Diane don’t worry you should be fine. you can carry an extra piece of in the same suitcase, both will work

  13. Hi!
    I can’t manage to update my booking and on my travellers information it’s written my ticket number needs revalidation or exchange. I don’t think my card is activated because I could’nt add my flight in March. I just can add my flight back to France in September to my bookings.
    What can I do?

  14. Hi!
    I booked a flight from Sydney to Paris with Air India in March 2014, but I only get my Flying Returns card since June 2014. How can I do to benefit 10 extra kg?
    Thanks for your answer!

    • @Diane just update your flying returns membership number in the ticket and you get the benefit

  15. I am planning to travel this October on Air India from Sydney to Patna via Delhi. If I book the round trip the transit flight duration does not suit me and I don’t want to risk losing my International flight on return.

    I have seen that there is an option of multi city travel in India where I can choose the flights according to a suitable date ( Indirectly I can relax and meet my friends at Delhi before going to Patna and same while returning ).

    The option is as followed

    Sydney-Delhi : 4th October
    Delhi-Patna :6th October

    Patna-Delhi-18th October
    Delhi-Sydney-22nd October

    The price is not much different compared to the round trip.

    Now my doubt is

    1. Whether the all these tickets including the domestic will have the same PNR and

    2. Whether the domestic will have the same baggage limit (30 kg) as the international travel.

    Talked to the customer care and they seemed positive but would like to have confirmation from someone who has already done this kind of travel.

    • @Apoorv if you book with the same eticket number only then will the allowance be extended to you otherwise not.

  16. Hi I am travelling from Dubai to Kolkata on June 22nd 2014 through Air India. I have registered to flying miles 2days back only I have recieved only the membership Id print through mail only I doesnt hold any card.But My Ticket was booked by travel agent in India and he has not used my Flying miles ID at the time of booking. Even can I utilize Extra 10kg benefit showing my Membership Id at the check in counter. As my Flying Miles membership account has 0miles & 0 Points till date. Can avail this in the trip. Please suggest solution at the earliest.

  17. Hi Team,
    I had booked my ticket two weeks ago form Paris to Chennai and Chennai to Paris, recently i came to know for return fly i’ll get 10 Kg extra baggage allowance free. I have registered and got my Membership ID, how i’ll get this membership number on the ticket. If i take the Membership ID Printout they will accept for 10 Kg extra baggage. How do i add my missing miles and upward journey miles in this Membership ID.

    Waiting for your replay.

    Thanks in Advance,
    Magesh.Vijayan

  18. Hi,
    I purchase 2 adult ticket of AI but the agent has not taken FR# and I want to take a benefit 10kg each. any help & thanks

  19. Thank you Ajay
    I just got my wife registered for FR, now can her FR be used for extra 10 kg while checking in for the ticket booked earlier?

  20. I have the same question as Sarat had on March 23rd, 2014, but I don’t see the answer.

    I booked the ticket online for my wife already without quoting my FR number, Will I be eligible for extra 10 kg allowance at the time of check-in or collecting boarding pass?

  21. Dear all, I reserved for July and I have flying returns card number with copy of the card by mail. But, I am not having the card. To benefit the extra 10 kg… they asks the card or only number of the card ? Thanks you for your helps.

  22. My experience is the most worst experience with Flying Returns, since last one year i am struggling to get my flying returns card renewed and secondly even no one is cooperating on updating my NYC-Mumbai flying returns miles. I have minimum 15 mails, called flying returns and Air India Minimum 50 times …nothing happened.

  23. For a family of four (with 2 kids under 12) on one ticket – does this work if one parent have the Flying Returns membership – to get the extra 40kg (10kg per person)?

    Or only the registered members get the extra 10 kg in which case we can only get 20 kgs (for each adult) with 2 kids under 12.

    • @Amit every member gets 10 kg limit, so for a family of 4 you get 20 kgs extra. this is over and above your 15 kgs per pax so you basically do have a 80 kg between the four of you which i think is a lot of baggage allowance.

  24. how can i avail the facility now for my wife’s ticket booked 2 mnths back,is it applicable to one way ticket also,is the membership no to be quoted while booking or the facility available by quoting membership no.at boarding pass counter directly at airport on day of flight

  25. thanks,
    bro how can i make my children id, what is the procedure to add in my children ticket all are under 12.please help.
    thanks,

  26. sir i already perches my ticket how i can add my membership no in my ticket. shall i make separate id for my children. please help

  27. Hello, is this extra 10KG baggage allowance available for AI flights from Seoul, South Korea to Ahmedabad, India by mentioning FR number on the ticket..thanks

  28. Surprisingly when i booked a round trip in Ai with FR and went to counter, i was told that im eligible for 10kg extra. I never knew this b4 and it was not mentioned in Eticket either.

  29. One more thing was that the e-ticket provided by AirIndia has no details whatesover, from where its departure,fare breakup,baggage allowance… nothing of that sorts.

    I have been flying JetAirways since long and their eticket mentions every minute detail but AirIndia is just completely opposite :/

    You might know that some domestic AirIndia flights originate from Mumbai’s T2 Sahar terminal(esp. for Kerala) which is the case with my ticket BUT with no details watesover mentioned in the ticket any passenger would land at the Domestic Terminal(Vile Parle) instead of T2 terminal.

  30. Hi,
    For the first time I booked and air india flight and using your advice regarding gaining extra 10kgs baggage, I regsitered with Flying returns and booked a roundtrip ticket via AirIndia’s website but although in their memebership it is mentioned that I’m entitled to 10kg extra but in the ticket nothing of that sort is mentioned.

    So would I face a problem at the time of travel?

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