Air India has announced a partnership with The Bicester Collection, a renowned designer outlet shopping center located on the outskirts of Bicester, as part of its Flying Returns loyalty program. This collaboration offers customers reward points on shopping and dining experiences at The Bicester Collection’s nine open-air luxury shopping Villages in Western Europe.
Flying Returns members can now earn 5 points for every GBP 4 or EUR 4 spent at any of The Bicester Collection’s Villages, which are conveniently located within an hour or less from major cities such as London, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Munich, Brussels, Dublin, Madrid, and Barcelona, ANI reported.
To collect reward points, members need to present their Air India Flying Returns digital membership card along with their receipts at Concierge Services in the Villages.
“This partnership aligns perfectly with our ongoing efforts to make the ‘reimagined’ Flying Returns a more robust and faster rewarding program. Adding The Bicester Collection to our rapidly growing network of ‘earn’ partners offers our loyal guests even more opportunities to accumulate points for the experiences they value,” said Sunil Suresh, Head of Marketing, Loyalty, and E-commerce at Air India.
“The demand for luxury shopping among Indians continues to boom at a record pace, with Indians now being among the highest spenders during their travels across the world. We are also excited to offer the benefits of this collaboration to our growing base of loyal guests across Europe, providing many new ways of collecting Flying Returns points beyond just taking flights to and within India,” Suresh added.
Laurent Vinay, Chief Brand and Communication Officer at The Bicester Collection, stated, “Air India aims to provide unparalleled Indian hospitality and customized service, aligning with The Bicester Collection’s values of offering an elevated experience. Air India is the most well-connected carrier in India, with flights to every European country where The Bicester Collection has a Village. Together, we can create wonderful experiences for our customers, making lasting and meaningful memories for all our guests.”
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This announcement is part of Air India’s ongoing effort to transform its Flying Returns program, which recently underwent a significant revamp in April.
The updated program now features a simplified structure, more customer-friendly features, renamed tiers, and an updated identity. The points collection model has shifted from miles-based to a more equitable spend-based approach, providing members with instant global status and privileges worldwide.
Over the past 18 months, Air India has added over 50 partners to the Flying Returns program, enhancing ease, rewards, and recognition for its members.
Air India serves Europe with 94 weekly non-stop flights to India from 10 locations: Amsterdam Schiphol, Birmingham, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Milan Malpensa, Paris CDG, Vienna, and Zurich. As it continues to expand its global presence, Air India has been increasing its European operations, recently inaugurating flights to Zurich and planning additional flights to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Milan this month.
Source: Financial Express