Vistara's final flight on November 11: Important dates for passengers to note before Air India-Vistara Merger

Air India-Vistara merger: Full-service carriers -- Air India and Vistara, a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines -- are set to be merged on November 11. Due to the ongoing merger between Vistara and Air India, reservations for all Vistara flights planned for departure on or after November 12, 2024, will be made through the Air India website. The fleets of Vistara and Air India will formally combine on that date.

According to the Air India website, if the flights are scheduled before 12 November 2024, the booking with Vistara remains unchanged. If the flights are scheduled on or after November 12, 2024, the bookings will seamlessly transition from Vistara to Air India's reservation system in the background. 

"Your booking will be transferred from Vistara to Air India's reservation system from the backend, ensuring minimal to no disruption to your travel plans. We assure you that your existing booking will not be cancelled due to the merger, and there will be no need for you to rebook your flight. You will receive notifications about any relevant changes to your booking, including your updated e-ticket, with the revised ticket number, flight number, terminal, etc. Additionally, in our effort to continue to provide you with an elevated travel experience, our staff at customer touchpoints will undergo thorough training to offer seamless assistance," Air India stated in one of its FAQs.

Final Vistara flight

According to the merger FAQs page on the Air India website, effective November 12, 2024, the following changes can be expected:

Your flights with Vistara will remain the same.

The in-flight experience on Vistara's fleet will not be altered.
These flights will now be identified by the new AI code, 2XXX. For example, the flight UK 955 operating between Delhi and Mumbai will be renumbered as AI 2955.

On-demand Vouchers

When vouchers are issued using the "On-demand Voucher Generation" feature, they will be automatically added to your Flying Returns account with a fixed validity of nine months if they are not issued by November 11, 2024.

Co-branded Credit Cards

For co-brand cardholders, complimentary ticket vouchers and Flying Returns Points will be provided after November 12, 2024, in addition to the current card benefits. Your Tier status will also be maintained for one year following the merger date.

Club Vistara and Flying Returns

Effective November 12, 2024, Club Vistara will become part of Air India's Flying Returns programme. All CV Points, Tier Points, subsequent Tier Status, and any relevant vouchers will be transferred to the corresponding Flying Returns account.

Compensatory CV Points

On or before November 12, 2024, all CV Points set to expire in September and October of that year will be reissued as "Compensatory CV Points" and transferred to the Flying Returns account. These points will be valid for a minimum of one year after the transfer and can be used across Air India's extensive network.

Complimentary Ticket Vouchers

Any complimentary ticket vouchers generated through the "On-demand Voucher Generation" feature that are valid beyond November 11, 2024, will be automatically extended for an additional three months. To ensure continued benefits throughout the full 12-month period, annual card membership renewals, if applicable, will not go beyond March 31, 2025, as program benefits will be active until March 31, 2026.

Please note that each issuing partner may have different deadlines for renewing yearly card memberships, so please be sure to check their internal policies. 

However, all renewals must be completed by March 31, 2025. Current members with co-branded cards can continue to receive benefits under the current program until March 31, 2026.

Vistara Gift Card Redemption

The Vistara Purple Ticket Gift Card can be redeemed on the Vistara website for flight bookings until November 11, 2024. After this date, the Gift Cards can also be used to book Air India flights on the Air India website.

Inflight product and cabin service

In light of the upcoming merger between Vistara and Air India, customers may wonder if they can still expect the same Vistara experience when flying with Air India. Rest assured, the Vistara experience will be maintained on Air India flights, including the same aircraft, inflight product, cabin service, menu, cutlery, and crew.

To easily identify flights operated on Vistara aircraft, they will be assigned a special four-digit Air India code starting with the digit “2” (e.g., UK977 becomes AI2977; UK25 becomes AI2025). However, all booking, ticketing, and check-in processes will be conducted through Air India, as the legal entities and Air Operator Certificates consolidate into one entity on November 12, 2024.