Miles & More Partner Awards: Business Class From 30,000 Miles
Updated as of 9 Oct 2026. Award prices from the official Miles & More award chart (correct as of 3 Mar 2026) and our own searches on the Miles & More website. Transfer ratios from Axis Travel EDGE. FX: US$1 = ₹96.7, €1 = ₹108, £1 = ₹128.
Most Indians think of Lufthansa’s Miles & More as the programme with huge fuel surcharges. On Lufthansa’s own flights, that’s true. But Miles & More also books Star Alliance partners like Air India, Ethiopian, ANA, Thai, Singapore Airlines and Avianca from a fixed award chart, with small taxes. Since Axis added Miles & More as a transfer partner in September, some of these awards have become the cheapest business class you can book from India.
TL;DR
- India to the Middle East or Africa: 30,000 miles one-way in business on partners like Ethiopian and Air India.
- India to Japan, Korea or Southeast Asia: 37,500 miles in business on ANA, Air India, Thai or Singapore Airlines.
- Taxes on partner flights are small: about ₹4,000–9,000 in our searches.
- Avoid Lufthansa Group flights: even a short hop in Europe carries £155–182 (about ₹20,000–23,000) in charges.
- Axis Olympus transfers at 1:4, so 30,000 miles costs just 7,500 points.
Two price lists in one programme
Miles & More prices Lufthansa, Lufthansa City, SWISS, Austrian, Air Dolomiti and Discover dynamically: the miles and the charges change with the cash fare, and there’s no chart. Flights on other partners use a fixed zone chart. The chart lists round-trip prices; in our searches a one-way costs exactly half.
India is its own zone, which also includes Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Pakistan.
| From India to… | Economy | Business | Good partner airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| India zone (Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal) | 17,500 | 30,000 | Air India |
| Middle East, North and Central Africa (incl. Dubai, Cairo, Addis Ababa, Nairobi) | 17,500 | 30,000 | Air India, Ethiopian, EgyptAir |
| Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Singapore) | 21,000 | 37,500 | Thai, Singapore Airlines, Air India |
| Far East (Japan, Korea, China) | 21,000 | 37,500 | ANA, Air India, Asiana (until 16 Dec 2026) |
| Southern Africa (Johannesburg) | 25,000 | 62,500 | Ethiopian |
| Europe (partner airlines) | 25,000 | 62,500 | Air India, Turkish, LOT |
| Australia and New Zealand | 40,000 | 71,000 | Air India, Singapore Airlines, Thai |
| North America | 47,500 | 1,07,500 | Air India, United |
Sweet spot 1: Africa and the Gulf for 30,000 miles
Our search for Nairobi to Chennai on Ethiopian and Air India, via Addis Ababa and Delhi, priced at 30,000 miles plus US$86 (about ₹8,300). The Nairobi–Addis and Addis–Delhi flights were in business; only the short Delhi–Chennai hop was economy. That’s 19 hours of travel, mostly in a flat bed, for the price of a domestic business ticket elsewhere.
Sweet spot 2: Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia for 37,500 miles
Tokyo to Delhi or Chennai in business costs 37,500 miles on ANA, Air India, Thai or Singapore Airlines. Compare that with Singapore’s own KrisFlyer, which charges 88,000 miles for Tokyo to India via Singapore in business on its own flights. On ANA’s own planes, check the taxes before you book: ANA adds a fuel surcharge of about US$223 on this route on its own awards, and it may be passed on.
Good outside India too
The same chart works for trips that don’t touch India. Lima to New York on Avianca in business priced at 62,500 miles plus €43.60 (about ₹4,700), exactly half the 1,25,000-mile round-trip price between South and North America.
United and Air New Zealand are partners too, so the Pacific is cheap on taxes as well. Useful legs for a round-the-world trip or a New Zealand holiday:
| Route (one-way) | Partner airlines | Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA → New Zealand or Australia | United, Air New Zealand | 42,500 | 75,000 |
| New Zealand or Australia → Japan, Korea, China | Air New Zealand, ANA | 27,500 | 62,500 |
| USA → Japan, Korea, China | United, ANA, Air New Zealand | 37,500 | 85,000 |
| South America → USA | Avianca, Copa, United | 25,000 | 62,500 |
The trap: Lufthansa Group flights
Short hops on Lufthansa look cheap in miles, but the cash part isn’t. London to Reykjavik via Frankfurt (Lufthansa and Discover) priced at 12,655 miles plus £181.95 (about ₹23,300). London to Dublin via Frankfurt was 11,314 miles plus £155–181. On a flight that short, you’d usually do better paying cash or using Avios.
Long-haul is worse: Lufthansa raised its award surcharges again on 5 Oct 2026. Read our post on the Lufthansa surcharge before booking Europe.
How to get Miles & More miles from India
| Axis card | Points : miles | For 30,000 miles | For 37,500 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympus | 1 : 4 | 7,500 | 9,375 |
| Atlas, Horizon | 1 : 1 | 30,000 | 37,500 |
| Burgundy Private, Magnus for Burgundy | 5 : 4 | 37,500 | 46,875 |
| Magnus, Reserve | 5 : 2 | 75,000 | 93,750 |
At our value of about ₹1.05 a Miles & More mile, a 30,000-mile business award is about ₹31,500 of miles. For Atlas holders it’s even better news: Group B has a much higher cap than Group A, so this is one of the few big airline programmes you can still feed in volume.
What to do
| You want to fly… | Do this |
|---|---|
| To the Gulf, East Africa, Maldives or Sri Lanka in business | ✅ Search Miles & More for Air India or Ethiopian at 30,000 |
| To Japan, Korea, Bangkok or Singapore in business | ✅ 37,500 on Thai, Singapore Airlines, Air India or ANA. Check ANA’s taxes first |
| To Europe or the US | ⚠️ Skip. Aeroplan or Air India’s own programme is usually cheaper, with no Lufthansa surcharges |
| On Lufthansa, SWISS or Austrian | ❌ Avoid. The surcharges cancel out the value |
Always find the seat on shop.miles-and-more.com before moving points. Transfers can’t be reversed, and partner award seats can disappear.
DealUni take
Miles & More is two programmes in one. Its Lufthansa side is expensive, but its partner chart is one of the best deals left for Indian travellers on short and medium-haul business class, especially to Africa, the Gulf and East Asia. If you hold Axis Olympus or Atlas, it deserves a place in your plans.
Lufthansa se door raho, partners ke saath udo. (Stay away from Lufthansa, fly with its partners.)
Sources: Miles & More award chart (correct as of 3 Mar 2026); award searches on shop.miles-and-more.com (Oct 2026); Axis Travel EDGE; KrisFlyer award chart (1 Nov 2025); ANA fuel surcharges. Checked 9 Oct 2026.
