Singapore Airlines and Air India: What KrisFlyer Elite Silver and PPS Club Members Gain from 2027

Singapore Airlines and Air India announced on 7 October 2026 that, from the second quarter of 2027, KrisFlyer Elite Silver members will get extra baggage and priority boarding on eligible Air India routes, and PPS Club members priority check-in and boarding. Separately, from 15 October 2026, either airline sells the other’s India–Singapore flights on their own.

The more useful question is what each tier did not already have, because Air India has been a Star Alliance member since 2014 and KrisFlyer’s top tiers already carry Star Alliance Gold onto its flights. Run the announcement against that baseline and the gains land almost entirely at the bottom of the elite ladder, with Elite Silver, rather than at the top.

The two dates that matter

The joint release from Singapore Airlines and Air India describes this as the first phase of the commercial cooperation framework the two airlines signed in January 2026. It contains two changes with two different start dates.

The booking change covers 126 weekly flights between Singapore and eight Indian cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai. It does not create new flights. It makes the existing Air India departures visible and bookable through Singapore Airlines on their own, which matters most on routes where the two airlines’ departure times differ.

What each KrisFlyer tier gets on Air India, before and after

The release names two KrisFlyer groups: Elite Silver, and PPS Club. It does not name Elite Gold or base KrisFlyer members. To see what is genuinely new, set each tier’s current Star Alliance recognition next to the 2027 additions. The current column uses Star Alliance’s own list of Silver and Gold benefits, which applies on every member airline, Air India included.

The same structure runs in reverse for Air India’s Maharaja Club. Maharaja Club Platinum members get priority check-in and boarding on Singapore Airlines, and Maharaja Club Silver members get additional baggage and priority boarding. Maharaja Club Gold, like KrisFlyer Elite Gold, is not named.

Why Elite Silver is the tier that gains

Star Alliance Silver is a thin status. Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer privileges page describes the Elite Silver perks that travel to partner airlines as priority on reservation waitlists and airport standby lists. That is the whole of what the status itself brings on Air India today: no priority check-in, no priority boarding and no extra bag, unless the ticket you hold provides them.

On Singapore Airlines’ own flights, Elite Silver is worth noticeably more. The same page lists priority check-in at Elite Silver counters, boarding right after Elite Gold and Star Alliance Gold members, and an extra piece of checked baggage or 10kg more, depending on the itinerary. A Singapore-based Elite Silver member who switches from an SIA flight to an Air India flight to Mumbai or Delhi currently gives up the bag and the boarding queue.

From the second quarter of 2027, on eligible routes, two of those three perks follow the member onto Air India: additional baggage and priority boarding. Priority check-in is not in the Elite Silver list, so on an economy ticket expect the standard counters unless your cabin gives you more.

Two details are still missing. The release does not say how much extra baggage Elite Silver members will get, and it does not list the eligible routes. Air India’s own tier chart is a useful reference point, not a forecast: its Maharaja Club Silver members currently get an extra 5kg on Air India flights that use a weight-based allowance, and no extra piece on piece-based routes. Whether KrisFlyer Elite Silver receives that, SIA’s own 10kg, or something else is not stated anywhere yet.

Our KrisFlyer Elite Silver guide covers the full tier, including why its lack of partner lounge access catches many members out.

Why PPS Club and Elite Gold see little change

KrisFlyer Elite Gold and PPS Club both carry Star Alliance Gold. On Air India, Star Alliance lists that as priority check-in, priority boarding where available, priority baggage delivery, extra baggage of 20kg or one additional piece, and lounge access with some restrictions. Priority check-in and boarding for PPS Club members are therefore already promised.

The release adds one phrase: PPS Club members will get these privileges “alongside other top-tier members of the respective airlines”. The announced categories overlap benefits PPS Club members already hold through Star Alliance Gold. Whether the 2027 version means a higher priority level, dedicated counters or simply the same handling under a new name is not specified, and the release attaches no lounge, upgrade or baggage change to it.

Elite Gold members lose nothing either. Their Star Alliance Gold benefits on Air India continue regardless. If you are weighing whether PPS Club is worth chasing, our guide to PPS Club qualification sets out the PPS Value maths; this announcement should not change that decision.

What the announcement does not include

Booking Air India through Singapore Airlines from 15 October

Until now, Singapore Airlines would sell an eligible Air India-operated codeshare flight only as part of an itinerary that also contained an SIA-operated flight. From 15 October that requirement goes for India–Singapore flights. From that date, eligible Air India-operated flights between India and Singapore should be bookable on their own through singaporeair.com, the SIA app and appointed agencies, and SIA flights through Air India’s channels.

Before choosing the SIA-sold ticket over the Air India-sold one for the same Air India flight, check three things:

• Price and fare rules. The two airlines file their own fares for the codeshare. Change fees, refund rules and baggage can differ for the same seat.
• Miles and Elite miles. For a codeshare flight operated by a partner, SIA’s KrisFlyer accrual chart says miles are awarded on the operating airline’s booking class, which may differ from the letter printed on your ticket. On an Air India-operated flight sold under an SQ number, Air India’s booking class decides what you earn (see the table below). Elite miles follow the same booking class: SIA’s qualification page confirms that Star Alliance flights earn Elite miles, so an eligible Air India fare credited to KrisFlyer counts towards status, while a non-accruing fare earns nothing.
• Who handles disruption. The selling airline normally manages changes and refunds on the ticket, while the operating airline handles you at the airport. Know which one you will need to call.

What Air India flights earn in KrisFlyer

The April 2026 changes widened the Air India booking classes that earn KrisFlyer miles. SIA’s current accrual chart lists these rates for Air India-operated flights departing on or after 15 April 2026, as a percentage of the distance flown:

Two points stand out. T and S economy classes earn 25% of the distance flown, so they still count for something. And the spread is wide: on the same flight, a T-class ticket earns a quarter of the miles of a Y-class one. If you are comparing the SIA-sold and Air India-sold fare for one flight, ask which Air India booking class each one books into before you assume they earn the same.

Does flying Air India help you keep KrisFlyer status?

The qualification rules differ for getting status and keeping it. To qualify, a member needs 25,000 Elite miles for Elite Silver or 50,000 for Elite Gold within 12 consecutive months. To requalify, an existing Elite Silver or Elite Gold member needs the same total again during their 12-month membership period, so the date that matters is your membership expiry, not a rolling window. Either way, up to 20% of the total can come from non-flight spending with Kris+, KrisShop and Pelago. Eligible Air India flights credited to KrisFlyer earn Elite miles, so the booking class in the table above decides how much each one contributes.

That is where status planning becomes fiddly. The hard part is rarely one rule in isolation; it is seeing whether a mix of SIA, Scoot and partner flights adds up before your qualification or membership deadline. Our explainer on earning KrisFlyer Elite miles on the ground covers the non-flight cap in detail, and tracking status across programmes explains the year-ahead view. Miles Mosaic tracks KrisFlyer among the 31 programmes it supports and shows whether your booked trips keep you on course, without asking for your airline password.

What to do now

1. If you hold Elite Silver and fly to India often, note the second quarter of 2027 and wait for SIA to publish the eligible routes and the baggage amount before planning around the new perks.
2. If you are booking Singapore–India travel from 15 October, compare the SIA-sold and Air India-sold fares for the same Air India flight. Price, fare rules and earning can differ.
3. If you hold PPS Club or Elite Gold, expect little practical change. Your Star Alliance Gold benefits on Air India, including lounge access with some restrictions, apply today.
4. If you hold Maharaja Club status and fly Singapore Airlines, the same logic runs in reverse: Silver members gain the most, and Platinum members gain benefits that largely overlap what Star Alliance Gold already gives them.
5. If you are close to a KrisFlyer threshold, check the Elite miles on any Air India-operated booking before committing, because the operating booking class decides what you earn, and count against your membership expiry date if you are requalifying.

The bigger picture

The release calls this the first phase of initiatives under the framework agreement the two airlines signed in January 2026, following the April 2026 earning expansion. The release says more is planned, including better-timed connections, offers for corporate customers and a smoother travel experience across the two networks, which already share a codeshare covering 77 destinations in 27 countries and territories. For KrisFlyer members, the pattern is that Singapore Airlines is starting to treat Air India less like a distant alliance partner and more like a near-home carrier on India routes, the same direction it took with Malaysia Airlines when the two formalised a joint business partnership in January 2026. The release says nothing about lounges or redemptions, so any change there would need a separate announcement. For how Air India fits into the alliance more broadly, see our Star Alliance guide, and for where KrisFlyer sits against other programmes for Singapore-based travellers, our comparison of the best frequent flyer programmes in Singapore.