Start here: Air Mauritius Kestrelflyer — join, earn and use miles, nominees, and the Red, Silver and Gold tiers

Step 1: What Kestrelflyer is and who it suits

You will learn: what kind of programme Kestrelflyer is, the house rules that sit above every membership, and the travel it is built around.

Kestrelflyer is an individual programme: a corporation is not eligible to become a member [1]. The Kestrelflyer card is personal and is not transferable, it is the property of Air Mauritius, and Kestrelflyer Red, Kestrelflyer Silver and Kestrelflyer Gold cards can be recalled at any time [1]. Air Mauritius reserves the right to refuse a membership application at any time, or to revoke membership of the programme without giving notice or reasons [1].

Air Mauritius reserves the right to amend, modify, alter or terminate the programme at any time without notice, throughout the world or in a specific country, including the right to terminate the right of any or all members to earn or redeem mileage and other benefits [1]. Benefits are available only to cardholders travelling on revenue tickets and do not apply to staff-rebated, industry or agent-discounted, or any other complimentary tickets [1]. The terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Mauritius, and disputes fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Mauritian courts [1].

The miles that decide the tier are earned on sectors flown by the cardholder on Air Mauritius flight numbers to and from Mauritius, on direct flights [1]. That makes the programme a fit for travellers flying Air Mauritius to and from Mauritius, whatever cabin they book, since the class of travel does not affect whether miles are qualifying [1].

Go deeper: Start here: airline miles for how frequent flyer currencies work in general.

Step 2: How to join

You will learn: who can register, what an application has to show, and how nominees and beneficiaries sit around a membership.

Registration is open to all persons aged 12 and over with a mailing address in Mauritius or any other country that does not prohibit participation in the programme [1]. Applicants complete the online registration on the Air Mauritius website, and evidence of travel by the prospective member must be produced as required within the 12 months prior to the application; industry and agent discounted tickets are not considered for the application [1]. Membership commences on the date the application is approved, and members can update their profile details online [1].

In the event of a member's death, the membership is terminated and all accumulated mileage and unused awards are cancelled [1].

Nominees and beneficiaries are separate ideas in the terms [1]:

• Only Kestrelflyer Silver and Kestrelflyer Gold members may add nominees, who may be a spouse, children from 2 years old, or parents [1].
• Nominees do not hold full membership status; a nominee card is issued for identification only, and a copy of the birth certificate must be provided at registration of the nominee [1].
• Nominees can only contribute 50% of their travel miles into the cardholder's account, credited for travel from the date the parent member reached Silver or Gold, and the nominee card number must be inserted in the booking for automatic nominee miles update [1].
• A member may remove a nominee, who then becomes a member and accumulates miles in his own account; travel already credited as nominee miles is not cancelled or transferred, and a written memo from the concerned frequent flyer approving the removal must be obtained [1].
• Nominee miles are non-qualifying and are not considered for card renewal or upgrade, so they can be used for awards only [1].
• A beneficiary is someone elected by a member to receive an award; a beneficiary can be a cardholder and can accumulate miles in his name, and a nominee can also be a beneficiary [1].

The full wording, including the application route, is on the official Kestrelflyer terms and conditions.

Go deeper: Air Mauritius Kestrelflyer programme hub for every page about this programme.

Step 3: How earning works

You will learn: which miles decide your tier, which ones can only be spent, and how to get a flight credited.

There are two types of miles [1]. Qualifying miles are earned on sectors travelled by the cardholder, irrespective of class of travel, on Air Mauritius flight numbers to and from Mauritius on direct flights, and their number determines the membership tier [1]. Non-qualifying miles are miles earned as tier bonus, miles allocated from nominee travel, miles earned from internet check-in, internet sales and other bonuses, and miles earned from airline and non-airline partners; they cannot be considered for card renewal or a membership tier change, but can be used for awards [1]. To ensure each trip is credited, the Kestrelflyer number must be inserted in the booking [1].

Missing miles requests with airline partners should be made within six months of the flight date, and any request is considered according to the eligibility of the travel [1]. Miles accrued with partners are non-qualifying and valid for three years, and the Kestrelflyer card must be presented to the partner on purchase and payment of the services, with an identity card or passport possibly requested; non-airline partner miles do not apply to nominees [1]. Tier bonus miles are earned by Kestrelflyer Gold cardholders and represent 50% of miles earned in Economy class as applicable on Air Mauritius flights, are not earned on miles with airline partners, and are non-qualifying [1]. Under Cash & Miles, members can purchase a minimum of 25 miles at EUR 1 or the local currency equivalent; purchased miles are non-qualifying, non-refundable and non-transferable, and Air Mauritius reserves the right to change the price and impose additional restrictions at any time [1].

Go deeper: How to earn miles for crediting flights, missing-miles claims and partner earning.

Step 4: How to use miles

You will learn: what miles can be spent on and the conditions printed against each kind of award.

A member can redeem miles for award tickets, upgrades and excess baggage for self, nominees and beneficiaries, and Cash & Miles applies to award tickets on Air Mauritius and airline partners (return tickets only) and to upgrades on Air Mauritius flights only [1]. Confirmation of seats for all award tickets is subject to availability in the specific booking class, and all applicable taxes, including airport and government taxes, plus carrier imposed charges are payable by the member or beneficiary at the time of an award ticket's issuance [1]. The terms also set these limits [1]:

• A one-way award ticket is not applicable with the partner Emirates, and award tickets are not applicable on code share flights operated by South African Airways and Malaysian Airlines; an award ticket in Premium Economy is valid on Air Mauritius flights operated by Air France [1].
• No miles are earned when travelling on award tickets, an award ticket is valid for a maximum stay of 12 months from first date of departure, and an unused award ticket expires 12 months from its date of issuance [1].
• A change of date costs EUR40 for Paris, London, Shanghai, Geneva, Hong Kong, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Perth, Singapore, Bengaluru, Cape Town, Chennai, Mumbai, Durban, Johannesburg and Nairobi, and EUR25 for Antananarivo, Seychelles, Reunion and Rodrigues, with any additional taxes collected on re-issuance [1].
• Award redemption is not possible for infants under 2 years of age, and the same number of miles is required for adult and children's award tickets aged between 2 and 12 [1].
• Cancellation is permitted only if the ticket is fully unused and has not technically expired, expired miles are not re-credited, and a cancellation fee may apply [1].

Requests for award tickets must be made at least one week before the departure date, using the award request form or online, and a copy of the passport may be requested; some countries require a passport valid for a minimum period beyond the trip, usually six months, with Mauritius-originating travel requiring validity of at least six months after the return date [1]. For upgraded tickets against miles, miles are credited on the original class of travel, Economy Class, and using miles to upgrade is not permitted on staff or rebated tickets, industry and agent discounted tickets or any other free tickets [1]. Excess baggage can be in weight or piece concept depending on the routing and is issued as an Electronic Miscellaneous Document, with a minimum of 5 kg and a maximum of 15 kg redeemable on the Rodrigues sector; once issued the document is non-refundable and non-changeable, and cancellation, change of routing, passenger name or travel date is not permitted [1].

Go deeper: How to redeem miles for the booking walk-through, and the award vs cash calculator for comparing a redemption with a paid fare.

Step 5: Tiers and keeping your miles

You will learn: the three tiers, what the terms do and do not fix about qualifying, and how long miles last.

The three levels of membership are Kestrelflyer Red, Kestrelflyer Silver and Kestrelflyer Gold, and the membership tier depends on the number of qualifying miles earned by the member within a period of three years as applicable [1]. Air Mauritius may change the number of qualifying miles required for each tier at any time without notice, and the terms state no figure for the qualifying miles that Silver or Gold requires [1]. Kestrelflyer Silver and Kestrelflyer Gold cards are valid for three years, and at the membership card expiry date each member's miles with Air Mauritius are reviewed and membership is renewed as per the qualification criteria [1]. The benefits the terms describe work like this [1]:

• The additional baggage allowance with a Silver or Gold card is contingent on presenting the valid membership card, in its digital version, at check-in counters, and is applicable only on Air Mauritius operated flights from and to Mauritius; without the card, normal excess luggage fees are charged [1].
• Lounge access is available only when travelling on an Air Mauritius flight, at SSR International Airport in Mauritius and Air Mauritius designated lounges across the network, and the Gold benefit is allowed on presentation of a valid card; Gold members may invite one guest travelling on the same flight to Les Salons Amédee Maingard at SSR International Airport only, and access is available four hours prior to the flight [1].

Miles have a lifetime of three years and expire on a monthly rolling basis [1].

Go deeper: the status tool for tracking tier progress, and the mileage expiry calculator for the rolling three-year clock.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the five things to do now that you have read the course.

1. Register online on the Air Mauritius website if you are 12 or over, with evidence of travel within the 12 months before applying (industry and agent discounted tickets are not considered) — the requirements are set out in the official Kestrelflyer terms and conditions [1].
2. Put your Kestrelflyer number in every booking so the trip is credited [1].
3. Request missing partner-airline miles within six months of the flight date [1].
4. Note that miles last three years and expire month by month [1].
5. Request any award ticket at least one week before departure and check the date-change fee that applies to your destination [1].

Next: How to earn miles, How to redeem miles, and the status tool.