There are 3 global airline alliances and they’re vital in the world of travel rewards. Why? Each airline’s rewards program allows you to book flights on all the partner airlines in the same alliance, giving you many more options to maximize your points.
Here are the details of the 3 global airline alliances.
Global airline alliances — Basics
Here are the 3 global airline alliances (and I’ll detail them a lot more right below):
- Star Alliance
- Oneworld
- SkyTeam
These are airline partnerships offering benefits to travelers, including the use of points for reward flights.
Thinking you absolutely have to use your points with the airline they “belong” to is a common myth, it’s normal to think that. The world of travel rewards is often counterintuitive like that.
Another myth is that traveling is the fastest way to earn points (it really isn’t). It’s with the welcome bonuses offered on the best credit cards. But airlines do give you a few points when you fly.
And thanks to alliances, you can at least earn points for all the flights that you take with all the airlines in an alliance… without having to create an account with every one of them (and without being stuck with tiny balances in 50 different programs).
For example, if you fly on United, the points you earn for that flight can be credited to your Air Canada Aeroplan account since they are both in Star Alliance (it’s much easier for us Canadians to earn a lot of Aeroplan points to get reward flights than it is to earn United points).
(You can download our free cheat sheet with the direct sign-up links for the 5 key travel rewards programs for Canadians!)
Keep in mind that:
- Many of the member airlines have affiliated airlines that aren’t necessarily listed here
- Many individual airlines also have non-alliance (independent) partners
And don’t miss our upcoming map of each alliance’s main hubs if you are a visual learner (sign up for free to get it first).
Global airline alliances — List
Here are the 3 global airline alliances.
Star Alliance
- Member airlines: 26
- Additional affiliated airlines: 40
- Airports served: 1,294
- Fleet size: 5,033
- Annual passengers carried: 762M (#1 of 3)
- Key program for Canadians: Air Canada Aeroplan
- Best current Star Alliance card: American Express Cobalt Card
Star Alliance member airlines list
Star Alliance member airlines by region
Here is the Star Alliance breakdown by region.
Americas
- Air Canada (Canada)
- United Airlines (USA)
- Copa Airlines (Panama)
- Avianca (Colombia/Ecuador/Costa Rica/El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras)
Europe
- Lufthansa (Germany)
- SWISS (Switzerland)
- Austrian Airlines (Austria)
- Brussels Airlines (Belgium)
- LOT Polish Airlines (Poland)
- SAS/Scandinavian Airlines (Sweden/Norway/Denmark)
- TAP Air Portugal (Portugal)
- Aegean Airlines (Greece)
- Croatia Airlines (Croatia)
- Coming soon: Deutsche Bahn (Germany)
Middle East & Africa
- Turkish Airlines (Türkiye)
- Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)
- Egyptair (Egypt)
- South African Airways (South Africa)
Asia
- ANA/All Nippon Airways (Japan)
- Air China (China)
- Shenzhen Airlines (China)
- THAI (Thailand)
- Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
- EVA Air (Taiwan)
- Asiana Airlines (South Korea)
- Air India (India)
Australia & Pacific
- Air New Zealand (New Zealand)
oneworld
- Member airlines: 13
- Additional affiliated airlines: 14
- Airports served: 1,012
- Fleet size: 3,296
- Annual passengers carried: 490M (#3 of 3)
- Key program for Canadians: British Airways Executive Club Avios
- Best current oneworld card: American Express Cobalt Card
oneworld member airlines list
oneworld member airlines by region
Here is the oneworld breakdown by region.
Americas
- American Airlines (USA)
- Alaska Airlines (USA)
Europe
- British Airways (United Kingdom)
- Iberia (Spain)
- Finnair (Finland)
- Suspended: S7 Airlines (Russia)
Middle East & Africa
- Qatar Airways (Qatar)
- Royal Air Maroc (Morocco)
- Royal Jordanian (Jordan)
- Coming soon: Oman Air (Oman)
Asia
- Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)
- Japan Airlines (Japan)
- Malaysia Airlines (Malaysia)
- SriLankan Airlines (Sri Lanka)
Australia & Pacific
- Qantas (Australia)
SkyTeam
- Member airlines: 19
- Additional affiliated airlines: 1
- Airports served: 1,150
- Fleet size: 3,054
- Annual passengers carried: 630M (#2 of 3)
- Key program for Canadians: Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Best current SkyTeam card: American Express Cobalt Card
SkyTeam member airlines list
SkyTeam member airlines by region
Here is the SkyTeam breakdown by region.
Americas
- Delta Air Lines (USA)
- Aeroméxico (Mexico)
- Aerolíneas Argentinas (Argentina)
Europe
- Air France (France)
- KLM (Netherlands)
- Virgin Atlantic (United Kingdom)
- ITA Airways (Italy)
- TAROM (Romania)
- CSA/Czech Airlines (Czechia)
- Air Europa (Spain)
- Suspended: Aeroflot (Russia)
Middle East & Africa
- Kenya Airways (Kenya)
- MEA/Middle East Airlines (Lebanon)
- Saudia (Saudi Arabia)
Asia
- China Airlines (Taiwan)
- China Eastern Airlines (China)
- XiamenAir (China)
- Korean Air (South Korea)
- Vietnam Airlines (Vietnam)
- Garuda Indonesia (Indonesia)
Australia & Pacific
- None
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Summary
The 3 global airline alliances are what enable you to fly all over the world with the most lucrative travel rewards, which are airline rewards.
What would you like to know about airline alliances? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Airline alliance logos (photo credit: Flytrippers)
