Everything You Need to Know About Star Alliance, One of the World's Largest Airline Alliances

Here's everything frequent fliers should know about member airlines, benefits, and more.

Star Alliance is one of the largest airline alliances in the world, comprising 26 members and a far-reaching network spanning 195 countries and more than 1,200 destinations worldwide. It's also the oldest, founded in 1997, when it included only United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Thai Airways International, Air Canada, and Lufthansa. Now, members include even more major carriers as well as smaller regional airlines. Travelers that have elite status with any airline in the partnership get special benefits like lounge access with dozens of brands and shared frequent flier rewards. When airlines join forces in an alliance, you also get more flight options because the schedules can include routes offered by partners.

Interested to learn more?  Here’s what every avid traveler should know about the first-ever global aviation alliance, including members, benefits, and destinations covered.

Star Alliance Member Airlines

All five airlines that were part of the original Star Alliance in 1997 are still members today. Major carrier United Airlines is the Star Alliance member U.S.-based travelers are probably most familiar with, but others include:

• Aegean Airlines

• Air China

• Air India

• Air New Zealand

• All Nippon Airways (ANA)

• Asiana Airlines

• Austrian Airlines

• Avianca

• Brussels Airlines

• Copa Airlines

• Croatia Airlines

• Egyptair

• Ethiopian Airlines

• Eva Air

• Lot Polish Airlines

• Shenzhen Airlines

• Singapore Airlines

• South African Airways

• Swiss International Air Lines

• Tap Air Portugal

• Turkish Airlines

Destinations and Hubs

Star Alliance has seven Connection Centers (aka hubs) where staff is available to help travelers through delays and cancellations when they're transferring planes. These centers are at Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Chicago O'Hare, Newark Liberty, Toronto Pearson, Washington Dulles, and San Francisco. But outside of these destinations, airlines in the alliance serve more than 1,000 cities in almost 200 countries. United alone flies to more than 200 destinations in the U.S. and 100 abroad.

Combined, the Star Alliance fleet has more than 50 hub airports around the world, including United's hubs in Houston to São Paulo, Lufthansa's hubs in Berlin to Zurich, and Air Canada's hubs in Toronto to Vancouver. These hubs and major airports provide peace of mind and convenient service for both domestic and international travelers, and the travel options really become endless when you consider all the places you can reach on partner airlines.

Benefits for Star Alliance Members

Before airline alliances existed, travelers would have to research the best prices and travel times from each individual airline, piecing together an itinerary all on their own. Now, booking travel on multiple partner carriers is much easier. Airlines can offer more options by providing details on trips flown by other alliance members. For example, you might see flights flown by Lufthansa, Tap Air Portugal, and Brussels Airlines on the United website, with a broad selection of fares, departure times, layovers, and arrival times. You can also search and buy flights right on the Star Alliance Book and Fly platform.

Another benefit, the alliance makes it easier to earn and redeem frequent flier miles on more flights. There isn't one overarching Star Alliance reward program, so as long as you’re enrolled in just one of the partners’ frequent flier programs, you can earn miles to use throughout the whole network. In addition to booking free flights, you can also achieve elite status with these miles. Your status with one airline transfers to others in the alliance.

Star Alliance Gold entitles members to privileges that include rewards, discounts, priority check-in and boarding, extra baggage allowance, priority baggage handling, and entry at more than 1,000 airport lounges. United’s network of lounges alone includes more than 45 United Club locations and five United Polaris lounges (exclusively for international travelers in business or first class). Star Alliance lounges are also available in six cities — Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Los Angeles. Both Gold and Silver come with access to the Priority Reservations Waitlist (the waitlist for a seat in a higher class) and put you at a higher priority when flying standby.

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