Airline Alliances are blessings for Indian Travellers or for travellers from countries that don’t have a sizeable number of International Airlines. So, for a country like India, which only has “Air India” as the face of International Airlines, it becomes essential to know everything about these Alliances.
Check this Guide written for Indian Travellers.
What is an Airline Alliance?
An Airline Alliance is an agreement between airlines. This agreement allows air travellers to use the services of a single airline or multiple airlines for air travel while sharing benefits across the trip.
For Example, you can book a flight ticket from an alliance partner instead of booking it with the airlines you are travelling to.
Codeshare Agreement
The Codeshare agreement is not the same as an alliance. An example of a Codeshare agreement in India is the Indigo Codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines. With this agreement, a part of your journey is on Indigo airlines and another on Turkish Airlines.
However, in the case of Alliance, you can book a flight entirely operated by another airline. It means the flight can be on “Air India”, whereas the booking has been made on Singapore Airlines.
Which Airline Alliances are in the world in 2023?
Although there are a few Alliances in the world, the three major airline alliance that exits in 2023 are:
Related: Find Flights Based on Alliance with Google Flights.
Star Alliance: Largest Alliance
Star Alliance is the oldest and the biggest of the three alliances in the world. It was founded in the year 1997 with five members. This Alliance now has 26 members in 2023. These 26 members include “Air India”, which joined this Alliance in 2014.
List of Members of Star Alliance:
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- ANA (All Nippon Airways)
- Asian Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Brussels Airlines
- CopaAirlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Egypt Air
- Ethiopian Airlines
- EVA Air
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airlines
- SWISS International Air Lines
- AIR Portugal
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
Star Alliance is the largest Alliance, not only based on the number of airlines but also because these airlines together have much higher revenue, number of destinations served and number of passengers flown in a year. If you travel internationally, you’re most likely to be serviced by Star Alliance Airlines.
OneWorld
The OneWorld Alliance was founded in the year 1999 with four airlines. This year in 2023, the number of airline members is 13, with one Alliance connect partner. It is the only Alliance that has two American Airlines members. You’re most likely to be flown on OneWorld Alliance airline if you’re travelling to the middle east, or Europe.
List of OneWorld Airlines:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- FINNAIR
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- SriLankan Airlines
Fiji Airways is the Connect Partner in the OneWorld Alliance.
Future Member: Oman Air is joining OneWorld Alliance in the year 2024.
SkyTeam: Second Largest
The SkyTeam alliance was founded in 2000 by four airlines and now has 18 members in 2023. Even though SkyTeam was founded as the last of the three major alliances, it has risen to be the world’s second-largest Alliance.
List of Members of SkyTeam:
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Aeroméxico
- Air Europe
- Air France
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- Czech Airlines
- Delta
- Garuda Indonesia
- ITA Airlines
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Middle East Airlines (MEA)
- Saudia Airlines
- TAROM
- Vietnam Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic Joined SkyTeam Alliance on 2nd March 2023
- Xiamen Air
Facts to know About Alliances
These facts about airline alliances can surely assist travellers. With these facts, you can understand the alliance members and area served.
Star Alliance Facts
- It has members from all continents except Antarctica
- Most number of Asian and European Airlines Members (9 airlines each)
- Most number of African Airlines Members (3)
- Air India is a Star Alliance member
- No Airline from the Middle East
OneWorld Facts
- No Airlines From the African and South Americain Continent
- Most Number of Middle Eastern Airlines (3)
- Most Number of North American airlines (2)
SkyTeam Facts
- Second most Asian Airlines Members (8)
- Second Most European Airlines Members (6)
- Second Most Middle Eastern Airlines Members (2)
- No Airlines from Oceania
Explore Alliances for your Points and Miles Use
The most significant advantage of an Alliance is that you can have a “Miles Currency” of one Airline and use it for booking a flight ticket of another airline.
Example: If you have Singapore Airlines Miles, you can book an Air India Flight.
But, It’s easier said than done. However, it is worth exploring as you save a lot of money.
Airline Alliance: Elite Status with Airlines Status
Not just the miles, if you have an Elite Status with an airline, then you can also apply with the Alliance for a Universal Elite Status. This universal elite status gives multiple benefits in terms of services.
For Example, If you have a “Sliver Edge Club” Status of Air India, you can become a “Star Alliance Silver”. This Silver will allow you to enjoy benefits across all Star Alliance airlines, such as “Priority Airport Stand-By”.
Related: How to earn an Airline Elite Status in India?
How do Airline Alliances help Indian Travellers?
If you have been paying attention till now, you must have noticed that if you are a frequent flyer member of an airline in any of these three alliances, you can explore that Alliance for multiple things, like booking a flight ticket.
For Example, If you have miles in the Turkish Airline’s frequent flyer program, then the possibility to use these points for Air India exists and vice-versa.
This use of miles across all airlines in the Alliance is still a work in progress. But it can surely help if you can play it right. This is what PointsMath is for.
Is Vistara a Part of an Airline Alliance?
India’s best Airline, Vistara is officially not part of any Airline Alliance. Since Vistara is owned by Air India (Tata Group) and Singapore Airlines, there is the possibility of exploring Star Alliance for booking flights. But you can’t use Star Alliance status at Vistara. Also, you can’t use your Club Vistara Points for booking a Star Alliance member Airline except for those with which it has a separate agreement.
So, it will be a bit of a task to use Star Alliance for Vistara.
Major Airlines that are not part of an Alliance
List of Major Airlines in the world that creates their path by not being a member of an Alliance:
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- Vistara
- Gulf Air
- Bangkok Airways
- AirAsia
- Air Astana
- Ryanair
- Indigo
- Philippine Airlines
Special Mention: Emirates
Although Emirates doesn’t belong to an Alliance, it has a codeshare agreement with several major airlines worldwide.
Check here the Emirates Airlines Partners.
So, you can use or earn your Emirates Skywards miles on all these partners. A Traveller loss is that you can’t have a Global Status, which works with all airlines. Another downside is the limitations on the routes in the codeshare agreement.
Bottomline
Airline Alliances can help Indian Travellers who want to explore the world. Your air travel is now not limited to just one Airline but several other airlines. In the future, these alliances should revolutionize World Air Travel with technology or AI is implemented.
