Star Alliance is the biggest “Airline Alliance” in the world. You will most likely be flown with a Star Alliance Member Airline if flying out of India to the USA, Singapore, Australia, and many more places. Today, we look at Star Alliance and how Indians Travellers can make the most of it.
Check here for the official website.
What is Star Alliance?
Star Alliance is the first airline alliance to be formed out of the present three airline alliances in the world. Today, it has 26 members and two connecting airline partners.
Star Alliance Airlines with flights to or from India
Even though Air India is a Star Alliance member, a few more members have direct flights to and from India. Here is the list of Star Alliance Airlines that fly directly to or from India with the number of destinations they fly to around the world:
| Airlines | Destinations |
| Air Canada | 222 |
| Air India | 102 |
| ANA | 104 |
| Egypt Air | 90 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | 127 |
| Lot Polish | 120 |
| Lufthansa | 310 |
| Singapore Airlines | 75 |
| Swiss Air | 102 |
| Thai Airways | 40 |
| Turkish Airlines | 340 |
| United Airlines | 342 |
Of these 26 airline members, only 12 have a direct flight to or from India. And the rest of the airlines usually have connecting flights outside India.
Note The two Connecting partners(not full member partners) work only in combination with the full member’s airlines. It means you can’t book flights on these airlines with your points. These two connecting members are:
Thai Smile Airways have flights from India.
Related: Find Flights Based on Alliance with Google Flights.
What is Star Alliance Status?
Star Alliance has two statuses based on the Elite Status you hold with the member airlines. These two statuses are:
- Silver Status
- Gold Status
How do you get a Star Alliance Status?
India does not have a “Star Alliance Card“. So the only way for an Indian Traveller to get one of these two Alliance statuses is to get it based on the member Airline Elite Status.
This is how it works: If you hold “Air India-Silver Edge Club” status, you can get a “Silver Status”. Silver Airline Status is mainly matched with Sliver Alliance Status, but some exceptions may exist.
Check here for the status you can get based on your Member Airline elite status.
Related: How to earn an Airline Elite Status in India?
Benefits of Star Alliance Status
The benefits of being or having a star alliance status vary based on the status. However, the most significant benefit of having an alliance status is sharing elite benefits across the alliance member airlines.
Silver Status Benefits
The Star Alliance Silver status does not have any significant benefits. These are the benefits:
- Priority Airport Stand-by
- Priority Reservation Waitlist
Gold Status Benefits
The Gold Status of Star Alliance offers impressive benefits. Such as Gold Track etc. These are the benefits that you get being a Gold Status member:
- Gold Track: Allows you to
- Proceed quicker through security by using dedicated lanes, And
- Clear immigration by using dedicated immigration lanes
- Available at select Airports
- Extra Baggage Allowance
- Limit of 20KG
- Some Airlines may not offer this on Individual flights but only on Star Alliance Connecting flights.
- Priority Boarding
- Airport Lounge Access
- Priority Baggage Handling
- Priority Airport Check-in
- Upgrade to Business First Class on the Heathrow Express
As Gold Status is a dream of many, it could be challenging to get in India.
How to Get Star Alliance Gold Status in India?
India does not have a “Star Alliance Credit Card”. The easiest way (maybe not) to get a Gold Status in India is through having a “Golden Edge Club” status with Air India.
Another way to get a Gold Status is by getting an excellent elite status with other airline members while flying internationally or with airline partners.
Star Alliance Lounge Access
With over 1000+ lounges worldwide, you can relax at most international airports. As a Gold member, you get free access to these lounges even if you fly in economy class. If you don’t have a Gold Status, then the Business class or first class cabin tickets are good for entering these lounges.
At some locations, Paid access is also available.
Note: If you have a “United Club” Subscription, which costs a minimum of $500 or 75000 United miles, or an “Air Canada Maple Leaf Club Worldwide” Membership which costs around the same $500, then you can visit Star Lounges even with economy class tickets.
You can find the Airport-Wise Star Alliance lounges here.
Which are the best Star Alliance Airlines for Indian Travelers?
The best Star Alliance Airlines for Indian flight travellers depends on the part of the world they frequently visit.
Best for Asia and Oceania: Singapore Airlines
The best Star Alliance airline for travel in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand is “Singapore Airlines“. However, almost all flights are expected to be connecting flights with layovers at “Changi Airport-Singapore”. But Since Singapore Airlines is the 2nd best airline in the world, even the long journeys would be great.
Best for America: United Airlines
United Airlines travellers to around 340 destinations. With this vast number of destinations and connectivity to India, you can easily travel to North America, Canada and South America. However, there may be better options available such as Turkish Airlines. Even our Air India, which has direct flights to US and Canada, can work well for you. But our pick is United Airlines because of the ease of use of points.
Best for Europe: Turkish Airlines
Our Pick for the best Star Alliance Airlines for Europe is Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines’ connectivity to India and its Partnership with Indigo is the reason. You can book a Europe-bound flight with connections to Turkey starting at 19K miles and enter your Miles and Smiles number to enjoy member benefits and miles earning.
Best for Africa: Ethiopian Airlines
You might not have heard of Ethiopian Airlines, but it is one of Africa’s biggest airlines. It has excellent connectivity to South Africa and other parts of Africa. However, most of the flights are connecting flights with layovers at “Addis Ababa”, the capital of Ethiopia.
How to choose your best Star Alliance Airlines?
The easiest way to figure out your best Star Alliance Airlines is the destination you frequently travel to. At the same time, the Airlines should have better connectivity, points earning and redemption options. For Example, Air Canada works well if you frequently travel to Canada. You can even use your Club Vistara Points to book an Air Canada Flight. However, Air Canada Aeroplan Points may have limited earning opportunities in India.
Reward Flight Search
The two best options for searching for Reward Flights for Star Alliance Airlines are:
- Singapore Airlines: KrisFlyer
- United Airlines: United MileagePlus
However, the miles required for your destinations may vary for booking with these frequent flyer programs. The positive part is that Singapore Airlines and United Airlines charge a nominal amount for reward flights which is taken for airport fees etc.
Although Turkish Airlines have excellent connectivity to part of the world, it charges high fuel surcharge fees which decreases the value of your points.
Final Thoughts
Star Alliance is a boon for Indian Travellers, with the help of which they can fly almost anywhere in the world. Even better are the miles-earning opportunities on Star Alliance Airlines in India, including the transfer of Credit Card Points. Also, with Star Alliance Gold Status, you get benefits across 26 airlines. It is the best Airline Alliance for Indian Travellers.
