Airline Alliances: SkyTeam
- Av Geek Blog
- Sep 8
- 7 min read
On 22nd June 2025, the SkyTeam celebrated its 25th anniversary. Airline alliances have many benefits for both passengers and the airlines. But what exactly are they? How did they come about? And what are the big three alliances? In this series, I am taking a look at the three main alliances: oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance, including how they came about, what airlines are in each alliance and what airlines could be joining soon.
In a previous blog post, I examined the oneworld alliance. Check it out here:
In this second post of the series, I will take a look at the SkyTeam alliance. I will examine how and when it formed and the airlines in it. I will also take a look at the benefits that this alliance has for its member airlines and the customers that fly with it.
According to SkyTeam data, the alliance carries over 624 million annual passengers to over 1,000 destinations in more than 160 countries. The passengers are onboard the alliance's over 13,600 daily departures. The alliance's 235 million frequent flyer customers have access to over 750 lounges.
Current SkyTeam alliance members
The SkyTeam alliance currently has 18 active members. These are: Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, China Eastern, Delta Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, SAS, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Xiamen Air. Russian carrier, Aeroflot was a member of the alliance but its membership was suspended as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Table 1: Table showing SkyTeam alliance members and the date they joined
Airline | Date joined |
Aerolineas Argentinas | 29 August 2012 |
Aeromexico (Founding member) | 22 June 2000 |
Air Europa | 1 September 2007 |
Air France (Founding member) | 22 June 2000 |
China Airlines | 28 September 2011 |
China Eastern | 21 June 2011 |
Delta Airlines (Founding member) | 22 June 2000 |
Garuda Indonesia | 5 March 2014 |
Kenya Airways | September 2007 |
KLM | September 2004 |
Korean Air (Founding member) | 22 June 2000 |
Middle East Airlines | 28 June 2012 |
SAS | September 2024 |
Saudia | May 2012 |
TAROM | June 2010 |
Vietnam Airlines | June 2010 |
Virgin Atlantic | March 2023 |
Xiamen Air | November 2012 |
History and expansion of the SkyTeam alliance
The SkyTeam alliance was founded in New York City on 22nd June 2000 by Aeromexico, Air France, Delta Airlines and Korean Air. At the time of its formation, the alliance offered 6402 flights to 451 destinations in 98 countries. SkyTeam was the last of the three major alliances to be formed but it is the second largest of three. SkyTeam has a dedicated cargo alliance, established in September 2000. SkyTeam Cargo has 7 carriers, all of which are SkyTeam alliance members. These are: Aerolineas Argentinas Cargo, Aeromexico Cargo, Air France - KLM Cargo, China Cargo Airlines, Delta Cargo, Korean Air Cargo and Saudia Cargo.
Since 2000, many airlines have joined and left the alliance for a variety of reasons. I take a look at the expansion of the SkyTeam alliance below.
The alliance's first new member came in April 2001 when Czech Airlines joined. However, in October 2024, the airline ceased operations and is no longer a SkyTeam member.
On the 1st November 2001, Alitalia became a SkyTeam member.
In February 2004, Air France and KLM merged. This paved the way for KLM to join the alliance in September of 2004 along with Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines. However, Continental Airlines would leave the alliance to join Star Alliance with United Airlines in 2009. Additionally, in January 2010, Northwest' Airlines' operating certificate was combined with Delta Airlines. As a result of these three new airlines, SkyTeam overtook oneworld to become the second largest alliance with more than 341 million customers flying on over 14,000 daily flights to 658 destinations in 130 countries.
The next airline to join the SkyTeam alliance was Aeroflot which joined on 14 April 2006. Aeroflot was the first Russian airline to join any airline alliance. Aeroflot had signed a memorandum of understanding in September 2004 to join the alliance. However, the alliance expressed that Aeroflot had not met the standards but the airlines large hub network made it ideal for SkyTeam which made up for its deficiencies. Aeroflot's membership was suspended in April 2022 as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In September 2007, Air Europa and Kenya Airways joined the alliance. This increased SkyTeam's presence in both Europe and Africa. This was followed by China Southern Airlines joining the alliance in November 2007. However, China Southern Airlines would leave the alliance in December 2018.
April 2009 was a milestone for the SkyTeam alliance as it saw the first ever aircraft to be painted in SkyTeam livery. The aircraft was a Delta Airlines 767-400ER and it debuted its new livery on a flight from Atlanta to Milan.
Between 2010 and 2014, a number of airlines joined the alliance. In June 2010, both TAROM and Vietnam Airlines joined SkyTeam. Vietnam Airlines was the first SkyTeam carrier from southeast Asia. This was followed by both China Eastern Airlines which joined in June 2011 and China Airlines which joined in September 2011. 2012 was a big year for SkyTeam as Saudia, Aerolineas Argentinas, XiamenAir and Middle East Airlines all joined the alliance. This was followed by Garuda Indonesia in March of 2014 which joined after a 40 month long joining process. The joining of Aerolineas Argentinas meant the airline was the first SkyTeam member airline in south America. The joining of Vietnam Airlines, China Airlines, China Eastern, XiamenAir and Garuda Indonesia greatly increased the presence of the SkyTeam alliance in Asia, while the addition of Saudia and Middle East Airlines in 2012 increased the alliances' footprint in the middle east.
2020 brought the Covid-19 pandemic which grounded many flights across the globe. In response to this, SkyTeam, oneworld and Star Alliance joined forces and called on international governments to support measures including slot relief for airlines.
On 15th October, Alitalia ceased operations and left the SkyTeam alliance. However, on 29 October 2021, ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia, joined the SkyTeam alliance. This would not last long as the Lufthansa Group, bought a stake in ITA Airways. Lufthansa, along with other airlines in the Lufthansa Group, such as Swiss, is a member of Star Alliance. This meant that ITA Airways ended its membership in SkyTeam and is planning to join Star Alliance.
In March 2023, Virgin Atlantic joined the alliance. This was SkyTeam's first UK member airline and gave the alliance a greater footprint at both Manchester and London Heathrow airports.
On the 31st August 2024, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam on the 1st September after an investment from Air France - KLM.
Future alliance members
While no airline has explicitly stated that they want to join the SkyTeam alliance in the near future, there are some possibilities. Korean Air, a founding member of SkyTeam has plans to merge with Asiana. However, the Asiana brand will disappear meaning that while the airline will not join the alliance, Korean Air may have more routes, aircraft and customers for the SkyTeam alliance. There are some other possibilities. Some people online think that the LATAM Group could join. This is a possibility, especially since Delta Airlines, a SkyTeam member, has a stake in the airline. WestJet is also a possibility that has floated around online. WestJet joining SkyTeam would be competition to Air Canada, a founding member of Star Alliance.
Benefits to airlines and customers
Airline alliances have a number of benefits for both passengers and airlines. According to SkyTeam, passengers with status can get priority check in and boarding and have an extra baggage allowance. Passengers could also access airport lounges and earn miles which can be redeemed for free flights on any member airlines.
For airlines, the benefits come as carriers have an increased network thanks to alliance partners. Airlines can also use an easier ticket booking system and passengers can often book a ticket for another alliance member on the website of a different alliance member. Airlines can also save money as they can use the resources of other members in the alliance instead of using their own which could be expensive. For example, Air France could use check in agents from Delta Airlines at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport instead of recruiting their own staff in America, saving Air France money. This could go for other airlines at different airports as well.
Global Presence
The geographic position of member airlines in the SkyTeam alliance ensures that a large area of the globe is covered by the SkyTeam network and accessible to passengers. North America has Delta Airlines and Aeromexico while South America has Aerolineas Argentinas. Europe is very well connected with numerous SkyTeam member airlines. These are: Air Europa, Air France - KLM, SAS, TAROM and Virgin Atlantic. Asia is also well connected with SkyTeam member airlines including: China Airlines, China Eastern, Garuda Indonesia, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines and XiamenAir. The SkyTeam alliance also has a presence in Africa with Kenya Airways and in the Middle East with Saudia and Middle East Airlines. The one notable gap in the SkyTeam network is in Oceania. The alliance has no presence in Australia or New Zealand or the surrounding regions. This raises the question of whether the alliance will look to expand into Oceania. Could Virgin Australia join the SkyTeam alliance in a bid to rival oneworld member Qantas? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
It is clear that SkyTeam has come a long way in the 25 years since its formation on the 22nd June 2000. The alliance is clearly well connected across the globe although maybe with the exception of Oceania. Have you ever flown with SkyTeam? Share your experience below. What airline do you think will join next? Will it be Virgin Australia, LATAM, WestJet or something else? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below or on the forum.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Keep a look out for the final post of this series where I will take a look at the Star Alliance, its history and the airlines in it.
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Date published: 8 September 2025
Date Updated: 8 September 2025
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