Airline Alliances: Star Alliance
- Av Geek Blog
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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 previous blog posts, I examined the oneworld alliance and the SkyTeam alliance. Check them out here:
In this third and final post of the series, I will take a look at the oldest and largest airline alliance: Star 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.
Star Alliance has 25 member airlines with over 50 global hubs to improve connections. The alliance operates a combined fleet of over 5000 aircraft which serve more than 1300 airports in 195 countries. The alliance has more than 19000 daily departures. The alliance's management company is based in Frankfurt and Singapore. The management company is responsible for coordinating Star Alliance projects and activities such as digital infrastructure, frequent flyer programmes and more.
Current Star Alliance members
The Star Alliance currently has 25 members. These are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, Thai, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines.
Table 1: Table showing Star Alliance members and the date they joined
Airline | Date joined |
Aegean | June 2010 |
Air Canada (Founding member) | May 1997 |
Air China | December 2007 |
Air India | July 2014 |
Air New Zealand | May 1999 |
ANA | October 1999 |
Asiana Airlines | March 2003 |
Austrian | March 2000 |
Avianca | June 2012 |
Brussels Airlines | December 2009 |
Copa Airlines | June 2012 |
Croatia Airlines | December 2004 |
EgyptAir | July 2008 |
Ethiopian | December 2011 |
EVA Air | June 2012 |
LOT Polish Airlines | October 2003 |
Lufthansa (Founding member) | May 1997 |
Shenzhen Airlines | November 2012 |
Singapore Airlines | April 2000 |
South African Airways | April 2006 |
SWISS | April 2006 |
TAP Air Portugal | March 2005 |
THAI (Founding member) | May 1997 |
Turkish Airlines | April 2008 |
United Airlines (Founding member) | May 1997 |
History and expansion of the Star Alliance
Star Alliance was formed on the 14th May 1997 by Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS, Thai Airways and United Airlines. The first airline to join the alliance was VARIG in October of that year. However, VARIG left the alliance in 2007.
1999 saw three airlines join the alliance. In March 1999, Ansett Australia and Air New Zealand joined the alliance. Ansett Australia would be a member of the alliance until 2001 when it left due to bankruptcy. These airlines were followed by Japan's ANA which joined in October of the same year.
The year 2000 was another year of expansion for the airline. In March 2000, the Austrian Airlines Group, comprising of Austrian Airlines, Lauda Air and Tyrolean Airways joined the alliance. Lauda Air and Tyrolean Airways would merge with Austrian Airlines. In April 2000, Singapore Airlines joined Star Alliance. The joining of Singapore Airlines made Thai Airways consider moving to the oneworld alliance but the carrier eventually decided to stay in the Star Alliance. This was followed by British Midland and Mexicana Airlines in July 2000. In the year 2000, Emirates considered joining the alliance but decided not to. British Midland was a member of the alliance until 2012 while Mexicana Airlines was a member until 2004. In 2003 more airlines continued to join Star Alliance. Asiana joined in March, while Spanair, a member of the alliance until 2012, joined in May 2003. These were followed by LOT Polish Airlines which joined in October 2003.
In May 2004, US Airways, a member until 2014, joined the alliance. Croatia Airlines also joined in November 2004, along with Blue1, a member until 2015, which joined as the first regional member of the alliance. March 2005 saw TAP Air Portugal join while in April 2006 SWISS and South African Airways joined the alliance. December 2007 saw the alliance expand in China with Air China and Shanghai Airlines joining Star Alliance. Shanghai Airlines was a member of the alliance until 2010 when it merged with SkyTeam member, China Eastern Airlines. 2008 was also a big year for expansion with the alliance expanding in the Middle East with the addition of Turkish Airlines in April 2008. The alliance further expanded its African network with the addition of EgyptAir in July of the same year.
Further expansion followed for the alliance with Continental Airlines joining the alliance in October 2009. Continental Airlines had left the SkyTeam alliance three days before joining Star Alliance. Continental Airlines went on to merge with United Airlines in 2010. Brussels Airlines joined the alliance in December 2009. In May 2010, TAM joined the alliance until it left in 2014. Additionally in June 2010, Aegean Airlines joined Star Alliance. The alliance further expanded its network in Africa with Ethiopian Airlines joining the alliance in 2011. The alliance also expanded in South and Latin America with the addition of Avianca and Copa Airlines to the alliance in June 2012. Shenzhen Airlines also joined the alliance in November 2012. EVA Air joined Star Alliance in June 2013, further expanding the Star Alliance network across in Asia. In July 2015, Avianca Brasil joined the Star Alliance although the airline would leave the alliance in August 2019.
On 16th November 2020, Asiana Airlines announced that it would exit the Star Alliance. Asiana will merge with SkyTeam member, Korean Air. The merger was completed in December 2024 but there was no date given when the airline will leave Star Alliance. On 31st August 2024, Star Alliance founding airline, SAS, left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam on 1st September 2024 after an investment from Air France-KLM.
Future alliance members
In January 2025, the Lufthansa Group acquired a 41% stake in ITA Airways, a SkyTeam member. On 3rd February 2025, ITA Airways announced that it had left SkyTeam and would join the Star Alliance in the first half of 2026.
Benefits to airlines and customers
Airline alliances have a number of benefits for both passengers and airlines. Usually alliances will allow passengers with status to 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, Lufthansa could use check in agents from Air Canada at Toronto Pearson International Airport instead of recruiting their own staff in Canada, saving Lufthansa money. This could go for other airlines at different airports as well.
Global Presence
The geographic position of member airlines in Star Alliance ensures that a large area of the globe is covered by Star Alliance and accessible to passengers. North America has Air Canada and United Airlines while South America has Avianca and Copa Airlines. Europe is very well connected with numerous Star Alliance member airlines. These are: Aegean, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS and TAP Air Portugal. Asia is also well connected with Star Alliance member airlines including: Air China, Air India, ANA, Asiana, EVA Air, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai. The Star Alliance also has a presence in Africa with EgyptAir, Ethiopian and South African Airways and in the Middle East with Turkish Airlines. The Star Alliance also has Air New Zealand to cover the Oceania region.
It is clear that Star Alliance is the largest airline alliance in the world with a large presence all over the world but particularly in Europe and Asia and compared to oneworld and SkyTeam, the alliance has a relatively large presence in South America and Africa. Star Alliance has Air New Zealand in the Oceania region while oneworld has Qantas and Fiji Airways while SkyTeam has no such presence in that region. Have you ever flown with Star Alliance? Share your experience below. What other airline do you think will join (or leave) next? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below or on the group discussion page.
Thank you for reading. I hope you have enjoyed this whole series on the three major airline alliances. Feel free to get in touch of you would like to read about any specific topic or series.
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Date published: 26 September 2025
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