What are airline alliances, and who’s in them?
Editor's Note
If you are an even moderately frequent flyer, you have likely taken advantage of the perks that airline alliances offer passengers. And if you've flown at all in the past two decades, you have heard airplane staff members mention them in an onboard announcement: "Thank you for flying Air X, a member of the Y alliance."
An airline alliance is an arrangement between two or more airlines that allows them to share resources and expand their route networks. Alliances make connections easier as they allow customers to travel on multiple airlines within the alliance on a single itinerary. Mileage collecting and spending is also easier because you can earn and redeem on partner airlines within the alliance.
Three of them include more than 50 airlines globally: Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld, in order of size. Since their appearance in the late 1990s, they have been a welcome innovation for flyers who have elite status because the status gets recognized by all partner airlines. If you're a Delta Air Lines Medallion member, for example, you can get priority treatment from all other airlines that are members of SkyTeam.
Not everybody is a fan. While proponents say airline alliances help lower ticket costs, opponents say the opposite: Fares are higher due to reduced competition.
Pretty much every major airline is in an alliance, with relevant exceptions among the big global players being Emirates, Etihad Airways and Virgin Australia. Several large regional airlines also aren't in alliances. This is the case for Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and WestJet in North America; Ryanair and EasyJet in Europe; and Air Asia. Occasionally, there are shifts within alliances as new member airlines join or members move to a different alliance.
Codeshare flights and mutual collections of miles don't happen just between alliance members, though. Oftentimes, airlines outside alliances partner up with one another. For example, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to the Etihad Guest program and use the resulting miles to book a flight on JetBlue.
Related: What are codeshare flights, and how do they work?
So, here's a list of which airlines are in which alliances. You'll notice that each of the "Big Three" U.S. legacy carriers was a founding member of each one.
Star Alliance
The first airline alliance was founded on May 14, 1997, when Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways and United Airlines came together in a globe-spanning partnership. From its first day, Star Alliance served every inhabited continent, in a clear illustration of why alliances exist: You can travel pretty much everywhere on alliance carriers. If you are a frequent flyer, there's an alliance with a value proposition for you based on the perks of loyalty and seamless connections wherever you're based.
The alliance experienced a shake-up in 2024 when founding member SAS exited Star Alliance to join SkyTeam. Star Alliance currently has 25 members, flying 727 million passengers annually. It's the biggest alliance by most metrics. It's also the only one with at least one full member from every inhabited continent. The members are:
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- All Nippon Airways
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Brussels Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Egyptair
- Ethiopian Airlines
- EVA Airways
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- Swiss
- TAP Air Portugal
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
Related: Your guide to Star Alliance airlines, lounges and elite status
Like airlines in the other two alliances, Star Alliance members paint one or more of their planes in special alliance colors. It's become a tradition for alliance airlines. Those planes make coveted targets for aviation geeks with cameras, who collect images of as many special-color planes as possible.
SkyTeam
The newest alliance — founded in 2000 by Aeromexico, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air — has since grown to be the second largest by airline members and people carried on its planes.
SkyTeam has seen recent additions, with Virgin Atlantic joining in March 2023 and SAS in September 2024. It also saw one recent departure, with Czech Airlines exiting in October 2024. The alliance currently has 19 members (not counting suspended member Aeroflot). It's based on all continents except Australia, flying 624 million passengers a year. The member airlines are:
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Europa
- Air France
- China Airlines
- China Eastern Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Garuda Indonesia
- ITA Airways
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Middle East Airlines
- SAS
- Saudia
- TAROM
- Vietnam Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Xiamen Airlines
Related: SkyTeam alliance guide: Member airlines, lounges and elite status
Like in the other alliances, its members paint some planes in alliance colors — but with a silver fuselage.
Oneworld
The second alliance to be formed, Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. It's the smallest, both in terms of member airlines and number of passengers flown, totaling more than 500 million annually.
The alliance currently has 13 members (not counting suspended member S7 Airlines) but will soon be adding two new members: Fiji Airways and Oman Air. Oneworld became the only alliance with two members in the U.S., the biggest aviation market in the world, when Alaska Airlines joined the alliance in 2021.
The Oneworld members are:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
Related: Oneworld alliance guide: Learn about airlines, lounges and elite status
Oneworld members also paint some planes in alliance colors, but unlike the Star Alliance and SkyTeam liveries, there's no alliance logo on the tail.
Bottom line
Knowing which airline is in which alliance is a crucial step in understanding how to maximize both your mileage earnings and redemptions. For paid flights, you can fly on one airline but credit your miles to the airline within the alliance with the best redemption rates or the airline program where you already may have existing miles. For flight redemptions, you can redeem your miles in one airline's program to fly on another.
Related reading:
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.