Your complete guide to Star Alliance benefits
Kyle Olsen is a points and miles reporter at TPG. Since the age of 16, he has been pursuing elite status, visiting 75 countries across six continents. His passion for travel began with his own business which he started at age 13. He is now an expert at maximizing points, miles, and elite status across all major programs.
Sept. 06, 2022
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5 min read
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With this behemoth boasting 26 member airlines connecting passengers to 1,300 destinations on more than 19,000 daily flights, chances are that you've flown on a Star Alliance carrier. This year, the alliance is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Singapore with a charity run to honor health-care workers.
Star Alliance has two elite tiers — Silver and Gold. Rumor has it that Star Alliance Silver and Gold are being reevaluated. Still, let's look at all the alliance offers, including its member airlines, status benefits and airline lounges.
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Star Alliance airlines
Here's the list of the 26 airlines that are part of Star Alliance. Juneyao Airlines is a connecting partner of Star Alliance:
- Aegean Airlines.
- Air Canada.
- Air China.
- Air India.
- Air New Zealand.
- ANA (All Nippon Airways).
- Asiana Airlines.
- Austrian Airlines.
- Avianca.
- Brussels Airlines.
- Copa.
- Croatia Airlines.
- Egyptair.
- Ethiopian Airlines.
- EVA Air.
- LOT Polish Airlines.
- Lufthansa.
- SAS.
- Shenzhen Airlines.
- Singapore Airlines.
- South African Airways.
- Swiss.
- TAP Air Portugal.
- Thai.
- Turkish Airlines.
- United.
Related: Book this, not that: Star Alliance award tickets
Star Alliance status tiers
Star Alliance has just two elite status tiers: Silver and Gold. These are the benefits associated with both tiers:
Star Alliance Silver
- Priority reservations waitlist.
- Priority airport standby.
North American airline status: United Premier Silver, Air Canada Aeroplan 25K and 35K.
Star Alliance Gold
- Priority reservations waitlist.
- Priority airport standby.
- Gold Track security.
- Extra baggage allowance.
- Priority boarding.
- Airport lounge access.
- Priority baggage handling.
- Priority airport check-in.
- Upgrades to Business First class on the Heathrow Express.
North American airline status: United Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, Premier 1K, Global Services, Air Canada Aeroplan 50K, 75K and Super Elite 100K.
Certain tickets like inter-Europe "Light" fares on Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian may not have access to these benefits. It's worth looking at the Star Alliance benefits page to ensure that your ticket has the benefits you expect before planning a lengthy layover.
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Related: Which mileage program is best for getting Star Alliance status quickly?
Star Alliance lounges
As a Star Alliance Gold status member, you can visit more than 1,000 Star Alliance lounges worldwide.
Let's look at how Star Alliance lounge access works at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), one of the airports with the most Star Alliance lounges.
- KrisFlyer Gold Lounge, Terminal 3.
- Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
- KrisFlyer Gold Lounge, Terminal 2 (temporarily closed).
- Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
- Royal Orchid Lounge (temporarily closed).
- Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
- SilverKris Lounge Business Class, Terminal 3.
- Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
- SilverKris Lounge Business Class, Terminal 2 (temporarily closed).
- Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
- SilverKris Lounge First Class, Terminal 3.
- No access through Star Alliance Gold.
- SilverKris Lounge First Class, Terminal 2.
- No access through Star Alliance Gold.
- The dnata Lounge, Terminal 1.
- Only for select Air China passengers.
- SATS Lounge, Terminal 3.
- Only for select United passengers.
- SATS Premier Club Lounge, Terminal 3.
- Only for select Air China and Asiana passengers.
- SATS Premier Lounge, Terminal 3.
- Only for select LOT, Ethiopian, EVA, Turkish, Asiana and Air India passengers.
- SATS Premier Lounge, Terminal 1.
- Only for select Air China passengers.
It's quite apparent that there are many rules on access for each lounge, so visit the Star Alliance lounge finder for the most accurate information on lounge access. However, there are a few general exceptions to keep in mind:
- First-class lounges, United Polaris lounges and the Air Canada Signature Suite are not included in Star Alliance lounge access.
- United elites can only access the United Club when traveling on international itineraries. This is not the case for other airlines; for example, an Asiana Star Alliance Gold member can access the United Club on a domestic United flight.
Related: Gold star: A review of the Star Alliance business-class lounge at LAX
Bottom line
Unfortunately, since the benefits of Star Alliance Silver only kick in if your travel plans don't go to plan, there's minimal value from the alliance's entry-level tier.
Outside of luggage benefits and priority boarding, the best benefit of Star Alliance Gold is access to more than 1,000 business class lounges worldwide. As Oneworld's top tier provides access to first class lounges, it will be interesting to see if that's a benefit that's included in a future iteration of Star Alliance status.
Featured image by (Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
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Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
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- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
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- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees