The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
News
Shifting Airline Alliances: Which Is Best - Oneworld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance?
Since launching TPG in 2010, founder Brian Kelly has expanded the team to include a distinguished editorial staff and an extensive network of freelancer contacts from around the globe. Today, TPG reaches 11 million unique monthly visitors and more than 3 million followers across social media platforms and has offices in New York City, Charlotte and the U.K.
February 24, 2014 • 10 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.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.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
The article compares the three major airline alliances—Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance—plus Alaska Airlines' independent partner network, focusing on network size, coverage and award travel nuances.
Each alliance offers varying strengths in different regions, with Star Alliance leading in global destinations and daily departures, while Oneworld stands out for premium cabin award options and SkyTeam for strong coverage in Asia and Europe.
Alaska Airlines, though not a formal alliance member, provides extensive partner options but limits award ticket combinations to Alaska plus one partner.
Award seat availability, fare class earning and elite status recognition vary widely between alliances and partners, impacting the value of each program.
What to consider
Some alliances restrict premium cabin award access or impose blackout dates, making flexibility crucial for booking sought-after routes.
Alaska's program does not allow mixing multiple partners on a single award ticket, and elite status benefits may not be recognized across all partners.
Frequent program changes, such as airline mergers or devaluations, can affect route networks and redemption value.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed tables and analysis on alliance coverage, partner lists and specific award booking strategies for maximizing value.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Airline alliances are constantly changing - whether it's mergers or new strategic partnerships, the landscape continues to evolve and in 2014 there will be some notable additions and exits from the major alliances. However, bigger isn't always better, so deciding on the best alliance for you may take some careful analysis based on factors that impact your travel plans the most, like geographical coverage in the areas you fly, fare class earning between partners, and whether the alliance members actually release award availability on the routes you want to fly.
Use airline alliances to your benefit and get more miles.
I have broken it down into the three main airline alliances: Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance, and then also added in Alaska Airlines since it's a major US frequent flyer program and has several great international airline partners, as well as both American and Delta here in the US. Remember, before you book tickets or fly, always check the policies for partner airlines and alliances to make sure you are aware of all mileage earning policies and opportunities. Also, since Alaska doesn't officially have an alliance with their partners there is generally no elite status recognition. However, they do have special benefits with American and Delta and offer elite status earning on all partners.
Overview
Here's a quick table outlining the scope of each alliance including daily departures, destinations an annual passengers. Read on below to find out the specifics on each alliance and my thoughts on the miles to use in each.
Oneworld
SkyTeam
Star Alliance
Alaska
Daily Departures
14,244
15,189
17,808
18,500
Destinations
981
1,024
1,348
N/A
Annual Passengers
475 million
569 million
610 million
625 million
Just a quick note: These figures are based of prospective alliance membership by April 1, 2014, so they are subject to change based on route network consolidation.
Oneworld
Current Airline Partners:
airberlin (including NIKI)
American Airlines (including AmericanConnection, American Eagle)
British Airways (including BA Cityflyer, British Airways Limited, Comair , OpenSkies and SUN-AIR of Scandinavia)
Cathay Pacific (including Dragonair)
Finnair (including Flybe Finland)
Iberia (including Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, Iberia Express)
Japan Airlines (including JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air)
LAN (including LAN Argentina, LAN Colombia, LAN Ecuador, LAN Express and LAN Peru)
Malaysia Airlines
Qantas (including QantasLink and Jetconnect and some Jetstar)
Qatar Airways (new)
Royal Jordanian
S7 Airlines Globus, LLC.
Coming Soon:
US Airways (projected join date of March 31, 2014)
The smallest of the alliances, Oneworld has just 13 current members with 3 more joining in the coming months. According to its own statistics, and including soon-to-join members, Oneworld services:
Of those, the top 5 member (and member-elect) airlines with the most flights are:
1. American Airlines
2. US Airways
3. Iberia
4. British Airways
5. TAM
Award travel notes: Oneworld is arguably the best alliance for redeeming for international and domestic US three-cabin first class awards. Six carriers have solid international first class cabins: American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, JAL, Malaysian and Qantas, and American is the only carrier in the US regularly operating three-cabin first class flights between New York and Los Angeles/San Francisco and Miami and Los Angeles. Note: Qantas first class award availability is generally very scarce, the others open up a decent amount if you're flexible.
Intra-continental coverage:
Strong: North America, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand
Moderate: Asia, Middle East
Weak: Africa (the only intra-African routes are on a British Airways subsidiary)
Credit Cards to Consider:
There are a few great bonuses going on at the moment you might want to consider.
The Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard comes with 100,000 American miles when you spend $10,000 in 3 months, Admirals Club (and now US Airways Club) lounge access, and you can earn 10,000 elite-qualifying miles when you spend $40,000 in a calendar year.
The British Airways Visa Signature Card comes 4 Avios for every $1 spent on all purchases within your first year up to $30,000, and earns 3 Avios per $1 on BA purchases, 1 Avios per $1 on everything else, earns a 10% discount on BA purchases, as well as a Companion Ticket when you spend $30,000 in a calendar year.
The Chase Ink Bold and Ink Plus both offer 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points (which can be transferred to BA) when you spend $5,000 in 3 months.
Sky Team
Current Airline Partners:
Aeroflot
Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aeromexico
Air Europa
Air France
Alitalia
China Airlines
China Eastern
China Southern
Czech Airlines
Delta Air Lines
Kenya Airways
KLM
Korean Air
Middle East Airlines
Saudia
TAROM
Vietnam Airlines
Xiamen Airlines
Coming Soon:
Garuda Indonesia (projected join date of March 5, 2014)
SkyTeam currently offers over 15,000 daily departures.
Destinations: 1,024
Countries: 178
Daily Departures: 15,189 (just a tick above Oneworld)
Fleet: 2,853 aircraft with a further 1,475 affiliated aircraft
Annual Passengers: 569 million
The top 5 airlines in the alliance with the most daily departures are:
1. Delta
2. Air France/KLM
3. China Southern
4. China Eastern
5. Alitalia
Award travel notes: SkyTeam is possibly the least-friendly alliance, with numerous members blocking awards on partners (Delta blocking all international first class, Air France only allowing their elite members to redeem for first class and Korean with rolling blackout dates). Delta also recently hacked SkyTeam earning ratios and disqualifying all partner spend on non-Delta issued tickets from their Medallion Qualifying Mile program and only releases low-level award availability to partners, which can be very scarce- especially on international flights.
Intra-continental coverage:
Strong: North America, Asia, Europe, Middle East
Moderate: Africa
Weak: Australia/New Zealand, South America
Credit Cards to Consider:
Though public offers on the Delta Amex cards aren't terribly high at the moment, you should check through the Card Match Tool to see if you are qualified for a higher sign-up bonus. Delta and Flying Blue (the frequent flyer program of Air France/KLM) are also 1:1 transfer partners of Amex Membership Rewards, so if you have a card like the Platinum Card from American Express or Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, you can transfer your points into either program. Korean Air is a 1:1 instant transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards if you have the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold or Ink Plus cards.
Star Alliance
The largest of the airline alliances, there are some big changes coming to Star Alliance thanks to the exit of US Airways and TAM, and Air India's prospective joining of the program.
Current Airline Partners:
Adria Airways
Aegean Airlines
Air Canada
Air China
Air New Zealand
ANA
Asiana Airlines
Austrian
Avianca
Brussels Airlines
Copa Airlines
Croatia Airlines
EGYPTAIR
Ethiopian Airlines
EVA Air
LOT Polish Airlines
Lufthansa
Scandinavian Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways
SWISS
TAM Airlines (projected exit date March 30, 2014)
TAP Portugal
THAI
Turkish Airlines
United
US Airways (projected exit date March 30, 2014)
Coming Soon:
Air India (rumored join date June 2014, but who really knows with their recent FAA downgrade)
We've added Avianca Brazil's flight statistics, but have taken out the flight stats for soon departing members US Airways and TAM since they will be leaving the alliance shortly. I also did not add Air India since their addition could easily be delayed (yet again) into 2015 and beyond.
The top 5 airlines in the alliance with the most daily departures are:
1. United
2. Air Canada
3. Lufthansa
4. Air China
5. Turkish Airlines
Award travel notes: While Star Alliance has a lot of members, there are also blocking issues between partners. The following carriers are known to be very stingy with premium cabin partner award availability: Air New Zealand (especially between the US and New Zealand), Lufthansa (holding almost all first class space until the last minute) and Austrian/Singapore/Swiss releasing very few first and business class international awards. Additionally, United penalizes their frequent flyers by charging a premium to book partner flights in most circumstances, and Aeroplan has devalued their program several times int he past couple years and charge hefty fuel surcharges on many partners.
Intra-continental coverage:
Strong: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America
Moderate: Australia/New Zealand
Weak: Middle East, South America
Credit Cards to Consider:
You have your pick of Chase cards here. For just co-branded United miles, you can score an Explorer card with a 50,000-mile sign-up bonus in a Chase branch, while all three premium Chase Ultimate Rewards cards - the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold and Ink Plus - all transfer points to United miles at a 1:1 ratio instantaneously.
Alaska Airlines
Although not one of the three formal alliances, Alaska has several partners on which you can earn and redeem miles from its Alaska MileagePlan Program.
Current Airline Partners:
Aeromexico
Air France
American Airlines
British Airways
Cathay Pacific
Delta Air Lines
Emirates
Era Alaska
Fiji Airways (formerly Air Pacific)
KLM
Korean Air
LAN
PenAir
Qantas
Alaska does not currently provide stats on its global partner network, but by some measures it should be as extensive as the three formal alliances thanks to the fact that it partners with both American and Delta - the airlines that operate the most flights within their alliances - as well as other heavy hitters like British Airways, Air France/KLM and non-alliance airlines whose networks aren't available to the alliances, like the ever-expanding Emirates, and Fiji Airways. Our research based on individual airline data indicates roughly 18,500 daily departures and 625 million passengers flown a year.
Award travel notes: While Alaska did recently devalue its program, it paled in comparison to some others like Delta and United and did not impact partner travel at all. Perhaps the biggest downside to Alaska's faux alliance is that you cannot mix partners on award tickets, but you can include Alaska and a partner on an award. Alaska has pretty good award availability o their own and combined with their numerous partners, like Emirates and their swanky first class, it is an option you shouldn't overlook when deciding on a loyalty program.
Intra-continental coverage: Strong: North America, Australia/New Zealand, Europe, Middle East Moderate: Asia, South America, Asia Weak: Africa
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
