United Airlines and Italy's ITA Airways to start loyalty partnership ahead of Star Alliance move
United Airlines and Italian carrier ITA Airways will debut a new partnership later this month as part of the latter's integration into the Lufthansa Group.
The carriers will begin a codeshare and loyalty tie-up Sept. 15, ITA said and United confirmed on Tuesday. The pact is a precursor to the Italian airline joining Star Alliance with United and other airlines in early 2026.
ITA is in the process of exiting the SkyTeam alliance.
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The Lufthansa Group bought a 41% stake in ITA from the Italian government at the beginning of 2025. The German group is in the process of integrating ITA, which was formed out of the assets of Alitalia in 2020, into its portfolio of airlines and partnerships, including with United.
Under the pact, members of ITA's Volare loyalty program and United's MileagePlus program can earn and redeem points on either airline's flights. Elite members will also have access to both carriers' lounges.
A United spokesperson confirmed that MileagePlus members will earn valuable status points and segments when flying on ITA as well.
The codeshare will see ITA placing its "AZ" code on United-operated flights to select U.S. airports, including Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Denver International Airport (DEN) and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The airlines' shared U.S. gateways include Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C.
And in Europe, United will place its "UA" code on certain ITA flights, including those to Florence Airport (FLR), Catania-Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) and Turin Airport (TRN), all in Italy. The carrier will connect to ITA at gateways like Brussels Airport (BRU), Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO).
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The ITA-United pact is a precursor to the Italian airline joining the existing joint venture between Air Canada, the Lufthansa Group and United. A joint venture is a regulator-approved tie-up where airlines can coordinate everything from schedules to fares and sales in a certain market (in this case, between North America and Europe).
Lufthansa executives, including Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr, have confirmed the plan to incorporate ITA into the transatlantic pact without providing a firm timeline.
"If you force ITA to fly against all three American carriers, who are all like 10-times the size of ITA, and even Emirates that also operates on the North Atlantic out of Milan, ITA will have no sustainable future," Spohr said in 2024.
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