• Air France (SkyTeam Livery) Boeing 777-328(ER) F-GZNE
    SkyTeam
    Business Type:
    Airline Alliance
    Date Founded:
    2000-06-22
    CEO:
    Kristin Colvile
    Headquarters Location:
    Amsterdam, The Netherlands

In our final installment looking at the big three airline alliances, we'll dive into elite status with SkyTeam. The second-largest member by passengers flown and with 19 members around the globe, the alliance has quickly become a dominant force despite being the youngest of the big three. Here's your guide to elite status with SkyTeam, which includes Delta Air Lines, Air France, Korean Air, and as of this month, Virgin Atlantic!

Two tiers

SkyTeam offers two frequent flyer statuses, accurately named Elite and Elite Plus. However, unlike Star Alliance, each tier comes with plenty of guaranteed perks, ensuring you get access to priority status no matter which member airline you are flying with. As usual, you need to reach status with one of the member airlines to access perks across the alliance, with different qualifying requirements for each airline, ranging from total flights to dollars spent.

Check our guide to elite status in the Star Alliance here and in oneworld alliance here!

Delta Air Lines Check In counter.
Photo: RYO Alexandre / Shutterstock

Elite

Elite status will get you priority check-in (usually business class counters), access to preferred seating, extra baggage allowance, priority boarding, and high waitlist ranking. These are guaranteed benefits, which means all member airlines will provide this, wherever feasible. Conditions on extra bags vary depending on weight and total pieces but usually allow for one checked bag.

For example, Delta SkyMiles Silver (Elite) includes complimentary first class upgrades starting 24 hours before departure (in order of priority). However, most other carriers offer uniform benefits across their carriers.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Photo: Antonio Salaverry | Shutterstock

Compared to Star Alliance Silver, SkyTeam Elite is far more valuable across the alliance. While silver with a specific airline may bring its own perks, SkyTeam's guarantee of a free extra bag is unique among the three alliances and could save passengers hundreds of dollars in fees annually.

Get the latest loyalty news here!

Elite Plus

The highest status to be earned with SkyTeam is Elite Plus. This brings benefits such as business or first class lounges for passengers and one guest (traveling a SkyTeam carrier), priority handling on arrival, and extra baggage allowance. However, the main perk is SkyPriority, a service that includes separate queues from the airport to the aircraft door. This includes check-in, security, boarding, transfer, and even immigration at select airports.

Additionally, Elite Plus guarantees an economy seat on a long-haul sold-out flight, although this is subject to some restrictions. Each airline adds its own benefits, such as upgrade vouchers (Delta), access to reward seats in first class (Air France-KLM Flying Blue), and others.

SkyPriority SkyTeam lane
Photo: Fandistico / Shutterstock

Which one should you select?

Having covered the elite tiers of all three alliances, we come to the question of which one is best for you. The answer is..complicated. It depends on where you live, your home carriers, and what you value most. However, oneworld Ruly and SkyTeam Elite are both bound to get you the most benefits earlier, while Star Alliance Silver usually comes with hefty perks from the individual airline only.

Which alliance's program are you currently a part of, and why? Let us know in the comments.