Have you noticed that while some airlines might go at it alone, most international commercial carriers belong to an alliance? With that in mind, we thought we would look at the world's largest global airline alliance. Star Alliance was founded in 1997 by five carriers spanning North America, Europe, and Asia. Today, it has grown to include a full 26 member airlines and has expanded to offer connectivity in Africa, Latin America, and Oceania as well.

What is an airline alliance?

An airline alliance is a way for airlines to collaborate and use their resources to benefit each other and their passengers. By codesharing on flights, customers can accumulate frequent flyer miles even though they are flying on a different airline than the one they have a loyalty account with.

By joining an alliance, airlines can offer passengers flights to destinations that they do not fly to and, at the same time, make revenue. For the customer, it also allows them to book a single ticket on multiple flights and have their luggage transferred to their final destination.

An ANA Boeing 777-200 with a Star Alliance livery
Photo: Markus Mainka/Shutterstock.

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The Star Alliance was founded in 1997

The Star Alliance was created in 1997 and is now the largest airline alliance globally, with 26 member airlines operating around 5,033 aircraft. Star Alliance members operate to more than 1,300 destinations in 98% of the world’s countries, allowing customers to fly nearly anywhere on Earth.

Like other airline alliances, Star Alliance members share terminals at some of the world's largest airports, allowing passengers to easily connect from one member airline to another. Headquartered at Germany's Frankfurt Airport (FRA), the Star Alliance has 60 people from 15 nations working to make flying as comfortable and seamless as possible.

Star Alliance founding members

So now, after a brief glance at how it came about and where it is, let's look at the members who have co-created it throughout the years. With the idea of having a global reach, the alliance was first founded with five airlines on three continents - United Airlines, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways, Air Canada, and Lufthansa.

United Airlines

By fleet size, United Airlines is the third-largest airline in the world and has hubs at Chicago–O'Hare (ORD), Denver (DEN), Guam (GUM), Houston Intercontinental (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington–Dulles (IAD). The carrier flies to more than 210 destinations in the US and operates over 120 international services.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)

SAS is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, from where it flies to more than 100 destinations worldwide. Despite its recent troubles and heavy debts incurred, which have led to a lengthy Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, it has been instrumental in shaping the history of commercial aviation in Scandinavia.

Thai Airways

Thai Airways is the national flag carrier airline of Thailand and is based at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) in Bangkok. From BKK and its secondary hub at Phuket International Airport (HKT), the carrier operates to another eight domestic destinations along with its regional subsidiary THAI Smile Air. The company offers about 666 weekly flights to and from 38 destinations across the world, according to data from Cirium.

Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's national flag carrier and is the country's biggest airline. From its hubs at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), and Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Air Canada flies to 64 domestic and 158 international destinations across five continents.

Lufthansa

As the national flag carrier of Germany and one of Europe's largest airlines, Lufthansa was a crucial partner in getting the Star Alliance off the ground. Lufthansa flies to 211 destinations in 74 countries from its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.

A TAP Air Airbus A320 with a Star Alliance livery
Photo: Abdul N Quraishi - Abs/Shutterstock.

Other Star Alliance airlines

We would love to do a full profile on each and every Star Alliance member, but then we would end up with something like a novel. As such, here follows a list of the airlines currently in the alliance, in alphabetical order and including when they joined:

  • Aegean Airlines (Greece), 2010
  • Air China (China), 2007
  • Air India (India), 2014
  • Air New Zealand (New Zealand), 1999
  • ANA (Japan), 1999
  • Asiana Airlines (South Korea), 2002
  • Austrian Airlines (Austria), 2000
  • Avianca (Colombia), 2012
  • Brussels Airlines (Belgium), 2009
  • Copa Airlines (Panama), 2012
  • Croatia Airlines (Croatia), 2004
  • Egyptair (Egypt), 2008
  • Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia), 2011
  • Eva Air (Taiwan), 2013
  • LOT Polish Airlines, (Poland) 2003
  • Shenzhen Airlines (China), 2012
  • Singapore Airlines (Singapore), 2000
  • South African Airways (South Africa), 2006
  • SWISS (Switzerland), 2006
  • TAP Air Portugal (Portugal), 2005
  • Turkish Airlines (Turkey), 2008
An Air China Airbus A350 in Star Alliance Livery about to land at Los Angeles.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

What comes next?

It has been a while since the alliance welcomed a new airline member. However, last year Star Alliance and the German rail operator Deutsche Bahn announced a new partnership that allows passengers flying with member airlines to combine tickets to German airports with an onward rail connection throughout Germany. Deutsche Bahn became the first intermodal partner of the Star Alliance. These are some of the benefits Star Alliance passengers received:

  • At Frankfurt Airport, they can use a dedicated AirRail check-in facility near the platforms.
  • Business and first class travelers can access Deutsche Bahn lounges.
  • Passengers can collect points and miles for train journeys that form part of a flight itinerary.
  • Passengers can book a connecting itinerary with the flight and train on one booking number.
An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 with a Star Alliance livery
Photo: Seven43/Shutterstock.

On the other hand, Asiana Airlines' involvement with Star Alliance may be in jeopardy for the future. The Korean carrier was recently acquired by Korean Air, which is a member of SkyTeam, another airline alliance. So far, nothing has been announced since the merger of the two Korean airlines is being analyzed (with reports of the European Union possibly launching a full-scale investigation), but we will have to see what happens in the future. We have to see only what happened in the past. Earlier Star Alliance members, such as British Midland International and TAN, left the alliance after merging with British Airways and LAN, respectively.

Every now and then, there are rumors about a new airline member. For instance, airBaltic has a good collaboration with several of the alliance's carriers, and some ask if it could be preparing for full membership. Perhaps, one of the fast-growing commercial airlines in India could be a good fit.

What do you think about the Star Alliance? Do you see another carrier joining in the near future? Please tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.

  • _DSC0854
    Star Alliance
    Business Type:
    Airline Alliance
    Date Founded:
    1997-05-14
    CEO:
    Jeffrey Goh
    Headquarters Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    Airlines:
    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 Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines