Everything You Need to Know About Star Alliance, the World's Largest Airline Alliance

Here's everything frequent fliers should know about the Star Alliance, including member airlines, benefits, and more.

You’ve probably heard of SkyTeam, OneWorld, and Star Alliance, but have you ever wondered what exactly these airline partnerships mean for travelers? Airline alliances are partnerships among carriers that enable them to share resources and collaborate for the benefit of both travelers and airlines. When they join together, airlines can expand their flight schedules to include routes offered by partner airlines, and they can coordinate their frequent flier programs so travelers can earn and redeem miles on airlines in the alliance. Ready to learn more?  Here’s what every avid traveler should know about the Star Alliance, the first-ever global aviation alliance.

What to Know About the Star Alliance

Star Alliance was founded on May 14, 1997 as the first global airline alliance. It linked five major airlines — United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International, Air Canada, and Lufthansa — to create a single network and offered new services to international travelers. Today, the alliance includes 26 members and offers a far-reaching network spanning 195 countries and more than 1,200 destinations worldwide. Members include both major carriers and smaller regional airlines.

Major Chicago-based carrier United Airlines is the Star Alliance member American travelers are probably most familiar with. The airline flies to more than 230 domestic destinations and 118 international cities on more than 800 aircraft. Main hubs include Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Dulles International Airport, and New York LaGuardia Airport. Major international destinations for United are London, Frankfort, Tokyo, and Brazil. These hubs and major airports provide convenient options for both domestic and international travelers, and the options are really endless when you consider all the destinations you can reach on United’s partner airlines.

Star Alliance Member Airlines