Points 101
Airline Alliances Explained
Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld, every member airline, plus the independents that still matter for awards.
Why alliances matter for points travelers
The three global alliances — Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and Oneworld — are the secret weapon of award travel. When you earn miles with one member airline, you can often redeem them on any partner airline in the same alliance, sometimes at a fraction of the price the operating carrier would charge.
Book the partner, not the issuer
United miles can book Lufthansa business class to Europe. American miles can book Cathay Pacific first class to Asia. The airline that issued your miles often prices partner awards better than the operating carrier does.
Availability across partners
When your preferred airline has no award seats, a partner in the same alliance often does. A Star Alliance itinerary might mix United, ANA, and Swiss on a single trip — all bookable with one type of miles.
Elite status travels with you
Elite status on one member airline carries over to partner flights — priority boarding, lounge access, and upgrades on carriers you've never flown before. A United Gold member gets Star Alliance Gold treatment on Lufthansa, ANA, and more.
est. 1997
Star Alliance
24 member airlines
Air Canada
ACAir China
CAAir India
AIAir New Zealand
NZAll Nippon Airways (ANA)
NHAsiana Airlines
OZAustrian Airlines
OSAvianca
AVBrussels Airlines
SNCopa Airlines
CMCroatia Airlines
OUEgyptAir
MSEthiopian Airlines
ETEVA Air
BRLOT Polish Airlines
LOLufthansa
LHShenzhen Airlines
ZHSingapore Airlines
SQSouth African Airways
SASwiss International
LXTAP Air Portugal
TPThai Airways
TGTurkish Airlines
TKUnited Airlines
UAest. 1999
Oneworld
13 member airlines
Alaska Airlines
ASAmerican Airlines
AABritish Airways
BACathay Pacific
CXFinnair
AYIberia
IBJapan Airlines
JLMalaysia Airlines
MHQantas
QFQatar Airways
QRRoyal Air Maroc
ATRoyal Jordanian
RJSriLankan Airlines
ULest. 2000
SkyTeam
17 member airlines
Aerolíneas Argentinas
ARAeromexico
AMAir Europa
UXAir France
AFChina Airlines
CIChina Eastern
MUDelta Air Lines
DLGaruda Indonesia
GAKenya Airways
KQKLM
KLKorean Air
KEMiddle East Airlines
MESaudia
SVScandinavian (SAS)
SKTAROM
ROVietnam Airlines
VNXiamenAir
MFNotable Independents
Major airlines outside the three alliances — still highly relevant for points redemptions and award bookings.
Emirates
Skywards; bookable with many transfer programs
Etihad Airways
Etihad Guest; extensive partner network
Southwest Airlines
Rapid Rewards; domestic US & Caribbean focus
JetBlue
TrueBlue; Oneworld codeshare partner
Hawaiian Airlines
Now part of Alaska ecosystem
WestJet
WestJet Rewards; Canada's second-largest carrier
IndiGo
India's largest carrier by market share
Ryanair
Europe's largest LCC; no alliance
easyJet
Major European LCC; no alliance