An alliance is an agreement between a number of airlines to share resources. This, in turn, gives the allied airlines a greater ability to compete against other airlines.

Read on for what you should know about alliances, how to choose the right alliance, and lists of participating airlines for each alliance.

Benefits of airline alliances

The main benefit for the traveler is arguably how the airlines share their frequent flyer rewards. With my Cathay Pacific Asia miles or my British Airways Avios, I’m able to book reward flights all over the world, as every member of the oneworld alliance will accept my points.

Likewise, the benefits of frequent flyer status are shared. When I was traveling in America, I was able to use the American Airlines lounges, with my Marco Polo Club Gold Status from Cathay Pacific. I could have done this with any oneworld Alliance loyalty club that I had status with. While this is seen as a benefit for passengers. It’s also a huge benefit for the airlines. In this case, American Airlines won my business because of the benefits I would receive from the alliance. Had it not been for the Alliance, I would have looked at other options.

About Star Alliance

Star Alliance, based in Frankfurt, was the first of the Big Three alliances to be established. The Alliance was founded in 1997 by Lufthansa, Air Canada, Scandinavian Airlines, and Thailand Airways, and United.

About oneworld

The next airline alliance to join the aviation scene was oneworld. The alliance was set up in 1999, headquartered in New York City. As of October 2017, the alliance was carrying 527 million passengers per year. This is due to the slightly smaller combined fleet. oneworld’s combined fleet comes in at just under 3500 aircraft, and, on average, has 13,000 daily departures. This alliance was founded by British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas. oneworld’s slogan is “one bright alliance.” Its 13 world class airlines, who have come together to provide the highest level of service and smoothest connections to more than 1000 destinations around the globe, from checking into security and boarding, oneworld member airlines work together to make your flying experience as seamless as possible.

About SkyTeam

The last of the three big alliances is SkyTeam, the youngest Alliance, having founded in June of 2000 with 20 members. SkyTeam carries the most passengers each year: 730 million of them. The Alliance was founded by four airlines: Air France, Delta, Aeroméxico, and Korean Air.

Think about which countries you will travel to the most frequently, or desire to travel to.
Choose the airline you prefer that operates those routes and look at what alliance they belong to.
Based on these findings, register with the loyalty program of the airline in that alliance that will give you the most earnable points.

For example, I am a Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Club Gold member. I earn this status by flying on Cathay and other oneworld airlines, but I also earn miles using a Cathay Pacific-branded Visa credit card. Many hotel programs such as Marriott Bonvoy, allow you to transfer airline hotel miles to your favorite airline as well, often on a one-to-one basis, which is another way to rack up miles.

What airlines are in oneworld?

• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• LATAM (left oneworld on October 1, 2020)
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Jordanian
• S7 Airlines
• Sri Lankan Airlines
• Fiji Airways
• Royal Air Maroc (joined in mid-2020)

What airlines are in the Star Alliance?

• Aegean
• Air Canada
• Air China
• Air India
• Air New Zealand
• ANA
• Asiana Airlines
• Austrian
• Avianca
• Brussels Airlines
• Copa Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• Egypt Air
• Ethiopia
• EVA Air
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• SAS
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Swiss
• TAP Air Portugal
• Thai Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines

What airlines are in SkyTeam?

• Aeroflot
• Aerolineas Argentinas
• Aeroméxico
• Air Europa (will likely leave SkyTeam in 2020)
• Air France
• Alitalia
• China Airlines
• China Eastern
• Czech Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Garuda Indonesia
• KLM
• Korean Air
• Middle East Airlines
• Saudia
• TAROM
• Vietnam Airlines
• Xiamen Air