Star Alliance

Founded May 14, 1997, Star Alliance is the original — the granddaddy of airline alliances and the largest by member count. 26 member airlines flying to over a thousand destinations across nearly 200 countries, anchored by founding members United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, and Thai Airways. Dual headquarters in Frankfurt (Star Alliance Services GmbH) and Singapore (Star Alliance (SG) Pte. Ltd.), with most senior leadership Singapore-based. Six dedicated Star Alliance lounges (LAX, GIG, EZE, CDG, GRU, and Guangzhou Baiyun T3 — the alliance's first Asia lounge). Multiple consecutive "Best Alliance" wins from both Skytrax (2025) and the World Travel Awards (2024, 2025).

For points fans, Star Alliance is where premium-cabin sweet spots live in volume: Singapore Suites, ANA F, Lufthansa First, Turkish Business, EVA Royal Laurel — bookable through United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, or any of the 19 frequent-flyer programmes that all earn into the same Gold / Silver alliance status. Star Alliance has only two tiers (like SkyTeam — no Ruby equivalent), but adds three perks the others don't: a Round-the-World fare AND a Circle Pacific fare (more product than oneworld), the alliance-branded Gold Track priority security and immigration program at 100+ checkpoints worldwide, and a Star Alliance-branded credit card (Australia-only as of 2026 — first of its kind among alliances). ITA Airways joined as the newest full member March 31, 2026; SAS departed for SkyTeam August 31, 2024.

Star Alliance's redemption strengths span more programs than oneworld and SkyTeam combined — Singapore Suites + KrisFlyer's notoriously hard-to-find F awards (still the biggest ace), Lufthansa First (only via Miles & More 14 days pre-departure), Turkish Business via Miles&Smiles or transferable currencies, plus United's deep partner inventory.

• Lufthansa First Class to Europe — bookable via Miles & More 14 days pre-departure for elite members; via United / Aeroplan / LifeMiles for partners (with surcharges that get steep on M&M).
• Singapore Suites SFO/JFK/LAX-SIN — KrisFlyer Saver awards (130K+); Singapore awards transfer-only from almost every major flexible: Amex MR, Citi TY, Capital One, Chase UR, Bilt.
• ANA First Class to Tokyo — book via United MileagePlus (110K-150K each way) or ANA Mileage Club (105K each way + fuel surcharges).
• Turkish Airlines Business to Europe and Asia via Miles&Smiles — distance-based chart with sweet spots; transferable from Citi, Capital One, Bilt, and Marriott.
• Avianca LifeMiles — sweet-spot favorite for transferable currencies since it has no fuel surcharges on most partners. Transferable from Chase UR, Amex MR, Citi TY, Capital One, Bilt, and Marriott — every major US bank flexible.
• Air Canada Aeroplan for transatlantic Business — partner-friendly chart, no fuel surcharges on most non-LH partners. Transferable from Amex MR, Capital One, Bilt, and Marriott.
• Round-the-World fare (paid, not award) — Star Alliance sells one with up to 16 segments, 10-day minimum / 12-month maximum trip duration. Earn miles + tier credit on the trip.
• Circle Pacific fare (paid, multi-stop within Pacific Rim) — smaller scope than RTW but cleaner product for Asia / Oceania trips.

Star Alliance lounge ruleset

Star Alliance Gold members and First or Business Class customers traveling on a same-day Star Alliance-marketed-and-operated flight have access to lounges across the alliance network.

Tier / cabin	Lounge access
First or Business Class on Star Alliance-operated flight	Complimentary at any Star Alliance member airline lounge or Star Alliance-branded lounge
Star Gold (any cabin, including Economy)	Complimentary at any Star Alliance member airline lounge or Star Alliance-branded lounge
Star Silver	No alliance-wide lounge access
Non-elite Economy	No alliance-wide lounge access

Network scale: 1,000+ member airline lounges worldwide, plus six dedicated Star Alliance-branded lounges:

• Los Angeles (LAX) — Tom Bradley International Terminal (open 08:00-01:00 daily; multi-year winner of "North America's Leading Airport Lounge")
• Rio de Janeiro (GIG) — Terminals 2 & 3, after duty free, before gates (open 24/7)
• Buenos Aires (EZE) — Ezeiza International Airport
• Paris (CDG) — Charles de Gaulle Airport
• Sao Paulo (GRU) — Guarulhos International Airport
• Guangzhou (CAN) — Baiyun International Terminal 3 (opened April 28, 2026; the alliance's first Asia lounge — original CAN location opened November 21, 2024)

Gold Track priority security + immigration: Gold members and First/Business Class customers also access Gold Track at 100+ airport checkpoints worldwide — fast-track lanes at security and select immigration. Show your boarding pass at the lane to qualify.

Guests: Gold members may bring +1 guest who must be traveling on the same Star Alliance-operated flight.

Connecting Partners (Juneyao Air, etc.): Lounge access on Connecting Partner-operated flights varies — check with the alliance lounge finder before relying on it. Connecting Partners offer partial alliance benefits, not full reciprocity.

Discounted Business Class fares may not include lounge access — check fare conditions when booking.

Source: Star Alliance lounge access policy. Member airline lounge access is subject to capacity, local airport policy, and statutory/regulatory restrictions.

• Largest airline alliance — 26 full members vs SkyTeam's 18 and oneworld's 15.
• Two tiers only (Gold + Silver) — like SkyTeam, simpler than oneworld's three. No Ruby equivalent. Silver tier gets no general lounge access.
• Gold Track is unique to Star Alliance — branded priority security + immigration program at 100+ airport checkpoints worldwide. Available to Star Gold members and First/Business customers on any Star Alliance flight. oneworld and SkyTeam don't have an equivalent branded program.
• Sells TWO RTW products — Round-the-World fare AND Circle Pacific fare. SkyTeam has none; oneworld has Explorer/Global Explorer/Circle Pacific. Star Alliance RTW: up to 16 segments, 10-day minimum / 12-month max, paid product (verify miles-redemption eligibility per program; many Star members offer their own mile-based RTW awards via individual charts).
• 6 Star Alliance-branded lounges — LAX, GIG, EZE, CDG, GRU, and Guangzhou T3 (newest, opened April 28, 2026). The original Guangzhou location opened November 21, 2024 as the alliance's first Asia lounge; T3 is the new mega-terminal location.
• Star Connection Centre at LAX — opened March 23, 2026 at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Alliance-operated transfer-assistance hub for international connections, unique among alliances.
• Star Alliance has its own credit card in Australia — operated through Star Alliance Australia, the alliance's subsidiary. First and only alliance-branded consumer credit card; oneworld and SkyTeam don't offer one.
• 19 frequent flyer programs across 26 carriers — six members share Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS, Brussels, LOT, Croatia). Earn / burn one currency across all six. See /programs/miles_and_more.
• SAS departed Star Alliance August 31, 2024 to join SkyTeam September 1, 2024 — pulled the Scandinavia anchor away after 27 years.
• Asiana Airlines is in transition out of Star Alliance following the Korean Air merger that closed December 2024. Expected to migrate to SkyTeam over 2-3 years; as of April 2026 still listed as a full Star Alliance member.
• ITA Airways joined March 31, 2026 — Italy's flag carrier (post-Alitalia, Lufthansa Group-owned), bringing Mediterranean coverage to the alliance. Integration began April 2025.
• Connecting Partners (partial alliance benefits, not full members): Juneyao Air (China). Vistara was absorbed into Air India; THAI Smile merged back into Thai Airways in 2023-2024.
• Intermodal Partners (rail integrations): Deutsche Bahn (DB) in Germany and ÖBB Austrian Federal Railways in Austria (enhanced March 2025). Earn Miles & More miles on qualifying rail journeys.
• Heathrow Express Business First upgrade — Star Gold + 1 companion get a free upgrade to Business First on the LHR-Paddington express train.
• CEO: Theo Panagiotoulias. Chief Executive Board Chairperson: Michael Rousseau (Air Canada CEO, elected December 9, 2024).
• Multiple consecutive "Best Alliance" awards — Skytrax World's Best Airline Alliance 2025, World Travel Awards World's Leading Airline Alliance 2024 + 2025.
• Dual headquarters: Frankfurt (Star Alliance Services GmbH) and Singapore (Star Alliance (SG) Pte. Ltd.). Most senior leadership Singapore-based.