Airline alliances are a group of airlines that have teamed up so that the traveller can benefit. Loyalty programs and code-sharing mean that flyers can use air miles across a number of airlines. If you are a frequent flyer it's useful to know which airline is working with which carrier, so we have put together this list.
There are three major airlines, all of which offer flights worldwide with their combined airlines. Check out the websites for further information on the individual schemes.
The airlines of the oneworld alliance (website: www.oneworld.com) fly to more than 700 destinations worldwide and have a combined fleet of approximately 2,500 aircraft. Frequent-flyer members can earn air miles on alliance airlines and top-tier members can also gain access to airport lounges around the world. Member airlines are:
Star Alliance (website: www.staralliance.com) serves more than 1,000 airports in 171 countries. There are 21 member airlines and separate frequent-flyer programs, all operating independently. To take advantage of the network, passengers just need to join one of the programs.
The SkyTeam alliance (website: www.skyteam.com) serves more than 900 destinations worldwide. There are more than 16,000 daily departures and SkyTeam allows passengers access to about 450 member lounges worldwide.
© Cheapflights Ltd
Updated November 2009
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