Star Alliance has 26 major airline members that work together to make it easier for you to travel, earn frequent flyer points and get lounge access or other benefits.
Star Alliance is a global airline network with 26 member airlines, including Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines. It was established in 1997 and is designed to offer "a seamless journey" for travellers, as well as innovations.
For frequent flyer members, the Star Alliance makes it easier to earn and redeem points on partnered airlines, including for round-the-world bookings. It also recognises frequent flyer status, giving anyone with an equivalent of Star Alliance Gold Status access to 1,200 airport lounges, plus perks like priority check-in and additional baggage.
How does the Star Alliance work?
Airline network. Star Alliance members can make it easier to travel to different destinations or on routes with stopovers. Some benefits can include codeshared flights, easier connections between airlines (and locations), checked baggage all the way to your destination and support if you miss a flight.
Frequent flyer points. If you are a frequent flyer member of a Star Alliance airline, you can earn and redeem points when flying with 26 member airlines. For example, if you are a member of Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer and you travel with Lufthansa Airlines, you can earn Krisflyer Miles for that flight.
Silver and Gold Status. As you earn frequent flyer status miles or credits with a Star Alliance airline (or airlines), you can also reach Star Alliance Silver or Gold status. Benefits can include priority reservation waitlists, lounge access, priority check-in and extra baggage.
Do Qantas or Virgin Australia belong to the Star Alliance?
No, neither Qantas or Virgin Australia belong to the Star Alliance. Qantas belongs to the oneworld alliance. Virgin Australia doesn't belong to an airline alliance but is partnered with carriers including Delta Air, Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways.
How do the status levels work?
Each partner airline maintains its own status levels which equates to Star Alliance Gold or Silver membership.
For example, if you have gold status with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, you will also have Star Alliance Gold status. Your frequent flyer program card will also show your respective Star Alliance status.
Some of the benefits you can expect include:
Silver
Priority waitlisting
Priority airport standby
Gold
The same benefits as Silver and:
Airport lounge access at over 1,000 lounges worldwide when you travel on a Star Alliance member airline regardless of your class of service (First, Business, Premium Economy or Economy).
Priority check-in.
Gold Track priority security and immigration lanes at participating airports.
Priority boarding.
Extra baggage allowance.
Priority baggage handling so you can get your bags more quickly at your destination.
What are the benefits of flying with a Star Alliance partner?
There are a variety of benefits associated with flying with a Star Alliance partner. The alliance of 26 airlines means that you get unparalleled access to airport lounges and have the ability to earn and redeem points with any partner airlines.
Earn and redeem frequent flyer points
You can earn points with your preferred airline's frequent flyer program when you're travelling with a Star Alliance carrier. You can also use the points or miles that you earn to redeem flights with any of the 26 partner airlines. To earn points by flying with other member airlines you can either book directly through Star Alliance and enter your frequent flyer details during the booking process or when making the booking through the airline's website.
Airport lounge access
Start your next holiday in style by spending your time at the airport relaxing in a lounge. If you're a Gold Star Alliance member, you can visit any of the 1,000+ lounges operated by Star Alliance airline worldwide. If you're not a Gold member, you can still visit a Star Alliance partnered lounge if you're travelling in international first or business class. Star Alliance offers its own lounges in Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Paris, Nagoya, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Amsterdam and Sao Paulo.
Star Alliance fares
Star Alliance offers a number of special fare types. These are designed for those doing a fair bit of flying, and offer discounts and your own personalised itinerary.
Round the World Fare. You can plan an unforgettable adventure with the Round the World Fare. This fare allows you to fly to 195 countries on any of the 26 participating airlines. It is a multi-destination fare that can take you anywhere from Australasia to the Middle East to the Americas.
Circle Pacific Fare. Visit exciting destinations in 25 countries with only one ticket when you take advantage of the Circle Pacific Fare. There are two fare mileage levels available under this category. Simply pick the one that choose your needs. It can be used to visit places in North America, South West Pacific, and Asia as long as it is within the mileage of your chosen level.
Star Alliance benefits for businesses
Star Alliance offers Corporate Plus can help simplify the logistics of booking travel if your business is a multinational corporation. Your company may be eligible for Corporate Plus if it has:
A dedicated travel management function
A mandated travel policy
The ability to consolidate travel spend and detail the appropriate data
What are the differences between oneworld and Star Alliance?
Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and oneworld are the three largest airline alliances. The services they offer to passengers are quite similar but they're partnered with different airlines. The Star Alliance is that it has the largest alliance of airlines which flies almost 1,300 destinations in 195 countries. In contrast, oneworld flies has 13 airline partners which fly to 1,000 airports. Some of the airlines in the oneworld alliance include Qantas, American Airlines, Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, Virgin Australia is not joining Star Alliance. It has partnerships with airlines across different alliances but is not a member of any major alliance.
Airlines in Star Alliance include Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, United Airlines and Air New Zealand, among others.
Alliance Airlines is a separate entity and not part of either Qantas or Virgin. It operates independently but has code-share agreements with both airlines. Qantas is not part of the Star Alliance program; it is a member of the One World program, which also includes British Airways and Cathay Pacific.
You are a Star Alliance member if you hold a frequent flyer membership with one of the Star Alliance airlines, such as Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer or United MileagePlus.
Marc Terrano is a lead publisher and growth marketer at Finder. He has previously worked at Finder as a publisher for frequent flyer points and home loans, and as a writer, podcast host and content marketer. Marc has a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) from the University of Technology Sydney. He’s passionate about creating honest and simple reviews and comparisons to help everyone get value for money. See full bio
Amy Bradney-George was the senior writer for credit cards at Finder, and editorial lead for Finder Green. She has over 16 years of editorial experience and has been featured in publications including ABC News, Money Magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald. See full bio
Amy's expertise
Amy has written 565 Finder guides across topics including:
Use our calculator to see how many Velocity Points you can earn when you shop at Coles, learn how to link your Velocity and Flybuys accounts and discover how to get the most of the rewards partnership here.
The Air New Zealand Airpoints Frequent Flyer Program lets you earn Airpoints Dollars which you can redeem for flights, hotels, car rentals, store purchases and more.
The Singapore Airlines Krisflyer program is a frequent flyer program which is highly ideal for people who travel in and around Asia on a regular basis. It also offers great benefits such as a high rate of return on mileage points.
I am a member of KrisFlyer. I travelled on Business Class to Norway via TG last July 27 but forgot to upload points to my Krisflyer. What can I do?
Finder
JhezelynAugust 28, 2018Finder
Hello Madonna,
Thank you for your comment.
If it’s still within six months, yes, you can still redeem your KrisFlyer miles. Log in to your KrisFlyer account and click on Miles, then Claim Missing Miles. Download the Claim Missing Miles form under Make a claim. For Airline Partners, you can also make a claim online. Simply select ‘Other Airlines’ and provide the details of your flight(s).
You can also email Singapore Airlines in case you need more help in claiming the points.
Should you wish to have real-time answers to your questions, try our chat box on the lower right corner of our page.
Regards,
Jhezelyn
GrishmaMarch 5, 2018
Hi, we have purchased two round the world tickets, with Star Alliance members. United, Lufthansa, Singapore airlines.
How do I earn mileage on this.
Finder
MayMarch 6, 2018Finder
Hi Grishma,
Thanks for your question.
You’ll be able to receive or earn mileage points on your flights if you’ll join the frequent flyer program of your chosen airline (under Star Alliance). For instance, you’ll join the FF program of Singapore Airlines which is called KrisFlyer frequent flyer, you can earn points each time you travel with them. So for other airlines under the Star Alliance network, they also have their own frequent flyer program.
Best to check the website of United, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines if you’re interested to join their FF program and earn points each time you book your flights with them.
Cheers,
May
annSeptember 14, 2017
re Swiss Air – I can only travel in a pressurized aircraft. Are all Swiss Air planes pressurized?
ArnoldSeptember 15, 2017
Hi Ann,
Thanks for your inquiry
Yes, all Swiss Air aircraft are pressurized.
“Standard” pressure, the baseline used universally, is 1013.25 hPa, equivalent to 1013.25 mbar or 29.92 inHg (inches of mercury). This setting is equivalent to the air pressure at mean sea level (MSL) in the International Standard Atmosphere (ISA).
Hope this information helps
Cheers,
Arnold
JordiSeptember 16, 2016
I HAVE PROBLEMS TO ACTIVATE MY ACCOUNT STAR ALLIANCE.
IS IT OK?
Finder
SallySeptember 19, 2016Finder
Hi Jordi,
Thanks for your question.
Just to confirm, you have come through to Finder, not Star Alliance.
As such, you’ll need to get in touch with Star Alliance directly to confirm whether your account has been activated. You can find a list of the international contact details on the Star Alliance website.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Sally
ChrisNovember 5, 2014
Which card is the best card to use to gain points to use on Air Canada flights?
Finder
ShirleyNovember 5, 2014Finder
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your question.
Please note that we don’t recommend specific products, services or providers – and unfortunately at this current point in time we don’t compare credit cards that let you earn miles for AirCanada.
You may want to get in touch with someone from AirCanada to see what they can offer.
Cheers,
Shirley
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I am a member of KrisFlyer. I travelled on Business Class to Norway via TG last July 27 but forgot to upload points to my Krisflyer. What can I do?
Hello Madonna,
Thank you for your comment.
If it’s still within six months, yes, you can still redeem your KrisFlyer miles. Log in to your KrisFlyer account and click on Miles, then Claim Missing Miles. Download the Claim Missing Miles form under Make a claim. For Airline Partners, you can also make a claim online. Simply select ‘Other Airlines’ and provide the details of your flight(s).
You can also email Singapore Airlines in case you need more help in claiming the points.
Should you wish to have real-time answers to your questions, try our chat box on the lower right corner of our page.
Regards,
Jhezelyn
Hi, we have purchased two round the world tickets, with Star Alliance members. United, Lufthansa, Singapore airlines.
How do I earn mileage on this.
Hi Grishma,
Thanks for your question.
You’ll be able to receive or earn mileage points on your flights if you’ll join the frequent flyer program of your chosen airline (under Star Alliance). For instance, you’ll join the FF program of Singapore Airlines which is called KrisFlyer frequent flyer, you can earn points each time you travel with them. So for other airlines under the Star Alliance network, they also have their own frequent flyer program.
Best to check the website of United, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines if you’re interested to join their FF program and earn points each time you book your flights with them.
Cheers,
May
re Swiss Air – I can only travel in a pressurized aircraft. Are all Swiss Air planes pressurized?
Hi Ann,
Thanks for your inquiry
Yes, all Swiss Air aircraft are pressurized.
“Standard” pressure, the baseline used universally, is 1013.25 hPa, equivalent to 1013.25 mbar or 29.92 inHg (inches of mercury). This setting is equivalent to the air pressure at mean sea level (MSL) in the International Standard Atmosphere (ISA).
Hope this information helps
Cheers,
Arnold
I HAVE PROBLEMS TO ACTIVATE MY ACCOUNT STAR ALLIANCE.
IS IT OK?
Hi Jordi,
Thanks for your question.
Just to confirm, you have come through to Finder, not Star Alliance.
As such, you’ll need to get in touch with Star Alliance directly to confirm whether your account has been activated. You can find a list of the international contact details on the Star Alliance website.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Sally
Which card is the best card to use to gain points to use on Air Canada flights?
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your question.
Please note that we don’t recommend specific products, services or providers – and unfortunately at this current point in time we don’t compare credit cards that let you earn miles for AirCanada.
You may want to get in touch with someone from AirCanada to see what they can offer.
Cheers,
Shirley