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.
"Let's be real: Because no Australian airline is a partner of Star Alliance, it's less likely to be part of your travel plans. If your work or family mean you regularly fly Singagpore Airlines or Air New Zealand, it's a consideration, but for points earning, Qantas and Virgin remain a more realistic prospect for most of us."
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.
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
Gold
The same benefits as Silver and:
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.
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.
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 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.
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:
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.
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Want to earn more points and enjoy frequent flyer rewards faster by finding the best frequent flyer program for you? Here’s what you need to know.
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?
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