Beginner's Guide to Airline Alliances & Partnerships

Understanding airline alliances and partnerships is crucial for mastering the travel rewards game. For example, if you exclusively redeem your AAdvantage^® miles on American Airlines, you'll miss out on numerous redemptions offered through partner airlines.

Most airlines have partnerships with other airlines through joint ventures or alliances. In this post, we'll focus on airline alliances. We'll explore why these partnerships matter and how to get the most value from your miles and points by leveraging alliances.

Why Should You Care About Airline Alliances & Partnerships?

Most travelers assume that American Airlines AAdvantage miles should be redeemed for American Airlines flights and Delta SkyMiles for Delta flights. This is a common assumption. If you're not aware of the many airline partnerships and joint ventures, you'll likely assume your points or miles have limited use.

While you can use your miles exclusively on the carrier with which you earned your miles, overlooking an airline's partners means missing out on thousands of additional flights to destinations not served by that particular airline. Additionally, you might end up using more miles than necessary.

In addition to opening up additional award redemptions, these partnerships also make traveling on multiple airlines using a single itinerary much easier.

If you book a flight to Astana, Kazakhstan on United's website, you won't fly all the way there with United. You might connect with Lufthansa or even Turkish Airlines. However, you will be issued a single itinerary and, if you check bags, they can be transferred from carrier to carrier with ease.

A single itinerary from St. Louis (STL) to Astana, Kazakhstan (NQZ) operated by Star Alliance carriers United and Turkish Airlines. Credit: Turkish Airlines

Redeeming miles to fly American Airlines Flagship First through Oneworld partners

Let's say you want to fly with American Airlines from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX). On this route, American Airlines still operates its Airbus A321T featuring Flagship First. Paying with AA miles, you'll redeem anywhere from 84,500 to 112,500 miles per person. Oneworld partner British Airways offers the same award redemption at just 64,500 Avios. That's hundreds of dollars worth of miles you could save by booking with the right program.

Redeem your British Airways Avios for a flight aboard American Airlines' Airbus A321T in Flagship First. Credit: Max Prosperi/AwardWallet

Unlike American Airlines, numerous transfer partners allow you to transfer points to British Airways. These transfer partners include American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo. So, even if you don't have enough Avios to cover your flight, you can transfer points from partners to your Avios account.

But how can you book the same American Airlines flight at different rates? The answer is by redeeming a different type of miles from a frequent flyer program that partners with American. There are numerous other examples of utilizing airline alliances to redeem points or miles at a more favorable rate.

Related: The Best Ways To Redeem British Airways Avios in the Americas

Airline alliances and partnerships create thousands of opportunities to spend fewer miles. Even if you have no interest in traveling internationally, there's still massive value in learning about frequent flyer programs that are overlooked by almost everyone else.

If you're wondering why there are different prices or which flights you can book with miles, check out these two posts for beginners:

• How Many Miles Do You Need for a Free Flight?
• What Flights Can I Book With Miles?

Why Do Partnerships Exist?

Airline partnerships and alliances exist to give one airline access to another airline's route network. That's just one reason, but it's the reason and has the greatest implications for travelers. It's not feasible for a U.S.-based carrier to serve every destination in Europe, so these U.S.-based carriers utilize the route networks operated by major European carriers.

One example is Delta Air Lines' long-running partnership with Air France and KLM. This partnership allows you to travel from New York (JFK) to the relatively small city of Split, Croatia (SPU) with a single stop in either Amsterdam (AMS) or Paris (CDG). You can even redeem Delta SkyMiles on this route.

Thanks to Delta's SkyTeam partners, getting from the US to a city like Split, Croatia can be as easy as a quick stop in Paris or Amsterdam. Credit: Delta Air Lines

For AAdvantage members and American Airlines frequent flyers, you can fly to Mallorca, Spain (PMI) from the U.S. with a quick layover in either Madrid (MAD) or London (LHR), thanks to American's partnerships with Iberia and British Airways.

Neither American Airlines nor Delta Air Lines are unique in their partnerships with major airlines outside the United States. As a result, the frequent flyer programs of U.S.-based carriers can get you much further than you might think.

Let's look at the partnerships and alliances that can supercharge your rewards strategy.

Airline Alliances

First, let’s talk about airline alliances. Airline alliances are large networks of partner airlines. Instead of each airline having individual partnerships with alliance members, all of the alliance members agree to a single set of rules that apply to all member airlines (though they're free to form extra, closer partnerships with other members if they choose).

There are three major airline alliances:

• Star Alliance
• Oneworld
• SkyTeam

Star Alliance

The first global airline alliance, Star Alliance was formed in May 1997. At the time, there were just five member airlines. Today, Star Alliance is the largest of the three major airline alliances with 25 members. It's also the only alliance with members from all six inhabited continents, and it's also the only airline alliance to partner with a company that provides rail service. In 2022, Star Alliance launched a partnership with German rail provider Deutsche Bahn.

Credit: Star Alliance

And here's a visual representation of where the members are located:

Credit: Star Alliance

Star Alliance members and frequent flyer programs

Oneworld

The Oneworld alliance (stylized with a lowercase “o” as oneworld) was formed in February 1999 and currently consists of 13 member airlines. The most recent addition was Alaska Airlines, which joined the alliance in March 2021. It is the smallest of the three major airline alliances. However, the alliance has plans to add two members over the next few years.

The smallest of the 3 major airline alliances, the Oneworld Alliance is made up of 13 full member airlines and one Oneworld Connect partner airline. Credit: Max Prosperi/AwardWallet

Oman Air will join Oneworld later in 2024, and Fiji Airways is set to join by mid-2025. Since Hawaiian Airlines is merging with Alaska Airlines, this likely won't produce another Oneworld member. With LATAM Airlines leaving Oneworld in 2020, the alliance lacks a major presence in South America. It's worth noting that Oneworld once had an extensive route network in Russia through member airline S7. However, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, S7's membership is currently suspended.

Map of Oneworld Alliance member airlines as of May 2024. Credit: Max Prosperi/AwardWallet

Oneworld members and frequent flyer programs

SkyTeam

SkyTeam is the second-largest airline alliance. It was formed in 2000 by just four carries but has grown to 20 with the most recent addition being SAS, which joined in September 2024. The second most recent addition was Virgin Atlantic in March 2023. Its member airlines are pretty well dispersed across the globe. SkyTeam also has a pretty significant presence across Asia with 6 members based in the region. Like Oneworld, it also lacks a major presence in South America.

Credit: SkyTeam

Similar to S7's suspension from the Oneworld alliance, Russia's national carrier, Aeroflot, is currently suspended from SkyTeam as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Credit: SkyTeam

SkyTeam members and frequent flyer programs

Lesser-Known Airline Alliances

In recent years, a few smaller airline alliances have sprung up. Two lesser-known airline alliances worth knowing are the Value Alliance and the Vanilla Alliance.

A third alliance, U-FLY Alliance, ceased operations in 2019 when one of its founding members was acquired by Oneworld member Cathay Pacific. Additionally, Etihad Airways formerly operated an unofficial airline alliance with the carriers in which Etihad once held a significant stake.

The Value Alliance and Vanilla Alliance are two lesser-known alliances. Credit: Max Prosperi/AwardWallet

Value Alliance

The Value Alliance has five member airlines. All of its member airlines are based in Asia and operate a low-cost carrier model. It's worth noting that this alliance may no longer be operating. None of the partners listed above make mention of this alliance on their websites.

Vanilla Alliance

Made up of five airlines operating in and around the Indian Ocean, the Vanilla Alliance is the smallest airline alliance. This regional alliance is designed to give smaller carriers in the region access to a more robust route network. Like the Value Alliance, the Vanilla Alliance may be defunct; there's no mention of the alliance on any member website.

Individual Airline Partners

Not every airline belongs to one of the big three global alliances. Many carriers prefer to operate independently, as it provides more freedom for the airline to implement its own strategic partnerships. Most global carriers are also far too small to participate in major alliances.

Not every airline that remains independent is a small carrier, though. For example, Etihad Airways, Emirates, LATAM, and JetBlue do not belong to any alliance. However, they all maintain strategic partnerships with carriers across the globe.

Previously, JetBlue maintained one of the most intensive partnerships with Oneworld member American Airlines. However, the United States Department of Justice determined the partnership violated antitrust laws. JetBlue, despite no longer partnering with American Airlines, maintains a rather lengthy list of partnerships with other major carriers, though none as significant as its former partnership with American.

Below is a list of larger carriers that maintain partnerships with other airlines, despite not being in any major alliance:

How Airline Alliances and Partners Benefit Travelers

In addition to connecting you to more destinations, airline partnerships simplify travel and make elite status more rewarding. When your itinerary includes multiple airlines, you usually can get your boarding passes for the whole trip when you check in for your first flight. Your bags can be checked to your final destination, and the minimum time to connect between partners is usually shorter.

Most airline partnerships also have reciprocal elite benefits. That means your elite status and benefits — like free checked bags, airport lounge access, and flight upgrades — will apply to partner flights, too.

Related: Guide to Oneworld Lounges and How To Access Them

Another key feature of many partnerships is the ability to earn and redeem miles with partners. However, this feature varies and may not apply, depending on the airlines and the type of partnership.

Earning Miles With Partner and Alliance Airlines

When you pay for a flight with money instead of miles, you typically can choose to earn miles with a partner airline's frequent-flyer program.

If you rarely fly with Aegean Airlines, it doesn't make sense to accrue a few thousand Aegean miles that will be hard to redeem. Instead, when buying a flight on Aegean's website, you could decide to credit that flight to a program you'll use more often, such as United Airlines MileagePlus or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

Just like frequent flyer programs can have different award prices for the same flight, they also differ in how many redeemable miles (what you need for booking award tickets) they confer for partner flights. For example, an economy flight (T class) on Aegean Airlines earns twice as many miles when credited to Singapore KrisFlyer compared to United MileagePlus. You can learn all about this topic in our post on where to credit miles.

In the case of airlines not affiliated with any major alliance — but that still maintain individual partnerships with other airlines — determining whether or not you can earn or redeem miles as a result of this partnership takes a little research. Luckily, you can find your answer to whether or not a partnership allows you to earn or redeem miles on each airline's website. For example, LATAM does a fantastic job of listing out each partner and what travelers can expect from each partnership.

How To Plan a Trip With Partner Airlines

As we mentioned earlier, knowing how (and when) to redeem miles with partners is key to maximizing your rewards. The right strategy can save you cash and miles and get you to less popular destinations faster. Let's take a look at how you can use your knowledge of partners to plan your next trip.

Your first step will be to figure out what partnerships are relevant. You might be starting your search with a destination in mind. In other cases, you might want to explore where you can go with the points and miles you already have.

Related: How To Find Airline Partner Award Flight Availability

Working backward from a destination

Let's say you're planning a vacation to Tuscany and want to fly into Florence (FLR). The first step in determining which partnerships you might be able to utilize is to find out which airlines serve Florence.

Several tools can tell you which airlines serve Florence. My favorite way is to view the Wikipedia page for an airport. This gives you a list but no way to visualize an airport's route network.

One way to visualize the service offered at an airport is through FlightConnections.com.

Direct flights from and to Florence (FLR). Credit: FlightConnections.com

Another free tool is FlightsFrom.com, which also shows a complete list of direct flights. You can filter by destination (flights between Florence and Dallas) and limit the results to a single airline or alliance (SkyTeam flights from Florence).

Once you have a list of prospective airlines, you'll need to determine which rewards programs let you book those airlines with points or miles. The global airline alliances offer a helpful shortcut since you can redeem miles from any member with all of the other alliance airlines.

If you're planning to book soon, your options will be limited by the airlines that partner with the programs in which you already have points or miles. Checking your rewards balances should be quick and easy if you're using AwardWallet to track your rewards. But if you're planning a trip further down the line, keep the search broad. That way, you can plan your points-earning strategy and credit card applications around the programs that make the most sense.

Related: A Beginner's Guide to Building a Credit Card Application Strategy

The last step is to check pricing and determine if using one frequent flyer program currency over another offers any advantages. If you haven't already done so, make sure to review our guide to frequent flyer pricing.

Let the opportunities decide your next destination

If your heart isn't set on a specific destination, you can let the points and miles do the talking. Every frequent flyer program offers unique advantages. Some programs are great for a short weekend getaway. Others can facilitate ambitious round-the-world trips that will keep you busy in retirement.

For open-ended exploration, you'll find our posts on award sweet spots especially useful. Each focuses on a specific loyalty program and highlights the redemptions that make the program stand out from the competition.

Don't forget that transferable points can be converted into many different types of points and miles.

Turning your miles into a confirmed ticket

Booking with miles isn't nearly as straightforward as buying a flight with cash. You can redeem miles for a small percentage of the seats available for sale. We explain why and how to take the next step when you're ready to book in our guide to frequent flyer availability. If you're new to points and miles, this essential reading can save you lots of time and frustration.

Need more help? Ask in our Award Travel 101 Facebook community or send a request to our award flight booking service.

Turn your AAdvantage miles into a confirmed ticket in Qatar Airways Qsuites. – Qatar Airways Qsuite business class. Credit: JT Genter/AwardWallet

Final Thoughts

Airline alliances and partnerships are a critical part of using points and miles. If you limit your mileage redemptions to the airline on which you earned those miles, you're limiting yourself to a fraction of the potential award redemptions available.

Using the wrong rewards can mean spending more miles or paying higher taxes for your flight. Without partner airlines, your list of possible destinations also shrinks dramatically. And even if you can reach your destination, you'll likely spend more time on a plane when partners or alliance airlines could have gotten you there with fewer connections.

On the other hand, the right rewards can open up creative routing opportunities like stopovers or open jaws. Once you know your options, you can compare prices and booking rules to pick the program that best fits your trip.

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