The Three Global Airline Alliances: Star Alliance, oneworld, and SkyTeam [Asiana Leaves Star Alliance]

【September 2026 update】 Asiana Airlines will leave Star Alliance at 23:59 Korea time on December 16, 2026.

【June 10, 2025 update】 Oman Air is due to join oneworld formally at the end of the month.

【February 6, 2025 update】 After Lufthansa acquired a 41% stake in ITA Airways, ITA said it would leave SkyTeam, complete the exit between February and April, and join Star Alliance in 2026.

From March, Lufthansa members can earn and redeem on ITA; ITA members can earn and redeem on Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, and Brussels Airlines.

【June 3, 2024 update】 oneworld news: Fiji Airways has been upgraded from an oneworld connect member to a full member.

Official announcement

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There are three global airline alliances. By membership size, they currently run Star Alliance, then SkyTeam, then oneworld. Cooperation inside an alliance is generally tighter than with a non-alliance partner. Besides knowing which airlines work together, it also helps to know alliance elite benefits, and which airline status maps to which alliance status.

Airport lounge access for elites, in short:

• Star Alliance: Silver can enter; Gold can bring one guest
• oneworld: Sapphire can bring one guest into a business lounge; Emerald can bring one guest into first- and business-class lounges
• SkyTeam: Elite Plus can bring one guest

Star Alliance

Star Alliance was the first global airline alliance. Five airlines from the Americas, Europe, and Asia founded it in 1997, and it is headquartered in Frankfurt. It now has 26 members, more than 50 hubs, and a network of over 1,200 airports. The logo is a five-pointed star made from five triangles.

Members

In the order shown above, the members are:

Star Alliance frequent flyers

Star Alliance elite status comes in Silver and Gold. The benefits are:

Note: * See this page for airports that offer Gold Track security.

To see whether a given airline elite tier maps to Star Silver or Star Gold, use the official tool (this page): pick the airline program, then pick your current tier.

Examples you will see often:

• Air Canada 25K and 35K map to Star Silver; 50K and above map to Star Gold
• United Premier Silver maps to Star Silver; Premier Gold and above map to Star Gold

Lounge access

Star Alliance has more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide, including Star-operated lounges, member-airline lounges, and contracted third-party lounges. Use this lounge finder to see what is available at a given airport.

In principle, Star Gold members or passengers in international first class can bring one guest into lounges of any of those categories. Silver members or business-class passengers can enter these 1,000-plus lounges themselves. For the detailed lounge-access rules, see the official policy (link).

oneworld

oneworld was founded in 1999 and is the third-largest global airline alliance. Its first headquarters was in Vancouver; it later moved to New York. The alliance currently has 13 full members, plus one closely affiliated airline, one future member, and one airline whose membership is paused.

Members

In the order shown above, the members are:

oneworld frequent flyers

oneworld elite status has three levels, from lowest to highest: Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. The table below lists the benefits:

Note: * British Airways-operated flights currently do not offer priority baggage handling.

** Extra baggage for Emerald and Sapphire As an Emerald frequent flyer, when you fly a oneworld airline you get: on weight-based itineraries, 20 kg above the allowance for your ticketed cabin; on piece-based itineraries, one extra piece above the allowance for your ticketed cabin. As a Sapphire frequent flyer, when you fly a oneworld airline you get: on international or domestic flights that use a weight system, 15 kg more than the economy allowance. On international itineraries that include a domestic segment and use a piece system, one extra bag of up to 23 kg*, to a maximum of two bags. On domestic itineraries that use a piece system, a ticket that otherwise includes no checked bag is guaranteed one bag of up to 23 kg.

How does each airline’s elite tier map to alliance status? You can look it up airline by airline on the official site, the same way as Star Alliance, or use the summary table below:

Lounge access

oneworld has more than 600 airport lounges worldwide, including two alliance-operated lounges. To find lounges at a given airport, use this page.

The high-level access rules are:

Emerald passengers can use first- and business-class lounges. Sapphire passengers can use business lounges. Passengers travelling in first or business on any oneworld member airline can also use the lounges. Emerald and Sapphire members may bring one guest. That guest must also be travelling on a flight operated and marketed by a oneworld member airline.

For the detailed rules, see the official page.

SkyTeam

SkyTeam was founded in New York in 2000. The original members were Aeromexico, Air France, Delta, and Korean Air. It now has 19 members, covers 166 countries and regions, and offers about 750 airport lounges.

Members

Excluding Aeroflot, whose membership is suspended, SkyTeam has 19 members. In the order shown above, they are:

SkyTeam frequent flyers

SkyTeam elite status is split into Elite and Elite Plus. The benefits are:

1️⃣ Elite and Elite Plus both get:

• Airport lounges

On a same-day international flight, or a connection to or from an international flight operated by a SkyTeam member, you can use SkyTeam and third-party lounges. Elite Plus members may bring one guest, and that guest must also be flying on a SkyTeam-operated flight.

• Priority transfer-desk service

• Priority baggage delivery

• Confirmed booking on a full flight

A confirmed booking in full-fare economy on a long-haul international flight of six hours or more that is sold out. You must book at least 24 hours before departure.

• Priority immigration and security lanes

2️⃣ Elite Plus also gets:

• Extra baggage allowance

Elite members get an extra 10 kg; Elite Plus members get an extra 20 kg, or one extra piece where a piece system applies

• Priority check-in

• Priority bag drop

• Preferred seating

• Priority boarding

• Priority airport standby

• Priority waitlist

To see how an airline’s elite tier maps to SkyTeam status, enter the program and your current tier on the SkyTeam site (official tool). You can also use the table below.

Lounge access

SkyTeam has more than 750 lounges at airports worldwide, including a few alliance-operated lounges. Look up a specific airport on the official lounge finder.

For every detail of the access rules, see the official document (link).

In short:

• Elite Plus members may bring one guest travelling on an international flight operated by a SkyTeam member
• First and business class

All first- and business-class passengers on a same-day international flight operated by a SkyTeam member, including connections to or from that flight, can use the lounge.
Lounge access is at your departure and connecting airports, not at arrival.
For connecting passengers, both the domestic and international flights must be operated by a SkyTeam member, and every segment must be booked in first or business.

• Elite Plus

SkyTeam Elite Plus members can use the lounge in any cabin when they are on a same-day international flight operated by a SkyTeam member, including connections to or from that flight. Lounge access is at your departure and connecting airports, not at arrival. For connecting passengers, both the domestic and international flights must be operated by a SkyTeam member.

Further reading

Airline miles expiration: how long common airline miles last