What is Airline Alliances?
An arrangement for cooperation among several airlines is known as an airline alliance. They collaborate to sell, offer, and provide connections throughout their networks. Additionally, they guarantee benefits for connecting travelers and their respective elite memberships.
These airlines will provide luggage handling, connection assurances, and through tickets. However, from an operational standpoint, income sharing may not always be in place.
With a total of 26 airlines, the Star Alliance is the largest airline alliance in terms of participation.
How does Airline Alliance work?
Alliance members cooperate to share everything from flight paths to airport lounges, ground staff, and even their reservation systems. An alliance provides financial advantages to the airlines, but it also benefits passengers by opening up more flight options throughout the globe without requiring them to make separate reservations.
Benefits of Airline Alliance
- An airline’s route network can be greatly expanded by collaborating with other airlines, as opposed to what would be the case with just one airline.
- An airline that is a part of an alliance has additional options when something goes wrong; for instance, if you miss your connecting flight on United, you may be put on the next flight that is operated by any of their alliance partners and takes you where you need to go.
- You’ll get access to the lounges of other airlines. Oneworld elite members, for instance, enjoy access to more than 650 airport lounges worldwide.
List of Airline alliances in the world
1. Star Alliance:
On May 14, 1997, Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS, Thai Airways, and United Airlines formed a global partnership that would become the first airline alliance.
The Star Alliance includes the following airlines:
- Aegean
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- ANA
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian
- Avianca
- Brussels Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Egypt Air
- Ethiopia
- EVA Air
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- SAS
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- Swiss
- TAP Air Portugal
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
2. Oneworld :
The smallest alliance, with 14 carriers and 535 million passengers in 2018, was founded in 1998 by American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.
The Oneworld includes the following airlines:
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- LATAM (will leave oneworld on October 1, 2020)
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Jordanian
- S7 Airlines
- Sri Lankan Airlines
- Fiji Airways
- Royal Air Maroc (joining in mid-2020)
3. Sky Team:
In terms of airline members and passengers carried on its aircraft, the newest alliance, established in 2000 by Aeroméxico, Air France, Delta Air Lines, and Korean Air, has since grown to be the second largest.
The Sky team includes the following airlines: