Changes are afoot at each of the three global airline alliances – Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam. Over the coming months, new airlines are set to join each of the three alliances.
That’s not all. Some airlines are also leaving SkyTeam and Star Alliance imminently.
With some airlines switching alliances, a few airlines including Lufthansa and SAS have also been offering status matches recently to lure in flyers who would rather not make the switch.
Here’s what you need to know…
Contents
SAS switching from Star Alliance to SkyTeam
Scandinavian airline SAS was recently bought out by a consortium including Air France-KLM Group. As part of this deal, SAS announced last year that it will exit Star Alliance and instead join Air France and KLM in SkyTeam.
The changeover will happen on 1 September 2024, which is next week. On this date, SAS will become the 20th active member of the SkyTeam alliance. Star Alliance benefits will no longer apply, but SAS Eurobonus members will instead get to enjoy the benefits of the SkyTeam alliance.
Unfortunately, this change could screw over Eurobonus members who fly domestically within Sweden and Norway, as SkyTeam Elite Plus status does not provide lounge access on domestic itineraries.
Czech Airlines leaving SkyTeam (and ceasing operations)
Less than two months later, SkyTeam will lose long-standing member Czech Airlines. On 26 October, Czech Airlines won’t just leave the SkyTeam alliance… it will also cease operations entirely.
Czech Airlines is the world’s fifth-oldest airline, having celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. Sadly, the airline has been a shell of its former self in recent years. Since the pandemic, the airline has only been flying a small handful of routes. Next month, it will hand over its few remaining routes to Czech budget airline Smartwings.
Oman Air joining Oneworld
Oman Air is the next airline due to join the Oneworld alliance. Although the Muscat-based airline has not yet announced an exact joining date, this is expected to be around the end of 2024.
Fiji Airways becoming a full Oneworld member
Fiji Airways became the first Oneworld Connect member in 2018. It recently announced that it will become a full Oneworld alliance member in 2025. That’s great news for Australians as Fiji Airways serves five Australian cities with flights to Nadi, and beyond to airports in the Pacific, North America and Asia.
At the same time, it will also adopt American Airlines AAdvantage as its loyalty program.
Hawaiian Airlines set to join Oneworld
Boosting Oneworld’s presence in the Pacific even further, Hawaiian Airlines is likely to join Oneworld once its proposed merger with Alaska Airlines goes through.
Alaska Airlines is already a Oneworld member. Eventually, the two brands intend to operate as a combined airline, but with separate branding – similar to Air France and KLM. Oneworld alliance membership for Hawaiian Airlines would be part of this change.
Other airlines have expressed interest in joining Oneworld
In the coming years, Qatar Airways may also sponsor RwandAir to join the Oneworld alliance – likely as a Oneworld Connect member.
Taiwan’s Starlux and MIAT Mongolian Airlines have also expressed their desire to join Oneworld.
Where Oneworld really needs a new member, though, is South America. Since LATAM Airlines left the alliance in 2020, there have been no Oneworld airlines based in South America at all.
Unfortunately, there are no obvious candidates as LATAM Airlines is tied up with Delta, and the other major network carriers – avianca, Copa Airlines and Aerolíneas Argentinas – are already in other alliances. Brazil’s GOL Airlines could be a useful addition, and already has a strong partnership with American Airlines. But GOL is primarily a low-cost airline, so alliance membership might not make sense for it.
ITA Airways could switch from SkyTeam to Star Alliance
The Lufthansa Group is currently in the process of buying ITA Airways. Once the sale goes through, it’s widely speculated that ITA Airways will leave the SkyTeam alliance – where it’s barely a proper member, anyway – and join Star Alliance.
If this happens, ITA Airways would be the first new airline to join Star Alliance in around a decade.
Star is the largest of the global alliances, with the most member airlines and highest number of flights. But, after an initial growth phase, its focus in recent years has been on improving the customer experience rather than adding more members.
Star Alliance could lose Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines, based in Korea, has been a long-standing member of Star Alliance. But it’s currently in the process of merging with SkyTeam’s Korean Air. Once this happens, the Asiana brand will disappear and the airline will no longer be part of Star Alliance as it will be absorbed into Korean Air.
Which other airlines could join an alliance?
There’s always lots of speculation about other airlines potentially joining an alliance. For example, there have been rumours for years that China Southern could seek to join Oneworld – although Cathay Pacific might block this. China Southern left SkyTeam at the end of 2018.
And I’ve lost count of the number of times people have suggested Virgin Australia should join Star Alliance.
For what it’s worth, I think Virgin Australia would make a great addition to Star Alliance. Any alliance membership would also make Velocity Frequent Flyer significantly more attractive to genuine frequent flyers, and would help to make Virgin Australia much more competitive against Qantas. Alas, for now, Virgin seems to be happy enough with its complicated bilateral partnership structure – which arguably works much better for Velocity than it does for its members.
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