Have you ever booked a flight with one airline, like Air Canada, only for you to get to the airport and find out that the flight is actually operated by another airline, like United Airlines? You stand there thinking, “I could’ve sworn I booked Air Canada, how did this happen?”
The answer to this age-old question is: airline alliances. These partnerships between airlines provide passengers with seamless travel between different airlines, more flight options, and numerous benefits when we achieve elite status with the airline alliance.
In this guide, we’ll introduce airline alliances and how to use them to our advantage when leveraging our points and miles to travel around the world!
What is an Airline Alliance?
An airline alliance is an agreement between groups of airlines to cooperate on different aspects of air travel in order to enhance efficiency and increase the number of flights and destinations for air travelers. When an airline joins an alliance, its passengers and loyalty program members get access to alliance members’ flights and benefits.
The first airline alliance to form was Star Alliance. The five-pronged star logo represents the five airlines that came together in 1997 to form Star Alliance: Air Canada, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, and Thai Airways. Star Alliance has grown to become the largest airline alliance in the world, with 26 member airlines, and serves over 762 million passengers every year.
Since then, 2 other alliances have formed. OneWorld was formed in 1999 and now has 13 member airlines and 535 million passengers annually. The newest alliance on the block is SkyTeam, formed in 2000, with 19 member airlines and 676 million passengers annually.
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines | Alaska Airlines | Aeroflot |
| Air Canada | American Airlines | Aerolíneas Argentinas |
| Air China | British Airways | Aeroméxico |
| Air India | Cathay Pacific | Air Europa |
| Air New Zealand | Finnair | Air France |
| All Nippon Airways (ANA) | Iberia | ITA Airways |
| Asiana Airlines | Japan Airlines | China Airlines |
| Austrian Airlines | Malaysia Airlines | China Eastern Airlines |
| Avianca | Qantas | China Southern Airlines |
| Brussels Airlines | Qatar Airways | Czech Airlines |
| Copa Airlines | Royal Air Maroc | Delta |
| Croatia Airlines | Royal Jordanian | Garuda Indonesia |
| EgyptAir | Sri Lankan Airlines | Kenya Airways |
| Ethiopian Airlines | KLM | |
| EVA Air | Korean Air | |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Middle East Airlines | |
| Lufthansa | Saudia | |
| SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) | TAROM | |
| Shenzhen Airlines | Vietnam Airlines | |
| Singapore Airlines | Virgin Atlantic | |
| South African Airways | XiamenAir | |
| Swiss International Air Lines | ||
| TAP Air Portugal | ||
| Thai Airways | ||
| Turkish Airlines | ||
| United Airlines |
You might be asking, “Why should I care about airline alliances?”. In the world of points and miles, these alliance partnerships are important for a few reasons: more flights to more destinations (some of which your “regular” airline may not serve), the ability to use your favorite airline points and miles on other airlines and perks and benefits with elite status.
Here’s a real-life example: let’s say my friend Joe is an Air Canada Aeroplan 50K member, only collects Aeroplan points, and wants to fly to Germany. To get there, he may be able to redeem his Aeroplan points through Air Canada to book a flight with Lufthansa, one of Air Canada’s Star Alliance partners.
Plus, being an Aeroplan 50K member, he will automatically have Star Alliance Gold status, giving you many perks while flying on Lufthansa and other Star Alliance airlines, such as lounge access, priority boarding, and more!
Alliance-Adjacent Partnerships
Before we get into the details about each alliance and how to best utilize them to travel the world, it’s important to remember that alliances aren’t an exhaustive list of partnerships between airlines. Many airlines have other partnership agreements that go outside alliances – what we’ll call “alliance-adjacent partnerships.”
For example, Air Canada has a partnership with Cathay Pacific, even though Cathay Pacific is a Oneworld member. In practice, this means that we can use Aeroplan points, through aircanada.ca, to redeem for Cathay Pacific flights. It would be very difficult to list every single outside alliance partnership, but we recommend you check out the partner list for your favorite airlines and loyalty programs.
In the same line, there are airlines that are presently not members of any alliance. These airlines include Emirates, Etihad, Starlux, and WestJet, just to name a few. However, these airlines have partnerships with other airlines to allow for redemptions. For example, Air Canada and Etihad have a partnership that allows us to use Aeroplan points to book flights on Etihad, such as their luxurious business class. Similarly, if you want to try out Starlux’s excellent business class, you can use Alaska Airlines Miles (a Oneworld partner).
Star Alliance
Overview & Members
Star Alliance is the largest airline alliance by members and flight volume. With 26 member airlines and serving over 762 million passengers every year, the odds are very high that you have flown with at least one of their member airlines.
The biggest and most notable members of Star Alliance are Air Canada, Lufthansa, United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, ANA, and Turkish Airlines.
Loyalty Programs to Earn & Redeem for Star Alliance Flights
Star Alliance is arguably the most important airline alliance for Canadians because Air Canada is one of their member airlines. In practice, this means that Aeroplan points can be used to book flights not only on Air Canada, but their Star Alliance and alliance adjacent partners.
The best way you can earn Aeroplan points is through welcome bonuses and spending on:
- Aeroplan co-branded credit cards
- American Express Canada Membership Rewards credit cards
- American Express US Membership Rewards credit cards
- Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards
- Capital One Miles credit cards
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* card earns Aeroplan points and offers cardholders various benefits including a free first checked bag on Air Canada and a $100 NEXUS membership credit.
50,000 Aeroplan
$12,000
$1,050+
$139 (FYF)
Yes
Jan 6, 2025
The American Express Platinum card earns Membership Rewards and offers cardholders a variety of benefits including an annual $200 travel credit, complimentary airport lounge access, an annual $200 dining credit, and instant elite status with many hotel loyalty programs.
In 2024, we awarded this card as the Best Credit Card for Airport Lounge Access.
140,000 Membership Rewards
$10,000
$2,281+
$799
Yes
Jan 28, 2025
Star Alliance partners are often the best way to use our Aeroplan points because, unlike Air Canada flights, partner flights are not dynamically priced. This means that while the cost to book an Air Canada flight may fluctuate based on demand or timing, Star Alliance partner flights remain steady. Check out our definitive guide on Aeroplan dynamic pricing to learn more about how to maximize the value of Aeroplan points on partner airlines!
In addition, Aeroplan has lower fuel surcharge fees compared to airlines such as Lufthansa, allowing us to make better redemptions for lower costs.
If we expand our reach to the US credit card market, Star Alliance becomes even more appealing. American Express Membership Rewards (US) transfers to ANA Mileage Plan, Avianca Lifemiles and Singapore Airlines, in addition to Aeroplan. The concept of booking partner flights remains the same: flights on Star Alliance partners can be booked with these points and miles.
Similarly, look to Chase Ultimate Rewards to transfer to United Mileage Plan to open up even more Star Alliance options.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is an incredibly valuable US credit card that earns Ultimate Rewards points which can be transferred to numerous frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs.
Check out our Chase Sapphire Preferred card review for more details.
60,000 Ultimate Rewards
$4,000
$925+
$95
No
–
While Star Alliance members are part of the same group, they price awards on partner airlines differently. A good rule of thumb is to check multiple Star Alliance partner sites to determine which is the best redemption option. By checking multiple airline programs before transferring your points, you can determine the cost of the booking and any applicable tax and fuel surcharges for each option before landing on the best redemption.
Oneworld
Overview & Members
Oneworld currently has 13 member airlines and serves over 500 million passengers annually. Alliance members fly to over 170 territories and 900 destinations. The biggest and most popular Oneworld airlines include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.
Loyalty Programs to Earn & Redeem for Oneworld Flights
For Canadians, the easiest way to gain access to Oneworld partners is through British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and American Airlines AAdvantage. Here’s how we can earn or transfer to these programs:
| British Airways Avios | Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | American Airlines AAdvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer from RBC Avion Rewards | Cathay World Elite Mastercard powered by Neo | Transfer from RBC Avion Rewards |
| RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card | Transfer from American Express Membership Rewards Canada | |
| Transfer from American Express Membership Rewards Canada |
Your best bet for accessing Oneworld partners in Canada would be to collect RBC Avion Rewards as they transfer 1:1 to both British Airways Avios and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card is the best card for this purpose.
The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card earns Avion Elite points and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 1.25x Avion Elite points on all travel purchases.
In 2024, we awarded this card as the Best Flexible Points Travel Credit Card.
Check out our RBC Avion Visa Infinite card review for more details.
35,000 Avion
$0
$545+
$120
Yes
–
You can also transfer your American Express Membership Rewards Canada points to Avios at a 1:1 ratio, however, we recommend against transferring to Cathay Pacific because of the suboptimal 4:3 rate. Similarly, we advise against transferring RBC Avion Rewards to American Airlines AAdvantage because of the awful 10:7 transfer ratio.
Our access to Oneworld members expands when we look at the US credit card market. In addition to cards that directly earn points and miles with specific airlines, there are a number of points currencies that transfer to Oneworld members.
Capital One Miles is perhaps the strongest currency for Oneworld, transferring to Avios, Asia Miles, Iberia, Qantas, and Finnair, all at a 1:1 ratio. American Express Membership Rewards US also offers a better transfer rate to Cathay Pacific compared to its Canadian counterpart at 1:1, in addition to transferring to Iberia and Qantas.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards card earns Capital One Miles and offers unlimited airport lounge access for the cardholder and their authorized users. The card also offers an annual $300 USD travel credit to be used on the Capital One Travel Portal.
Click to learn how to obtain and optimize the Capital One Venture X Rewards card as a Canadian!
75,000 Capital One Miles
$4,000
$993+
$395
No
–
Lastly, Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to Avios and Iberia, however, with a plethora of options, we recommend you save your Ultimate Rewards for something better (like Hyatt).
As always, if you’re looking for the most up-to-date information on which points currency transfers to which programs and the specific rates, check out our dedicated Transfer Partner Tool.
Alaska Airlines is the new kid on the block in the Oneworld family, only joining in March 2021. However, it quickly became one of the strongest members for points and miles enthusiasts because of great redemption opportunities on Oneworld members such as Japan Airlines and Qatar Airways.
For 75,000 Alaska Miles, you can book Japan Airlines’ excellent business class with low taxes and fees. This is consistently one of the team’s favorite Oneworld partnerships. Check out our article on booking Japan Airlines business class using points for a great example of how to leverage Oneworld members for great redemptions.
SkyTeam
Overview & Members
SkyTeam is the second-largest alliance in terms of members, with 19 members, and over 437 million passengers annually. SkyTeam members serve over 1000 destinations in 166 countries. The largest and most popular SkyTeam airlines include Delta, Air France KLM, Korean Air, and Aeromexico.
Loyalty Programs to Earn & Redeem for SkyTeam Flights
Access to SkyTeam members through points and miles are quite scarce in Canada and is not often in our favor. We are largely limited to Air France KLM Flying Blue, through the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard or transferring American Express Membership Rewards Canada points at an unfavorable rate of 4:3 (Canadian MR points also transfer to Delta at 4:3 – not good!). To be frank, you are better off booking a Flying Blue Promo Reward instead of looking for almost non-existent partner rewards.
The Brim Financial Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard offers Flying Blue Miles on purchases that can be used for flights around the world, along with a way to increase your status with Flying Blue.
Check out our Brim Financial Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard review for more details.
0 Flying Blue Miles
$0
$-132+
$132
Yes
–
If you’re looking to fly with SkyTeam, look down south to the US credit card market. Flying Blue remains one of the strongest programs for SkyTeam – if you’re looking to fly to Asia, consider using Flying Blue points to redeem for first class flights on China Eastern, Xiamen, and Garuda Indonesia. American Express Membership Rewards US, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Capital One Miles all transfer to Flying Blue at a rate of 1:1 which is substantially better than what we have in Canada.
Another popular SkyTeam member to transfer to is Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, which transfers at a 1:1 rate from American Express Membership Rewards US, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Capital One Miles. Redemptions on SkyTeam airlines are distance-based and not subject to dynamic pricing. When redeeming for Delta flights, you may be able to avoid the steep dynamic pricing and find a lower redemption value using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. Delta SkyMiles are often a terrible deal for redemption, even for their own flights.
Another unique use for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is outside of the SkyTeam alliance. ANA, a Star Alliance member, is an alliance-adjacent partner for Virgin Atlantic. This allows us to book ANA’s amazing business and first class using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. Fair warning – availability can be quite scarce to find, but if you get lucky, this is hands-down one of the best value redemptions in the world of points and miles.
Tips For Finding Alliance & Alliance-Adjacent Partner Awards
Now that we have an in-depth understanding of airline alliances, how they work, and how we can take advantage of these partnerships, the main question to ask is, “How can I actually find and book these awards?”.
Luckily, we have a few options at our disposal. First, if you’re looking at alliance partner awards, you simply have to use the search tool on the airline in which you have points to determine if there is availability.
For example, if I wanted to look for Star Alliance partner awards and I have a ton of Aeroplan points, I would go to Air Canada’s website and search for my destination and dates. Air Canada’s site will show me all available flights to be booked either with Air Canada or Star Alliance partners.
For alliance-adjacent partners, you can follow the same principle above for your search. For example, I know that Cathay Pacific is an alliance-adjacent partner to Air Canada so I will use the Air Canada search to look for availability to book with my Aeroplan points. However, sometimes it can be a bit trickier to find availability on alliance-adjacent partnerships, such as looking for ANA availability using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
In this case, because I know that ANA is a Star Alliance member, I could use Air Canada or United Airlines’ search tools to look for availability. After finding space, I would call into the loyalty program and ask to book a reward over the phone (YMMV if you can actually book it. Sometimes agents may be able to see things you can’t!).
Lastly, dedicated search tools, such as seats.aero, can be a one-stop shop for looking at available partner rewards. You can look for airlines within specific alliances or input your desired destination to get all available flights. From there, you will be able to determine which points can be used to book these awards.
Conclusion
Airline alliances can be used to our advantage to use our hard-earned points and miles to book flights on airlines that we may not have direct access to. While we may be limited in the type of points we can collect through credit cards, our choice of airlines and destinations are certainly not limited!
Be sure to check for alliance partner flights the next time you are looking to book a flight and our Miles & Points Transfer Partner Tool for a comprehensive list of all currencies that are available to us!
Quentin Tsang
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Excellent beginner’s guide to the big three airline alliances! Clear and concise explanations make it easy to understand the benefits. Great resource for new travelers.