Airline Alliances Explained
If you’ve ever searched for an award flight and thought, “Why is this airline showing flights operated by a totally different airline?” — welcome to the world of airline alliances.
Airline alliances sound complicated, but once you understand the basics, they become one of the most powerful tools in the points and miles game.
What Is an Airline Alliance?
An airline alliance is a group of airlines that partner together so they can:
Share routes
Sell seats on each other’s planes
Let you earn and redeem points across multiple airlines
Think of alliances like travel friend groups. One airline might not fly everywhere, but their friends do — and they’ll let you use your points to tag along.
Why Airline Alliances Matter for Points & Miles
Airline alliances are important because they allow you to:
Book international flights using points from a U.S. airline
Find award availability when your main airline doesn’t fly that route
Stretch your points further by booking partner airlines with better pricing
Example:
You can use American Airlines miles to book a flight on Japan Airlines, even though they are two different companies — because they’re in the same alliance. We love to use the Alaska airline to book Business AA seats to the Caribbean or Iberia seats to Europe!
Booking AA Business Class seats from Nashville to St. Martin through Alaska Airlines…not bad for $19! ;D
The Three Major Airline Alliances
The airlines within these alliances are friends only — you can’t transfer miles between them. Once you have miles in a particular awards account, they are stuck there; but you can use them to buy their friend’s tickets.
🌍 Oneworld:
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
British Airways
Japan Airlines
Cathay Pacific
Qantas
Iberia
Finnair
Why Oneworld Is Popular:
Excellent international business & first-class redemptions
Great coverage in Europe and Asia
Strong partners for long-haul flights
Example Redemption:
Use American Airlines miles to fly:
Japan Airlines to Tokyo
Qantas to Australia
British Airways to London
🌍 Star Alliance:
United Airlines
Lufthansa
ANA
Air Canada
Singapore Airlines
Turkish Airlines
SWISS
Why Star Alliance Shines:
Largest alliance in the world
Covers almost every region globally
Excellent partner availability
Example Redemption:
Use United miles to fly:
ANA to Japan
Lufthansa to Europe
Turkish Airlines to Istanbul
🌍 SkyTeam:
Delta Air Lines
Air France
KLM
Korean Air
Aeromexico
Virgin Atlantic (close partner, not formal member)
Why SkyTeam Is Tricky:
Fewer sweet spots
Delta award pricing can be unpredictable
Still valuable for specific routes
Example Redemption:
Use Delta SkyMiles to fly:
Air France or KLM to Europe
Korean Air to South Korea
How This Works With Credit Card Points
Here’s where things get exciting; You don’t need to earn miles with every airline — you can use transferable points instead.
Example:
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards → United
Book a Star Alliance flight on ANA
Fly internationally without ever touching ANA miles
This is how people fly long-haul international routes for a fraction of the cash cost.
Common Beginner Mistakes (So You Can Avoid Them)
❌ Thinking you can only fly the airline you earned points with
❌ Ignoring partner airlines when searching award flights
❌ Transferring points before checking availability
❌ Not realizing alliances open up more route
The Big Takeaway
You don’t need to memorize every airline alliance.
Just remember this:
✔ Airlines work together
✔ Your points are more flexible than you think
✔ Alliances help you reach more destinations for fewer points
Once you understand airline alliances, award travel stops feeling impossible — and starts feeling strategic.
Want to Go Deeper?
If you want help figuring out:
Which points to earn
Which alliances work best for your travel style
Or how to book your first award flight
👉 Comment below, join our points community here or send me a message.
