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An airline alliance is an aviation industry arrangement between two or more
airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...
s agreeing to cooperate on a substantial level. Alliances may provide marketing branding to facilitate travelers making inter-airline
codeshare A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...
connections within countries. This branding may involve unified aircraft liveries of member aircraft. In 2015, Star Alliance was the largest with 23% of total scheduled traffic in Revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs)/revenue passenger miles (RPMs), followed by SkyTeam with 20.4% and Oneworld with 17.8%, leaving % for others. In 2019, by number of passengers, Star Alliance was leading 762 million, followed by SkyTeam (630 million) and Oneworld (535 million).


Rationale

Benefits can consist of an extended network, often realised through codeshare agreements. Many alliances started as only codeshare networks. Cost reductions come from sharing operation facilities (e.g. catering or computer systems), operation staff (e.g. ground handling personnel, at check-in and boarding desks), investments and purchases (e.g. in order to negotiate extra volume discounts). Traveller benefits can include lower prices due to lowered operational costs for a given route, different times to choose from, more destinations within easy reach, shorter travel times, more options of airport lounges shared with alliance members, fast track access on all alliance members if having frequent flyer status, faster mileage rewards by earning miles for a single account on several different carriers,
round-the-world ticket A round-the-world ticket (also known as round-the-world fare or RTW ticket) is a product that enables travellers to fly around the world for a relatively low price. RTW tickets in the past were generally offered through marketing agreements be ...
s, enabling travellers to fly over the world for a relatively low price. Airline alliances may also create disadvantages for the traveller, such as higher prices when competition is erased on a certain route or less frequent flights; for instance, if two airlines separately fly three and two times a day respectively on a shared route, their alliance might fly less than 5 (3+2) times a day on the same route. This might be especially true between hub cities for each airline. e.g., flights between Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (a Delta Air Lines
fortress hub An airline hub or hub airport is an airport used by one or more airlines to concentrate passenger traffic and flight operations. Hubs serve as transfer (or stop-over) points to help get passengers to their final destination. It is part of the ...
) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (a KLM fortress hub).


History

The first airline alliance was formed in the 1930s, when
Panair do Brasil Panair do Brasil was an airline of Brazil. Between 1945 and 1965 it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America. It ceased operations in 1965. History NYRBA do Brasil (1929–1930) ''Panair do Bras ...
and its parent company
Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United State ...
agreed to exchange routes to
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
. In 1990, the African Joint Air Services (AJAS) Accord between Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia led to the launch of Alliance Air in 1994, with South African Airways, Air Tanzania, Uganda Airlines and the governments of Uganda and Tanzania as shareholders. The first large alliance began in 1989, when Northwest Airlines and
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...
agreed to large-scale codesharing. In 1992, the Netherlands signed the first
open skies The freedoms of the air are a set of commercial aviation rights granting a country's airlines the privilege to enter and land in another country's airspace. They were formulated as a result of disagreements over the extent of aviation liberalis ...
agreement with the United States, in spite of objections from the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
, which gave both countries unrestricted landing rights on the other's soil. Normally landing rights are granted for a fixed number of flights per week to a fixed destination. Each adjustment requires negotiations, often between governments rather than between the companies involved. In return, the United States granted antitrust immunity to the alliance between Northwest Airlines and KLM. Other alliances would struggle for years to overcome the transnational barriers and lack of antitrust immunity, and still do so. Star Alliance was founded in 1997, which brought competing airlines to form Oneworld in 1999 and SkyTeam in 2000. In 2007 Tai Tung Alliance was founded. There are three airlines, Korean based City Express, Japan based Super Flyer and Spain based Vacation Line. In 2010 Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group, announced his intention to form a fourth alliance among Virgin branded airlines ( Virgin Atlantic;
Virgin America Virgin America Inc. was a low-cost U.S. airline that operated from 2007 until 2018, when it was acquired by Alaska Airlines. The airline primarily focused on operating low-fare service between cities on the West Coast and other major metropol ...
; and the
Virgin Australia Holdings Virgin Australia Holdings Limited is the holding company that owns and operates Virgin Australia, Virgin Australia International Airlines and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. It previously operated Pacific Blue Airlines, Tigerair Australia ...
group of airlines). Then in September 2011, Branson said that Virgin Atlantic would join one of the existing alliances; this idea was repeated in October 2012. In December 2012, Delta Air Lines purchased Singapore Airlines' 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic for £224 million.
Virgin America Virgin America Inc. was a low-cost U.S. airline that operated from 2007 until 2018, when it was acquired by Alaska Airlines. The airline primarily focused on operating low-fare service between cities on the West Coast and other major metropol ...
was absorbed into Alaska Airlines, which joined the Oneworld alliance in 2021. On February 14, 2013, it was announced that
American Airlines American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...
and US Airways would merge, retaining the American Airlines name and would remain in the Oneworld alliance. US Airways' participation in Star Alliance lapsed. In 2012, in South America, LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines began their merger. In March 2014, with the merger complete, TAM left Star Alliance and became part of LAN in Oneworld. On September 21, 2015, the
Vanilla Alliance The Vanilla Alliance (french: Alliance Vanille) is an airline alliance formed in September 2015. The alliance is the 4th largest in the world as of 2018, trailing Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam. All of the airlines within the alliance oper ...
was formed between several airlines based in the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
region, in order to improve air connectivity within the region. The founding members are Air Austral,
Air Mauritius Air Mauritius is the flag carrier airline of Mauritius. The airline is headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, with its hub based at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. The company was placed in voluntary administration on 22 Apr ...
, Air Madagascar,
Air Seychelles Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles. Its head office is located at Seychelles International Airport on the island of Mahé and it operates inter-island and international flights and charter flights. History Es ...
, and Int'Air Îles. On January 18, 2016, the first alliance of low-cost carriers was formed,
U-FLY Alliance U-FLY Alliance () is a regional airline alliance based in the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, and made up of low-cost airlines from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and South Korea. Upon founding, it became the world's first allianc ...
. The founding members— HK Express,
Lucky Air Lucky Air () is a low cost carrier based in Kunming, Yunnan, China. The airline started with flights connecting Kunming with Dali and Xishuangbanna, and later expanded to other domestic and international destinations. Its main base is Kunm ...
,
Urumqi Air Urumqi Air () is a low-cost airline headquartered in Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. It operates scheduled passenger services. Its main hub is Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport in Ürümqi. The air ...
, and West Air—are all affiliated with HNA Group, although the alliance is also seeking airlines not within the group. On May 16, 2016, the world's largest alliance of low-cost carriers was formed, Value Alliance. The founding members were
Cebu Pacific Cebu Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific (), is a low-cost airline of the Philippines. Founded in 1988, it is Asia's oldest low-cost airline. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations. The airline operates fl ...
, Cebgo, Jeju Air, Nok Air,
NokScoot NokScoot Airlines Company Limited (commonly referred to as NokScoot) was a Thailand-based low-cost airline, operating medium to long-haul international services out of Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport. On 26 June 2020, the airline ceas ...
, Scoot Airlines, Tigerair,
Tigerair Australia Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd, operating as Tigerair Australia, was an Australian low-cost airline. Founded by Tiger Airways Holdings, it commenced services in the domestic airline market on 23 November 2007 as Tiger Airways Australia. It l ...
, and Vanilla Air.


Current alliances


Star Alliance

Star Alliance, founded in 1997, currently has 26 members:
Aegean Airlines Aegean Airlines S.A. ( el, Αερογραμμές Αιγαίου Ανώνυμη Εταιρεία ''Aeroporía Aigaíou Anónimi Etairía'', ) is the flag carrier airline of Greece and the largest Greek airline by total number of passengers carr ...
, 2010
Air Canada, founder
Air China, 2007
Air India, 2014
Air New Zealand, 1999
All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had m ...
, 1999
Asiana Airlines, 2003
Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where it also maintains its ...
, 2000
Avianca, 2012
Brussels Airlines, 2009
Copa Airlines, 2012
Croatia Airlines, 2004
EgyptAir, 2008
Ethiopian Airlines, 2011
EVA Air EVA Airways Corporation (pronounced as three letters: ; ) (), of which "EVA" stands for Evergreen Airways, is a Taiwanese international airline based at Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, Taiwan, operating passenger and dedicated ca ...
, 2013
LOT Polish Airlines, 2003
Lufthansa, founder
Scandinavian Airlines, founder
Shenzhen Airlines Shenzhen Airlines () is an airline headquartered in Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong. It has been a member of Star Alliance since 2012, and is currently one of two Chinese airlines that is part o ...
, 2012
Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines ( abbreviation: SIA) is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Singapore with its hub located at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in corporat ...
, 2000
South African Airways, 2006
Swiss International Air Lines, 2006
TAP Air Portugal, 2005
Thai Airways International Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, trading as THAI (, th, บริษัท การบินไทย จำกัด (มหาชน)) is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961, the airline has its corporate h ...
, founder
Turkish Airlines, 2008
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
, founder
Former members:


Star Alliance Connecting Partners

*
Juneyao Airlines Juneyao Air (), formerly known as Juneyao Airlines, is a carrier headquartered in Shanghai, operating both domestic and international services from two airports ( Shanghai Hongqiao and Shanghai Pudong). The company was founded in 2005 as a subs ...
, 2017 *
Thai Smile THAI Smile Airways is a Thai regional airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thai Airways International headquartered in Bangkok. History On 20 May 2011, the Thai Airways board announced plans to create a new lower-cost airline, at the time ...
, 2020


Oneworld

Oneworld, founded in 1999, currently has 13 members: Alaska Airlines, 2021
American Airlines American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...
, founder
British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...
, founder
Cathay Pacific, founder
Finnair, 1999
Iberia Airlines, 1999
Japan Airlines, 2007
Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB; ms, Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad), formerly known as Malaysian Airline System (MAS; ), and branded as Malaysia Airlines, is the flag carrier airline of Malaysia and a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. (The ...
, 2013
Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...
, founder
Qatar Airways, 2013
Royal Air Maroc, 2020
Royal Jordanian, 2007
SriLankan Airlines, 2014 Former members: Future member: *
Oman Air Oman Air ( ar, الطيران العماني) is the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman. Based at Muscat International Airport in Seeb, Muscat, it operates domestic and international passenger services, as well as regional air taxi a ...
, joining in 2024


Oneworld Connect Partners

* Fiji Airways, 2018 Oneworld Transatlantic Joint Venture members *
Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish , meaning "air fleet" compare Welsh 'llynges awyr') is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiar ...


SkyTeam

SkyTeam, founded in 2000, currently has 18 members: Aerolíneas Argentinas, 2012
Aeroméxico, founder
Air Europa, 2007
Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...
, founder
China Airlines, 2011
China Eastern Airlines China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited (), also known as China Eastern, is an airline headquartered in the China Eastern Airlines Building, on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai. It i ...
, 2011
Czech Airlines Czech Airlines j.s.c. (abbreviation: ČSA, cz, České Aerolinie, a.s.) is the flag carrier of the Czech Republic. Its head office is located in the Vokovice area of Prague's 6th district and its hub is Václav Havel Airport Prague. The c ...
, 2001
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...
, founder
Garuda Indonesia, 2014
ITA Airways, 2021
Kenya Airways, 2007
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, 2004
Korean Air, founder
Middle East Airlines Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L. ( ar, طيران الشرق الأوسط ـ الخطوط الجوية اللبنانية ''Ṭayyarān al-Sharq al-Awsaṭ – al-Khuṭūṭ al-jawiyyah al-lubnāniyyah''), more commonly known as Middle ...
, 2012
Saudia, 2012
TAROM, 2010
Vietnam Airlines, 2010
XiamenAir, 2012 Former members: Future members: * Virgin Atlantic, joining in 2023


Vanilla Alliance

Vanilla Alliance The Vanilla Alliance (french: Alliance Vanille) is an airline alliance formed in September 2015. The alliance is the 4th largest in the world as of 2018, trailing Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam. All of the airlines within the alliance oper ...
, founded in 2015, currently has 5 members:
Air Austral, founder
Air Madagascar, founder
Air Mauritius Air Mauritius is the flag carrier airline of Mauritius. The airline is headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, with its hub based at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. The company was placed in voluntary administration on 22 Apr ...
, founder
Air Seychelles Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles. Its head office is located at Seychelles International Airport on the island of Mahé and it operates inter-island and international flights and charter flights. History Es ...
, founder
Int'Air Îles, founder


U-FLY Alliance

U-FLY Alliance U-FLY Alliance () is a regional airline alliance based in the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, and made up of low-cost airlines from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and South Korea. Upon founding, it became the world's first allianc ...
, founded in 2016, currently has 4 members:
Eastar Jet Eastar Jet (ESR) () is a South Korean low-cost airline with its headquarters in Banghwa-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. On January 7, 2009, Eastar Jet made its maiden flight from Gimpo International Airport to Jeju International Airport. Now, the air ...
, 2016
Lucky Air Lucky Air () is a low cost carrier based in Kunming, Yunnan, China. The airline started with flights connecting Kunming with Dali and Xishuangbanna, and later expanded to other domestic and international destinations. Its main base is Kunm ...
, founder
Urumqi Air Urumqi Air () is a low-cost airline headquartered in Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. It operates scheduled passenger services. Its main hub is Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport in Ürümqi. The air ...
, founder
West Air, founder Former members: * HK Express, 2016-2019, founder


Value Alliance

Value Alliance, founded in 2016, currently has 5 members:
Cebu Pacific Cebu Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific (), is a low-cost airline of the Philippines. Founded in 1988, it is Asia's oldest low-cost airline. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations. The airline operates fl ...
, founder
Cebgo, founder
Jeju Air, founder
Nok Air, founder
Scoot, founder Former members: *
NokScoot NokScoot Airlines Company Limited (commonly referred to as NokScoot) was a Thailand-based low-cost airline, operating medium to long-haul international services out of Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport. On 26 June 2020, the airline ceas ...
, 2016–2020, defunct * Tigerair, 2016–2017, merged with Scoot *
Tigerair Australia Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd, operating as Tigerair Australia, was an Australian low-cost airline. Founded by Tiger Airways Holdings, it commenced services in the domestic airline market on 23 November 2007 as Tiger Airways Australia. It l ...
, 2016–2018, founder * Vanilla Air, 2016–2018, founder, merged with Peach Aviation


Statistics


Notes and references


External links


Oneworld

SkyTeam

Star Alliance

Value Alliance
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Airline Alliance