Star Alliance Members 2026: Full List (and Who's Not In It)

Star Alliance is the biggest of the three airline alliances, and it's the one I end up booking most often. If you've got bank points, there's a good chance you can turn them into a seat on United, Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore, or Turkish. Here's who's in it, who isn't (this trips up a lot of people), and how I'd actually book it.

Last updated: November 2, 2026

Quick answer: Star Alliance has 26 member airlines today, including United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore, Turkish, and ITA Airways. Cathay Pacific is not in Star Alliance. It's in oneworld.

New to alliances? Start with my alliances explainer, then come back.

Star Alliance members

That's 26 airlines today. ITA Airways is the newest member and joined on April 1, 2026. Asiana Airlines leaves Star Alliance at the end of December 16, 2026 (Korea time), and the alliance has 25 members from December 17. If you're booking Asiana flights for after that date, double-check how your program handles it. Star Alliance also lists Juneyao Airlines as a Connecting Partner, which isn't the same as full membership.

Not in Star Alliance

These are the airlines people ask about most. None of them are Star Alliance members:

A few of these confuse people for good reason. Aer Lingus is owned by the same group as British Airways and Iberia, but it left oneworld in 2007 and hasn't rejoined. Condor used to feed Lufthansa flights, but it isn't in any alliance. Its CEO said in October 2026 that joining one could be a "next logical step," but nothing has been announced. Air Europa is still in SkyTeam. Emirates and Etihad partner with lots of airlines one by one instead of joining an alliance. SAS used to be in Star Alliance but moved to SkyTeam in September 2024.

For the oneworld airlines, see oneworld explained. For the SkyTeam ones, see SkyTeam explained and my Flying Blue guide.

Best programs for booking Star Alliance flights

You don't have to book a Lufthansa flight with Lufthansa miles. Any Star Alliance program can usually book partner seats when the airline releases them to partners. These are the programs I'd look at first, with the bank points that transfer to them according to the issuers' own pages:

Ratios aren't always 1:1. Capital One, for example, says EVA Air transfers at 2:1.5. Check your issuer's transfer page before you move anything, because transfers are usually final.

Aeroplan is my default (here's my full Aeroplan guide). It publishes a distance-based chart for partner flights, so you can see the price before you search, though it charges a partner booking fee on awards that include a partner airline. United MileagePlus is the easy one if you have Chase points, but United doesn't publish a fixed award chart, so prices move around. LifeMiles, Turkish, KrisFlyer, and ANA are worth comparing when your points reach them, because the same seat can price very differently across programs.

Sweet spots from Aeroplan's official chart

I only quote prices I can point to on an official chart. These are Aeroplan's one-way business class prices for flights on partner airlines ("All other partners").

North America to Europe (Atlantic zone):

North America to Asia/Pacific (Pacific zone):

On the same chart, economy on partners is 32,500 points for the shortest band in both zones, and first class starts at 90,000 points. Pricing is based on distance flown, not on that day's cash fare. Aeroplan notes these are estimates, partner booking fees apply, taxes may apply, and prices can be higher in high-demand periods.

If you want to add a stop on the way or fly into one city and home from another, read my guide to award stopovers and open jaws before you book.

To find actual seats, I search Seats.aero, which shows award space across lots of programs at once. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Search Seats.aero

Pros and cons of Star Alliance

Pros

• It's the largest alliance, so you have lots of routes to choose from.
• Every major transferable points currency reaches at least one Star Alliance program.
• Aeroplan publishes a partner award chart, so you can plan ahead.
• There are lots of strong business class options across Europe and Asia.

Cons

• Partner seats aren't guaranteed. An airline can sell seats and still release none to partners.
• The same seat can cost very different amounts in different programs, so you have to compare.
• Some programs add fees, like Aeroplan's partner booking fee, and taxes and carrier charges vary by route. More on that in my guide to award taxes and surcharges.
• Membership changes. Asiana is leaving in December 2026, and ITA just joined.

Not sure Star Alliance is the right one to focus on? See Star Alliance vs oneworld vs SkyTeam.

FAQ

Is Cathay Pacific part of Star Alliance?