What is Star Alliance?

Star Alliance is the world’s largest alliance of airlines with 26 carriers under its wings. It has a presence in 184 countries, and it boasts of a fleet size of 5003 aircraft which land and take off from 1294 airports.

How Star Alliance came into being

In 1997, five airlines -- United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, SAS, and Thai Airways -- came together to create a network to ensure that people can travel to any major global city without the need for separate tickets.

Star Alliance network currently offers more than 10,000 daily flights. The Alliance’s combined fleets also serve over more than 50 hub airports. Each airline that is part of Star Alliance has its own hub for important routes. Some of the notable hubs are Frankfurt Airport, Istanbul Airport, Beijing Capital Airport etc.,  

The key benefits

Apart from the seamless connectivity, Star Alliance members provide several benefits under its two tiers -- Gold and Silver. Gold benefits include, priority airport check-in, extra baggage allowance, lounge access among others.

Passengers cannot enroll in the Star Alliance directly, but can join the Alliance by enrolling in a member airline’s frequent flyer program. A frequent flyer program is a loyalty program offered by airlines, where passengers can get rewarded in points based on the miles covered, segments etc.

Flyers can redeem the points later for air travel and other purposes. Usually, the Gold status for Star Alliance is given to customers who have reached the highest level of a member airline's frequent-flyer program.

Air India has been a member of Star Alliance since 2015. The grouping’s chief executive recently said that the airline under the Tata Group has an opportunity to enhance its product and services to better leverage the opportunities offered by airline memberships and digital add-ons from Star Alliance.