Product Code Database
An airline alliance is an aviation industry arrangement between two or more agreeing to cooperate on a substantial level. Alliances may provide marketing branding to facilitate travelers making inter-airline codeshare connections within countries. This branding may involve unified Aircraft livery 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).
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) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (a KLM fortress hub).
The first large alliance began in 1989, when Northwest Airlines and KLM agreed to large-scale codesharing. In 1992, the Netherlands signed the first open skies agreement with the United States, in spite of objections from the European Union, 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. This alliance continues to exist today (as of 2025) with KLM as a SkyTeam member and Northwest's successor airline Delta also being a member. Other alliances would struggle for years to overcome the transnational barriers and lack of antitrust immunity, and still do so.
On May 14, 1997, an agreement was announced forming the Star Alliance with five airlines on three continents: United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International, Air Canada, and Lufthansa. The alliance chose Young & Rubicam for advertising, with a budget of $25 million (€18 million). which brought competing airlines to form Oneworld in 1999 and SkyTeam in 2000.
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; and the Virgin Australia Holdings 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 was absorbed into Alaska Airlines by 2018, which joined the Oneworld alliance in 2021. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam in 2023.
On February 14, 2013, it was announced that American Airlines 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 was formed between several airlines based in the Indian Ocean region, in order to improve air connectivity within the region. The founding members were Air Austral, Air Mauritius, Air Madagascar, Air Seychelles, and Int'Air Îles.
U-FLY Alliance, the first alliance of (LCCs), was formed in January 2016, comprising HK Express, Lucky Air, Urumqi Air, and West Air (all affiliated with HNA Group). In May 2016, the world's largest alliance of LCCs was formed, Value Alliance, including founding members Cebu Pacific, Cebgo, Jeju Air, Nok Air, NokScoot, Scoot Airlines, Tigerair, Tigerair Australia, and Vanilla Air. Neither alliance remains active as of 2025.
[[Aegean Airlines]], 2010
[[Air Canada]], founder
[[Air China]], 2007
[[Air India]], 2014
Air New Zealand, 1999
All Nippon Airways, 1999
[[Asiana Airlines]], 2003
Austrian Airlines, 2000
[[Avianca]], 2012
Brussels Airlines, 2009
[[Copa Airlines]], 2012
[[Croatia Airlines]], 2004
[[EgyptAir]], 2008
Ethiopian Airlines, 2011
[[EVA Air]], 2013
LOT Polish Airlines, 2003
[[Lufthansa]], founder
Shenzhen Airlines, 2012
Singapore Airlines, 2000
South African Airways, 2006
Swiss International Air Lines, 2006
TAP Air Portugal, 2005
[[Thai Airways International|Thai Airways]], founder
[[Turkish Airlines]], 2008
[[United Airlines]], founder
Future members:
[[ITA Airways]], Lufthansa takeover, 2026
Former members:
[[Alaska Airlines]], 2021
American Airlines, founder
[[British Airways]], founder
[[Cathay Pacific]], founder
[[Fiji Airways]], 2025
[[Finnair]], 1999
Iberia, 1999
[[Japan Airlines]], 2007
Malaysia Airlines, 2013
[[Oman Air]], 2025
[[Qantas]], founder
[[Qatar Airways]], 2013
Royal Air Maroc, 2020
[[Royal Jordanian]], 2007
SriLankan Airlines, 2014
Future members:
Former members:
Aerolíneas Argentinas, 2012
Aeroméxico, founder
[[Air Europa]], 2007
[[Air France]], founder
[[China Airlines]], 2011
China Eastern Airlines, 2011
Delta Air Lines, founder
[[Garuda Indonesia]], 2014
[[Kenya Airways]], 2007
[[KLM Royal Dutch Airlines|KLM]], 2004
[[Korean Air]], founder
Middle East Airlines, 2012
[[Saudia]], 2012
Scandinavian Airlines, 2024
[[TAROM]], 2010
[[Vietnam Airlines]], 2010
[[Virgin Atlantic]], 2023
[[XiamenAir]], 2012
Former members:
[[Air Austral]], founder
Madagascar Airlines, founder
[[Air Mauritius]], founder
[[Air Seychelles]], founder
Former members:
Int'Air Îles, founder, 2015–2024, defunct
[[Eastar Jet]], 2016
[[Lucky Air]], founder
[[Urumqi Air]], founder
West Air, founder
Former members:
[[Cebu Pacific]], founder
[[Cebgo]], founder
[[Jeju Air]], founder
[[Nok Air]], founder
[[Scoot]], founder
Former members:
| Star Alliance | 23% | |||
| SkyTeam | 3,937 | 481,691 | Bn | 20.4% |
| Oneworld | 17.8% | |||
| Value Alliance (defunct) | 1.6% | |||
| 0.6% | ||||
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