Airline Alliance References – Sky Team

SKY TEAM

Aeroflot (SU)

Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR)

Aeromexico (AM)

Air Europa (UX)

Air France (AF)

Alitalia (AZ)

China Airlines (QC)

China Eastern (MU)

China Southern (CZ)

Czech Airlines (OK)

Delta Air Lines (DL)

Kenya Airways (KQ)

KLM (KL)

Korean Air (KE)

Middle East Airline (ME)

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SV)

TAROM (RO)

Vietnam Airlines(VN)

Xiamen Airlines (MF)

FUTURE AIRLINE PARTNERS

Garuda Indonesia (GA)

Sky Team is the youngest of the 3 alliances but the second largest.  They are very strong in Europe and Asia but weaker in the Americas and they have no member at all in Australia or New Zealand.  Most people who are interested in Sky Team join Delta Airlines but some people who get Ultimate Rewards via their Chase credit cards will join Korean to transfer their points to.  I am not a member of any of the Sky Team partners because they don’t serve the places I want to go very well.  Since I expect people from all over the world to be reading this blog, I would recommend you check out the program of the Sky Team member in your country or join Delta as they do have promos from time to time.

These links are also good if you want to check out an airline’s route map to see where they fly, join their frequent flyer program and see what you can do to earn miles by flying on partners, staying in hotel partners and patronizing their other partners such as credit cards, shopping malls, phone companies and survey companies.

This is a just a very brief overview of Sky Team and there is so much more to learn.  The best source of information is on FlyerTalk  where each airline has its own forum, most forums have wikis or “read this first” posts to get you started.  I will be going into some programs more in depth as the subject relates to building your ecotourism dream trip

Airline Alliance References – Star Alliance

Star Alliance

Adria (JP)

Aegean (A3)

Air Canada (AC)

Air China (CA)

Air New Zealand (NZ)

ANA (NH)

Asiana (OZ)

Austrian (OS)

Avianca and TACA (AV), (TA)      My analysis of Avianca-Taca LifeMiles

Blue1 (KF)

Copa (CM)

Croatia Airlines (OU)

EgyptAir (MS)

Ethiopian Airlines (ET)

EVA Air (BR)

LOT Polish Airlines (LO)

Lufthansa (LH)

Scandinavian Airlines (SK)

Singapore Airlines (SQ)

South African Airways (SA)

Swiss (LX)

TAP (TP)

Thai (TG)

Turkish Airlines (TK)

United (UA)

 

As you can see, Star Alliance is the largest of the 3 alliances and is very strong in the Americas, Europe and Asia but has no domestic service in Australia.  Most people are members of several Star Alliance programs so they can take advantage of local credit cards and promos and also the more lucrative promos with United.  Avianca/Taca has  several 100% buy miles bonuses throughout the year and less frequently an even more lucrative share miles promo.  I am a member of United, Singapore and Avianca/Taca.  The main reason for joining Singapore Krisflyer is because my Aussie Amex MR points can transfer 1:1 and they are good for redemptions on NZ, but on most of their Asian and European partners will attract a very high fuel surcharge.  Buying miles on  Avianca/Taca is a great way to get cheap business class or economy awards when they have a double miles bonus promo.  United is a partner for Chase’s Ultimate Rewards programs with several credit cards that can accrue miles for sign up bonuses.

These links are also good if you want to check out an airline’s route map to see where they fly, join their frequent flyer program and see what you can do to earn miles by flying on partners, staying in hotel partners and patronizing their other partners such as credit cards, shopping malls, phone companies and survey companies.

This is a just a very brief overview of Star Alliance and there is so much more to learn.  The best source of information is on FlyerTalk  where each airline has its own forum, most forums have wikis or “read this first” posts to get you started.  I will be going into some programs more in depth as the subject relates to building your ecotourism dream trip

Airline Alliance References – One World

ONE WORLD

Air Berlin (AB)

American Airlines  (AA)

British Airways  (BA)

Cathay Pacific  (CX)

Finnair (AY)

Iberia  (IB)

Japan Airlines (JL)

LAN  (LA)

Malaysia Airlines (MH)

Qantas  (QF)

Qatar Airways (QR)

Royal Jordanian  (RJ)

S7 (S7)

SriLankan Airlines (UL) – 1 May 2014

TAM (JJ)

US Airways (US)

 

If you are new to miles and points, the best thing is to figure out which one of these programs will offer the best redemptions at the lowest cost in both miles and taxes.  Some airlines have fuel surcharges which can add a substantial cost to your award ticket.  From the One World airlines, I use  American Airlines,  Qantas, British Airways and Iberia.  No matter where you live in the world, it will probably work out best for you to use American’s AAdvantage program to accumulate your miles unless you are seeking status with an airline you frequently fly on.  I am expecting that people attracted to this blog will be the sort who travel for leisure and are saving up for an aspirational trip to one of the great ecotourism spots in the world.   If you are based in the USA (or even an expat American like me)  it’s pretty easy to get huge credit card sign up bonuses and if you are based elsewhere, you can use American Express Membership Rewards to transfer to AA via Starwood’s SPG program.

Since I live in Australia, I also have Qantas because I get points simply for shopping at Woolworths and linking my phone and internet with Optus to them.  Gotta love free points that just come from day to day living!

British Airways and Iberia both use Avios which can be excellent value for short hop awards such as domestic awards in the USA on American and Alaska Airways,  Australia on Qantas and South America on LAN.

These links are also good if you want to check out an airline’s route map to see where they fly, join their frequent flyer program and see what you can do to earn miles by flying on partners, staying in hotel partners and patronizing their other partners such as credit cards, shopping malls, phone companies and survey companies.

This is a just a very brief overview of the One World alliance and there is so much more to learn.  The best source of information is on FlyerTalk where each airline has its own forum, most forums have wikis or “read this first” posts to get you started.  I will be going into some programs more in depth as the subject relates to building your ecotourism dream trip.