I got hoodwinked into airline loyalty, in an era that feels like another lifetime ago. It was 2011 and, as I prepared to fly to South America for the first time, a surprising beep at the gate changed everything for me.
“You’ve been upgraded to business class,” the woman said, and presented me with a new boarding pass. Looking back, the experience onboard the United Airlines 767 was nothing special, apart from being a comfortable way to Perú. But it ended up holding me captive for years, among others things to elevating what was at the time a lowly “silver” status.
Although—spoiler alert—I am no longer loyal to United or to any other airline, I still think it’s worthwhile to be aware of what the best airline alliance is for your travel situation. Continue reading to learn all the knowledge I’ve gained over the past 15+ years.
Why I Gave Up Airline Loyalty a Decade Ago
I used to spend much more often thinking about the best airline alliances than I do now. A few things precipitated this. The first and most important was moving from airline-based earning to credit card-based earning. I made this transition in ~2015, which is right when most US airlines stopped awarding miles based on distance flown, and instead on dollars spent. This is a simply a better value proposition for transferrable credit card points currencies than for rigid airline ones.
Although some of this process was organic, sites such as FrugalFlyer, a miles and points resource, helped me educate myself and work through the mechanics of the transition. Rather than scrambling at the end of every year to achieve or maintain Star Alliance Gold or oneworld Emerald, I instead focused on maximizing points earning so that I could simply book business or first class outright, and enjoy benefits that way.
5 Truths About Airline Alliances
US airlines aren’t necessarily representative of their alliances
Conventional wisdom (albeit wisdom I don’t agree with) is that Delta is the best major US airline. While you’d think this would translate to SkyTeam being the top-rated airline alliance, that definitely isn’t the case—I’ll have more to say in a moment. The reality is that for US-based travelers, alliance loyalty ends up flowing from airline loyalty, sometimes to our detriment.
Star Alliance is the best all-around
While there are some quirks of the Star Alliance vs oneworld debate that make the latter a superior choice for some travelers, Star Alliance is the best choice for most who still wish to maintain airline loyalty. Its sheer size alone means that you can use it for nonstop flights between basically any pair of major airports in the world, and if you have Star Alliance Gold status, can enjoy lounge access no matter which travel class you’ve booked.
oneworld is useful in many important markets
With this being said, oneworld remains superior in a couple of instances. First, if you travel often to London (home of British Airways), Sydney (Qantas) or Tokyo (Japan Airlines), or are based in an American Airlines hub city like Charlotte or Dallas. Secondly, if you have oneworld Emerald status, this allows you entry to first class lounges operated by airlines like Cathay Pacific and Qantas, which are simply unmatched by virtually all their Star Alliance counterparts.
SkyTeam deserves its reputation as the weakest alliance
On the other hand, the SkyTeam vs oneworld debate is basically null. From the fact that many of its secondary member airlines are downright superfluous, to my opinion that several of its primary ones are overrated (Korean Air; China Airlines) or even bad (China Eastern; LATAM), SkyTeam just can’t compete with the other alliance. In fact, were Delta to pull out of the alliance for some reason, I believe that it might cease to exist.
Non-alliance relationships between airlines are increasingly common
Whether we’re talking about completely strange bedfellows like Emirates and United, or relationships like the ones between Qantas and China Airlines or Alaska Airlines and Korean Air (which simply cross the boundaries of each airline’s official alliance), there’s an argument to be made that alliances are no longer as rigid or even as importance as they once were. This further downgrades the importance of loyalty to one, in my opinion.
The Easiest Way to Free Yourself of Airline or Alliance Loyalty
Whether using miles or points, or by scouting out reasonable cash fares, buying or booking business class outright is the best way to nullifying the benefits of loyalty to an airline or alliance. I mean, what would you prefer: Incidental priority boarding or lounge access when flying economy, or getting those benefits automatically while enjoying the full first or business class experience in the air?
I thought about this a lot a couple of years ago, when I unwittingly got on a path toward Asiana’s “easy” two-star Star Alliance Gold track (which, spoiler alert, I did not end up achieving). As the still-not-finished merger with Korean Air loomed, and the discussion about whether Star Alliance vs SkyTeam would end up winning out for the combined airline’s alliance in the short-to-medium term, I realized that I was better off to aim to sit in biz (or higher) on every flight than to chase status.
Other FAQ About Airline Alliances
Which airline alliance has the best benefits?
If you’re the type of travel who still values alliance loyalty in the mid-to-late 2020s, either Star Alliance or oneworld has the best benefits. Star Alliance Gold wins out overall in terms of broad lounge access and other reciprocal benefits, while oneworld’s top-tier Emerald status is the most valuable elite status in the world.
Is oneworld or Star Alliance better?
Star Alliance is generally superior around the globe, while oneworld is a better alliance if you frequent certain markets (namely London, Sydney and Tokyo) or are based in a city with a oneworld “fortress” hub, such as Dallas or Miami in the United States. In other words, the top airline alliance will vary somewhat based on your own circumstances.
What are the Big 3 alliances?
The “big three” airline alliances are Star Alliance, oneworld and SkyTeam. For US travelers, these are the alliances of United, of American (and Alaska) and of Delta Air Lines, respectively. Although Star Alliance has the best reputation overall, the alliance best for you will depend largely upon your profile as a traveler.
The Bottom Line
What is the best airline alliance in the mid-to-late 2020s? Conventional wisdom would conclude this is Star Alliance (which is dominated by the likes of United, ANA and Lufthansa), but this is not necessarily true. For example, if you travel often to Tokyo or London (or are based in US cities like Dallas and Miami, i.e. American hubs), the oneworld might be a better fit for you. Likewise, if you’re a Delta fanboy or fangirl (which I’ve never understood—no shade), you’ll fly SkyTeam often by default. Of course, I would argue that loyalty as we once knew it is basically obsolete these days. Want even more of my expert air travel insights? Consider hiring me as your Travel Coach!
