Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance. Founded in 1997, its name and emblem represent the five founding airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines. Star Alliance has since grown considerably and now has 28 member airlines. Star Alliance currently has more than 21,200 daily departures, and serves 1,172 airports in 181 countries.^[1] Star Alliance is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.^[2]

The CEO of the alliance since 2001 is Jaan Albrecht, who began his aviation career in 1973 as a pilot for Mexicana Airlines. In 2010, he was named the winner of the Tony Jannus Award for distinguished leadership in the field of commercial aviation.^[3]

On 14 May 1997, five airlines from three continents – United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Thai Airways International and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) – came together to launch the first airline alliance, Star Alliance.^[4][5] The following day, the newly-established alliance selected Young & Rubicam Advertising to increase awareness of the consortium, with a budget of $25 million.^[6] The five airlines shared a logo and the now-disused theme line "The Airline Network for Earth",^[4] with the objective being "to have an alliance that will take passengers to every major city on earth".^[5] Varig joined in October.^[4][7]

In March 1999, Ansett Australia and Air New Zealand become members.^[8] Upon joining of the two carriers, Star Alliance would be serving 720 destions in 110 countries with a combined fleet of 1,650 aircraft. All Nippon Airways joined in October.^[9] The year also saw the founding of rival Oneworld, thereby increasing competition with Star Alliance.

The new millenium started off with the admission of Singapore Airlines as a full member on 1 April.^[10] On 1 July BMI (British Midland) and Mexicana simultaneously joined Star Alliance, bringing the total membership tally up to 13.^[11] The joing of BMI made London Heathrow the only European hub with two competing alliances. The Austrian Airlines Group (Austrian Airlines, Tyrolean Airways and Lauda Air) later joined. During the year, Emirates considered joining Star Alliance, but would later opt not to join.^[12]

• 2001 — Ansett Australia leaves the alliance due to bankruptcy.
• 2003 — Asiana Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, and Spanair join.
• 2004 — Croatia Airlines, Blue1, Adria Airways inaugurate the alliance's regional network. US Airways joins the alliance. Mexicana leaves Star Alliance after deciding not to renew a code-share with United Airlines.
• 2005 — TAP Portugal joins the alliance. After merging with US Airways under the US Airways name, America West Airlines joins working through US Airways original membership.
• 2006 — Swiss International Air Lines and South African Airways join.
• 2007 — Varig is ejected from the alliance on 31 January. Air China and Shanghai Airlines join on 12 December.
• 2008 — Turkish Airlines (on 1 April) and EgyptAir (on 11 July) become members.
• 2009 — United Airlines' subsidiary, Ted ceased operations in January. Continental Airlines (on 27 October) and Brussels Airlines (on 9 December) become members.
• 2010 — TAM Airlines (on 13 May) and Aegean Airlines (on 30 June) joined the alliance. Olympic Air will become a full member. Shanghai Airlines will leave the alliance (on October 31) due to its merger with China Eastern Airlines.^[13]
• 2011 — Air India further delayed its entry into Star Alliance and now plans to join by March 2011^[14], Ethiopian Airlines is expected to become the 31st member airline in September 2011.

Starting in 2004, Star Alliance has divided its member airlines into full members and regional members. Before being accepted as a regional member, airline must be sponsored by a full member. Full members may have some affiliate airlines (that either are owned by or are in a contractual relationship with a Star Alliance full member). Affiliate airlines fall under full member umbrella in respect to the Star Alliance rules, policies and benefits. All of the affiliate airlines grant Star Alliance frequent flyer benefits, and usually feature the Star Alliance logo on their aircraft, public relation materials and advertisement. In some cases (such as Air New Zealand Link airlines, Swiss European Air Lines, and BMI Regional) the branding of the parent full member may be so strong that passengers are unaware of the affiliate's independent existence.

Member Airline	Joined	Country	Affiliates	Non-member Affiliates
Adria Airways	2004	Slovenia	—	—
Aegean Airlines[I]	2010	Greece	—	—
Air Canada[A]	1997	Canada	Air Canada Jazz Air Canada Jetz Air Georgian	—
Air China	2007	China	—	Shandong Airlines Shenzhen Airlines[G]
Air New Zealand	1999	New Zealand	Air New Zealand Link operated by: → Air Nelson → Eagle Airways → Mount Cook Airline	—
All Nippon Airways	1999	Japan	Air Central Air Japan Air Next Air Nippon	—
Asiana Airlines	2003	South Korea	—	Air Busan
Austrian Airlines	2000	Austria	Austrian Arrows (Tyrolean Airways) Lauda Air	—
Blue1	2004	Finland	—	—
BMI	2000	United Kingdom	BMI Regional	BMIbaby
Brussels Airlines	2009	Belgium	—	Korongo
Continental Airlines[G]	2009	United States	Continental Connection operated by: → Cape Air → Colgan Air → CommutAir → Gulfstream International Airlines Continental Express operated by: → Chautauqua Airlines → ExpressJet Airlines Continental Micronesia	Aeromar
Croatia Airlines	2004	Croatia	—
EgyptAir	2008	Egypt	EgyptAir Express	Air Cairo Air Sinai Smart Aviation Company
LOT	2003	Poland	EuroLOT	LOT Charters
Lufthansa[A]	1997	Germany	Lufthansa Italia Lufthansa Regional2 operated by: → Air Dolomiti[C] → Augsburg Airways → Contact Air → Eurowings[C] → Lufthansa CityLine[C]	Germanwings SunExpress[D]
SAS Scandinavian Airlines[A]	1997	Denmark  Norway  Sweden	—	Widerøe Estonian Air
Shanghai Airlines [F]	2007	China	—	China United Airlines
Singapore Airlines	2000	Singapore	—	SilkAir Singapore Airlines Cargo Tiger Airways Tiger Airways Australia
South African Airways	2006	South Africa	Airlink South African Express	Mango Congo Express
Spanair	2003	Spain	—
Swiss International Air Lines	2006	Switzerland	Swiss European Air Lines	Edelweiss Air Swiss Private Aviation
TAM Airlines	2010	Brazil	Pantanal Linhas Aéreas TAM Airlines (Paraguay)	TAM Cargo TAM Executive Aviation
TAP Portugal	2005	Portugal	Portugalia PGA Express	—
Thai Airways International[A]	1997	Thailand	—	Nok Air Thai Tiger Airways
Turkish Airlines	2008	Turkey	—	Anadolu Jet SunExpress[D] B&H Airlines
United Airlines[A]	1997	United States	United Express[B]operated by: → Chautauqua Airlines → Colgan Air → GoJet Airlines → Mesa Airlines → Shuttle America → SkyWest Airlines → Trans States Airlines	—
US Airways	2004	United States	US Airways Express[B] operated by: → Air Wisconsin → Chautauqua Airlines → Colgan Air → Mesa Airlines → Piedmont Airlines[E] → PSA Airlines[E] → Republic Airlines → Trans States Airlines US Airways Shuttle	—

^A Founding member^[15]
B Airlines operating under the Continental Connection, Continental Express, Lufthansa Regional, United Express and US Airways Express brands are not necessarily members of Star Alliance. However flights are operated on behalf of the respective member airlines, carry their designator code and are Star Alliance flights.
^C Members of Lufthansa Regional that are fully owned by Deutsche Lufthansa AG
^D Jointly owned by Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines
^E Wholly owned By US Airways Group
^F Shanghai Airlines will leave the alliance on 31 October 2010 after merging with China Eastern Airlines.^[13] In a move to consolidate operations with China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines moved its Beijing operations on March 28, 2010, from terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport, which Star Alliance members are using, to terminal 2 to co-locate with China Eastern.^[16] (China Eastern on April 16, 2010 announced its intentions to become a full member of SkyTeam in mid-2011.^[17])
^G On 22 March 2010 Air China announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Shenzhen Airlines
^H Merger into United Airlines announced on May 2, 2010. All flights to be operated under United name
^I Merger into Olympic Air announced on February 2010. Olympic Air will join Star Alliance before or when the merger occurs.

Former member airline	Country	Joined	Exited	Affiliates
Ansett Australia[A]	Australia	1999	2001	Aeropelican Air Services Ansett New Zealand Hazelton Airlines Kendell Airlines Skywest Airlines
Mexicana[B]	Mexico	2000	2004	Aerocaribe
Varig[C][D]	Brazil	1997	2007	Nordeste Rio Sul PLUNA

^A Collapsed in 2001
^B Left the alliance in 2004 after deciding not to renew a codeshare alliance with United Airlines, opting instead to codeshare with American Airlines, and joined the Oneworld alliance on November 10, 2009
^C Suspended its membership alliance on 31 January 2007 due to major restructuring, being involuntarily ejected, and failing to meet minimum qualifications
^D Was a founding member of the alliance, but due to a codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines, the airline joined the alliance a few months after its birth.

Former member affiliate	Country	Joined	Exited	Member affiliate of
Air Canada Tango	Canada	2001	2004	Air Canada
Air Nova	Canada	1997	2001	Air Canada
Air Ontario	Canada	1997	2001	Air Canada
AeBal (operating as Spanair Link)	Spain	2003	2008	Spanair
Ted Airlines[A]	United States	2004	2009	United Airlines
United Shuttle[B]	United States	1997	2001	United Airlines
Zip	Canada	2002	2004	Air Canada

^A Ted's operations are now operating as United Airlines
^B United Shuttle's operations ceased and became part of United Airlines

Future member airline	Country	Joining	Affiliates	Non-future member affiliates
Air India[A]	India	March 2011[18]	Air India Express Air India Regional Indian Airlines	—
Ethiopian Airlines[B]	Ethiopia	September 2011[19]	—	ASKY Airlines

^A Air India was invited to join Star Alliance on 13 December 2007. It was originally scheduled to become a member on March 29, 2009. Its entry has now been delayed and is now tentatively expected to become a member by March 2011.^[20]
B On 29 September 2010, Ethiopian Airlines was officially invited to join the alliance as 30th member airline.^[21]

At the annual board meeting on 11 December 2008 in Chicago Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht revealed that the alliance is targeting up to 50 members. New management strategies, such as regional and global leaderships are being examined in order to handle a significantly larger alliance.^[22]

The following airlines have reportedly been invited to join the alliance or have applied for membership. As the invitation or application still needs to be approved these airlines cannot yet be considered as future members.

Possible future member airline	Affiliates	Star Alliance codeshare partners	Star Alliance frequent-flyer programme partners	Notes
Avianca-TACA Ltd. Avianca S.A. (Avianca) TACA International S.A. (TACA)	Avianca: AeroGal Capital Airlines Helicol Avianca Brazil (formerly OceanAir) SAM Tampa Cargo VarigLog VIP TACA: Aeroperlas Aviateca Isleña La Costeña Lacsa Nicaragüense de Aviación SANSA TACA Peru Volaris	Avianca: Air Canada TACA: Lufthansa[A] United Airlines US Airways[B]	TACA: Lufthansa[A] United Airlines	TACA in 2008 started the process of applying to join Star Alliance. Initially Avianca said TACA would continue this process while it pondered its alliance options separately. But (Germán) Efromovich now says any alliance decision will be made by Avianca and TACA simultaneously.[23]

^A On 1 April 2009 Lufthansa and Taca will start codesharing on flights linking Miami with San Salvador and Caracas with Lima operated by Taca as well as Lufthansa flights from Miami and Caracas to Frankfurt. In addition to that the two airlines agreed to combine their frequent flyer programmes, enabling members to earn and redeem miles on both airlines' entire networks ^[24]. This comes after Lufthansa and Taca signed a memorandum of understanding on 23 May 2007, intending to cooperate closely ^[25].
^B Since 12 January 2010^[26].

The following airlines are reportedly in negotiations with Star Alliance. These negotiations will not necessarily lead to an invitation or application to join the alliance.

Possible future member airline	Affiliates	Star Alliance codeshare partners	Star Alliance frequent-flyer programme partners	Notes
Air Malta	—	Austrian Airlines [27] BMI Brussels Airlines Lufthansa Swiss International Air Lines Turkish Airlines	Lufthansa[28] Swiss International Air Lines	In an interview published on 1 June 2009 Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht confirmed membership talks between the alliance and Air Malta[29].
Copa Airlines	Copa Airlines Colombia	Continental Airlines	Continental Airlines	On 21 November 2008, Copa chief executive Pedro Heilbron on the ALTA airline leaders forum in Cancun, expressed that Copa Airlines has decided to leave Sky Team and is in exclusive talks with Star Alliance. According to Mr. Heilbron, Copa Airlines has not much choice since Continental Airlines left Skyteam for Star Alliance.[30]. In May 2009 Copa Airlines confirmed exiting SkyTeam on 24 October 2009[31]
Jet Airways	Jet Konnect JetLite	Air Canada ANA Brussels Airlines Turkish Airlines United Airlines	All Nippon Airways Austrian Airlines Brussels Airlines Lufthansa South African Airways Swiss International Air Lines Turkish Airlines United Airlines Thai Airways	Media reports suggest that Lufthansa is courting Jet Airways as a future member. Star Alliance has not ruled out adding a second Indian airline in addition to Air India. However the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation is said to be upset as they feel Air India was put at a disadvantage.[32][33] In December 2009 Lufthansa board member Karl Ulrich Garnadt mentioned in an interview that a country like India could support more than one alliance member and that Jet Airways was an option for Star Alliance.[34] Air India chairman Arvind Jadhav acknowledged on May 15, 2010 while announcing the joining of Air India into Star Alliance, that Jet Airways is in talks to join[14]. However, he demanded Jet Airways join after Air India so that Air India can have the "first mover advantage"[14]. Oneworld discussed potential membership for Jet Airways in June 2009, as Jet Airways have strong codeshare ties with Oneworld airlines, particularly American Airlines. In February 2010 Kingfisher Airlines decided to join Oneworld; as a result, the likelihood that Jet will join Oneworld may have decreased.[35] It is also possible that Jet Airways may elect to join SkyTeam, as they do not have an Indian airline in the alliance, unlike Star and Oneworld, which are about to have an Indian airline in their alliances.

The following airlines are reportedly interested in joining the alliance or being courted by Star Alliance. These airlines may or may not decide to become a member.

Possible Future Member Airline	Affiliates	Star Alliance codeshare partners	Star Alliance frequent-flyer programme partners	Notes
Aer Lingus	Aer Lingus Regional	Spanair United Airlines	United Airlines	According to Aer Lingus CEO Christoph Müller, the airline is looking at re-joining a global airline alliance after leaving Oneworld in 2007. It has received strong interest from all global airline groupings[36]. Though the carrier has not expressed a preference for one alliance yet, Chirstoph Müller remarked that Star Alliance or Oneworld would work best for the airline's U.S. routes[37]. Aer Lingus also recently negotiated a major codeshare pact with Spanair[38].
Gulf Air	-	BMI Egypt Air Ethiopian Airlines Thai Airways International	-	Mr. majali, President and Chief Executive has in an interwiev with the Gulf Daily News on September 7 2010, revealed that they have been in discussions with the 3 major alliances about a possible membership.[39]
JetBlue Airways	—	Lufthansa	—	According to David Barger, CEO of JetBlue Airways, the airline is currently considering becoming a member of a global airline alliance. Since Lufthansa owns a 19% stake in JetBlue, Star Alliance seems to be the most likely choice. Jetblue already partners with Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines as well as Aer Lingus, which currently is not part of an alliance.[40][41][42] Also, JetBlue has an agreement with South African Airways during the 2010 World Cup so that SAA can make more destinations in the continental US more accessible for travel during the World Cup.[43] However, JetBlue's alliance decision may be influenced by the recent interline partnership agreement signed with Oneworld's American Airlines. Both airlines did not rule out the opportunities of codesharing and JetBlue's participation in Oneworld alliance.[44]
Luxair	—	Austrian Airlines LOT Lufthansa	All Star Alliance members	Lufthansa owns a 13% stake in the company.[45] The airline has also adopted Lufthansa's 'Miles & More' frequent flyer program as their official loyalty program since 29 March 2009.[46][47]
PLUNA	—	—	—	In 1994, former alliance member Varig purchased 49% of the airline prior to selling their shares back to the Uruguayan government in 2007.[48] On April 26, 2010 Jazz Air, a division of Air Canada, agreed to invest US$15 million in Pluna. As a result it received a 33% non-voting interest in the Latin American Regional Aviation Holding Corporation (LARAH), which in turn owns 75% of the airline. The Uruguayan government owns the remaining shares.[49][50]
Qatar Airways	—	ANA Asiana Airlines BMI Lufthansa United Airlines	ANA Asiana Airlines BMI Lufthansa United Airlines US Airways	On 24 July 2009 Qatar Airways' CEO Akbar Al Baker revealed that the airline is interested in joining an airline alliance. Al Baker said that he was most interested in joining Star Alliance but he stressed that such a move has to be win-win situation for all parties involved.[51]
Transaero Airlines	—	Austrian Airlines BMI Singapore airlines [citation needed] EgyptAir [citation needed] Air India [citation needed]	BMI	Transaero DG Olga Pleshakova stated that Transaero is "discussing increasing its cooperation with Star Alliance," and is considering full membership, although joining is not currently top priority.
Virgin Atlantic	—	ANA BMI Continental Airlines Singapore Airlines South African Airways US Airways	Air China Air New Zealand All Nippon Airways BMI Continental Airlines SAS Scandinavian Airlines Singapore Airlines South African Airways US Airways	Virgin's involvement with Lufthansa's talks on BMI's future may lead to a possible merger on parts of the airlines' operations - this may well lead to Virgin's entrance into the Star Alliance to counter its major rival, Oneworld alliance's strong presence on the very lucrative LHR-JFK route. In fact Virgin already has partnership agreements with 9 of the Star Alliance members, while having none with Oneworld and SkyTeam members. Singapore Airlines currently has a 49% stake in shareholding on Virgin Atlantic.[42]

Codeshare flights between these airlines are, for the most part, seamless. This tight cooperation led to suspicions of anti-competitive behaviour, and the alliance was investigated by the European Union as a virtual merger of its members. Indeed, some speculated that if government regulations were relaxed, the members would merge into a single corporation,^[52] although no evidence has yet materialized. Prior to Star Alliance, Northwest Airlines and KLM were operating together as the forerunners of the modern airline alliance system since 1993, although there had been even earlier pairings and groupings of airlines for decades on a less formal level. The creation of Star Alliance was a milestone in airline history because of its size. It sparked the formation of rivals, notably SkyTeam and Oneworld.

The alliance developed the "Regional" concept in 2004, which helped Star Alliance penetrate individual markets with the regional participation of smaller carriers. Regional Star Alliance members had to be sponsored by an existing full Star Alliance member. However, Star Alliance has stopped designating airlines as "Regional" members and now refers to all the 28 airlines as just "members".^[1]

Star Alliance members now fly over 21,200 daily flights to 1,172 airports in 181 countries with a fleet of 4,025 aircraft. Its members carried a total of 627.52 million passengers with a turnover of US$156.8 billion. The alliance's market share is 28% of the global market based on revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), which is greater than the combined market share of all airlines that are not in any of the three major alliances. All Star Alliance carriers combined employ over 405,000 pilots, flight attendants, and other staff. Star Alliance was voted best airline alliance in the Skytrax 2007 World Airline Awards.^[53]

Major Star Alliance Hubs:[54]
Member Airline	Major Hub Airports
Adria Airways	Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport
Aegean Airlines	Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport
Air Canada	Calgary International Airport Montréal-Trudeau International Airport Toronto Pearson International Airport Vancouver International Airport
Air China	Beijing Capital International Airport Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Air India (future)	Chennai International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
Air New Zealand	Auckland Airport
All Nippon Airways	Osaka International Airport Haneda Airport Narita International Airport
Asiana Airlines	Incheon International Airport Gimpo International Airport (domestic hub)
Austrian Airlines	Vienna International Airport
Blue1	Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
BMI	London Heathrow Airport
Brussels Airlines	Brussels Airport
Continental Airlines	Cleveland Hopkins International Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport Newark Liberty International Airport Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport
Croatia Airlines	Zagreb Airport
EgyptAir	Cairo International Airport
Ethiopian Airlines (future)	Bole International Airport Lomé-Tokoin Airport
LOT	Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport
Lufthansa	Frankfurt Airport Munich Airport
SAS Scandinavian Airlines	Copenhagen Airport Oslo Airport, Gardermoen Stockholm-Arlanda Airport
Shanghai Airlines	Shanghai Pudong International Airport Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport
Singapore Airlines	Singapore Changi Airport
South African Airways	OR Tambo International Airport
Spanair	Barcelona Airport Madrid Barajas Airport
Swiss International Air Lines	EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Geneva International Airport Zürich Airport
TAM Airlines	Brasília International Airport São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport
TAP Portugal	Lisbon Portela Airport Porto Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport
Thai Airways International	Suvarnabhumi Airport Chiang Mai International Airport Hat Yai International Airport Phuket International Airport
Turkish Airlines	Esenboğa International Airport Atatürk International Airport
United Airlines	O'Hare International Airport Denver International Airport Los Angeles International Airport San Francisco International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport Narita International Airport
US Airways	Charlotte/Douglas International Airport Philadelphia International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

• In March 2008, some Star Alliance members started to move to Terminal 1 of London Heathrow Airport as part of a re-arrangement program. Star Alliance members Air New Zealand and United Airlines moved into Terminal 1 on June 10, 2008. Members Austrian Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, and TAP Portugal moved to Terminal 1 in June 2009. TAM Airlines moved on March 28, 2010.^[55][56] Asiana, BMI, LOT Polish Airlines, South African Airways and US Airways already operate from Terminal 1. All other members will remain at T3 (except Continental Airlines which will remain in T4) until the new Terminal 2A is completed, where all members will then move.^[57]
• On 26 March 2008, all Star Alliance members moved operations to the new Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport in order to maintain simple transfers with Air China and other Star Alliance airline members.^[58] Continental Airlines moved its operations to Terminal 3 on the eve of July 30, 2009.
• Since the remodeling of Mexico City International Airport's Terminal 1, all Star Alliance carriers were re-located to the Hall F2 of the terminal's International Building. United Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and US Airways now have their check-in facilities inside a single hall. The gate assignation for Star Alliance member airline varies, although they tend to operate into the 'F' gates. (F20-F28)
• At the same time as the move at Beijing Capital International Airport, all Star Alliance members are also expected to move to the new Terminal 2 at Shanghai Pudong International Airport to maintain simple transfers with Air China, Shanghai Airlines and other Star Alliance airline members.^[58]
• During the renovation of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport's Terminal 1, all Star Alliance members but Air Canada, Austrian Airlines, Croatia Airlines and future members were re-located there, in order to "create" a Star Alliance Hub.
• International Star Alliance departures and arrivals serving San Francisco International Airport moved to Boarding Area G except for those of Air Canada and Asiana Airlines.
• In June 2006, all Star Alliance member airlines except Air New Zealand moved to the new South Wing in Terminal 1 of Narita International Airport to simplify transfers with All Nippon Airways.
• Star Alliance members serving Cairo International Airport joined national carrier EgyptAir in moving their operations into the new Terminal 3. The transfer to the terminal started in April 2009 (EgyptAir) and completed in August 2009. The move allows seamless transfers between all members in particular EgyptAir with a minimum connection time of 60 minutes. The terminal is the sole use of the Star Alliance partner airlines.^[59]
• All Star Alliance members at Miami International Airport (Air Canada, United, US Airways, Lufthansa and Swiss) relocated to the newly built Concourse J, as part of the airport's "alliance co-location" program; Star Alliance was a major contributor to the new Concourse and overall Terminal construction.
• In June 2008, Star Alliance member airlines were relocated to the west side of Incheon International Airport as part of the airport's renewal program, followed by the opening of the new Concourse A.
• At Toronto Pearson International Airport in March 2008, US Airways joined Star Alliance Partners Air Canada, United, Lufthansa, Austrian and LOT Polish in Terminal 1, where all Star Alliance member airlines (except Continental) are now located.
• In March 2008, Star Alliance member airlines were relocated to Terminal 2 at Warsaw's Frederic Chopin Airport.
• At Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport, TAM airlines, TAP Portugal, United Airlines, and US Airways were relocated to Terminal 2. Continental Airlines is the only Star Alliance member still operating from Terminal 1.
• At Hamburg Airport, Brussels Airlines relocated to terminal 2, like the other Star Alliance members.^[60]
• At Tokyo Narita International Airport, Continental Airlines relocated to the South Wing of Terminal 1 on November 1, 2009 with all Star Alliance carriers.^[61]
• At Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Continental Airlines relocated to Terminal 1 on November 17, 2009 with the other Star Alliance members.^[62]
• At Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Continental Airlines relocated to the North Terminal on March 24, 2010, joining all the other Star Alliance members.^[63] However, the terminal is not exclusive to Star Alliance and is shared with other non-aligned carriers.
• At Munich Airport All Star Alliance partners were relocated to Terminal 2 following its completion in June 2003.
• At Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, all Star Alliance members were relocated to the new Terminal 3 after its opening on July 28, 2010.^[64]
• At Cleveland Hopkins International Airport(Continental Airlines hub), Continental Airlines, United Airlines, and Air Canada Jazz operate out of the 'C' Concourse. However US Airways still uses the 'A' Concourse, and some Continental flights use the 'D' Concourse(regional jets), or the 'A' Concourse(international arrivals).
• At Denver International Airport(United Airlines Hub), United Airlines, Continental Airlines, and US Airways operate out of the 'B' Concourse. The 'A' Concourse houses Lufthansa, Air Canada, and United Airlines(International arrivals).
• At San Diego International Airport Air Canada moves to Terminal 2 where most of the Star Alliance member airlines operate out of. United Airlines still operates out of Terminal 1.
• At Charlotte-Douglas International Airport(US Airways Hub) Air Canada, Continental Airlines, and United Airlines all use Ticketing Zone A, and flights depart from Concourse A. US Airways uses Ticketing Zones C, D, and E, and flights depart from Concourse C, D, and E. Lufthansa uses Ticketing Zone E, and flights depart from Concourse D.
• At Barcelona International Airport(Spanair Hub) all the Star Alliance members move to Terminal T1.^[when?] The first airlines that moved to Terminal T1 were Spanair and SAS Scandinavian Airlines

Star Alliance has two premium levels, Silver and Gold, based on a customer's tier status in a member carrier's frequent flyer program. Each of the member and regional airlines recognizes Star Silver/Gold status, with a few exceptions (mainly pertaining to airport lounge access). The statuses have no specific requirements of their own; membership is based solely on the frequent flyer programs of individual member airlines. Many member airlines also have an additional premium status beyond Gold which is not recognised across Star Alliance.

Star Alliance Silver status is awarded to customers who have reached a premium level of a member carrier's frequent flyer program.

Benefits of Star Alliance Silver membership:

• Priority reservations waitlisting
• Priority airport stand-by

Some airlines also offer the following to Silver members:

• Priority boarding
• Priority airport check-in
• Priority baggage handling
• Preferred seating
• Additional checked luggage allowance
• Waived fees for 1st and 2nd checked bags
• Airport lounge access

Star Alliance Gold status is awarded to customers who have reached a high level of a member airline's frequent flyer program.

Benefits of Star Alliance Gold membership:

• Priority reservations waitlisting
• Priority airport stand-by
• Priority boarding
• Priority airport check-in
• Priority baggage handling
• Additional checked luggage allowance of 20 kg (or one extra piece where the piece concept applies)
• Airport lounge access to designated Star Alliance Gold lounges on the day and at the place of departure, on presentation of a valid Star Alliance boarding pass.

Some airlines also offer the following to Gold members:

• Preferred seating (exit seat, or even on a special section on the plane on some carriers, which provides more leg room)
• Guaranteed seating on fully booked flights (subject to the booking class code and notice period)
• Free upgrade (in the form of voucher/certificate or automatic upgrade upon check-in)

The lowest qualification criteria for a Star Alliance Silver status is 4,000 status miles earned during a 12 month period, on Aegean Airlines.

The lowest qualification criteria for a Star Alliance Gold status is 20,000 status miles earned during a 24 month period. (4,000 miles in the first 12 month period and an additional 16,000 miles in a 12 month period after achieving "Blue" status) on Aegean Airlines.

Another carrier offering a similar level for Star Alliance Gold status qualification is Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles Classic Plus cardholders who earn 40,000 status miles within 12 consecutive months are eligible to become Elite members, thereby earning Star Alliance Gold status. [9] Turkish Airlines Elite status is valid for two years. Miles and Smiles members who are residents of Turkey can renew their Elite level membership by earning 30,000 qualifying miles within one year of earning elite status or 45,000 miles within two years of earning elite status. Miles and Smiles members residing outside of Turkey are eligible for elite status renewal if they accrue 25,000 miles within one year of gaining elite status or 37,500 within two years – the lowest re-qualification criteria for a Star Alliance Gold status.

Effective 1 October 2008, accumulating 40,000 miles over two calendar years in Asiana Airlines Club Programme will gain Gold status, with a renewal requirement of 40,000 miles in two calendar years.

Some Star Alliance members paint some of their planes with the Star Alliance livery, usually featuring a white fuselage with "Star Alliance" signature written across and a black tailfin with the Star Alliance logo. Some member airlines including Air New Zealand, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines have opted to paint the tails of their aircraft with their airline logo. Asiana Airlines was the first Star Alliance member to paint their aircraft in the current Star Alliance livery.^[66] Aircraft painted in the airlines' own livery have the Star Alliance logo painted behind the cockpit. The Star Alliance logo has a diameter of approximately 70 cm (28 in).^{[citation needed]}

Currently, 82 aircraft are painted in Star Alliance livery.

Members' aircraft in Star Alliance livery

Country Airline Aircraft Registration Date  Slovenia Adria Airways Bombardier CRJ200LR S5-AAG April 2005  Greece Aegean Airlines Airbus A320-232 SX-DVQ June 2010  Canada Air Canada Boeing 767-333ER Airbus A330-343X C-FMWY C-GHLM January 2004 December 2007  Canada Air Canada Jazz Bombardier CRJ200ER Bombardier CRJ705ER C-GQJA/171 C-FUJZ/710 November 2004 September 2005  China Air China Airbus A330-243 B-6091 B-6093 October 2007 January 2008  New Zealand Air New Zealand Airbus A320-232 ZK-OJH September 2004  Japan All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-281 Boeing 777-281 Boeing 777-381 Boeing 767-381ER Boeing 737-881 JA711A JA712A JA731A JA614A JA51AN July 2004 November 2004 November 2004 May 2005 June 2008  South Korea Asiana Airlines Boeing 767-38E Airbus A321-231 HL7516 HL7730 May 2007 (New Logo) February 2003 (Old Logo) April 2010  Austria Austrian Airlines Boeing 737-8Z9 OE-LNT March 2010  Finland Blue1 McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 OH-BLF May 2008  United Kingdom BMI Airbus A330-243 Airbus A320-232 G-WWBD G-MIDX April 2004 (New Version) May 2001 (Old Version) March 2000 (Old Version)  Belgium Brussels Airlines Airbus A319-112 OO-SSC April 2010  United States Continental Airlines Boeing 757-224 Boeing 777-224ER Boeing 737-824 Boeing 737-724 Boeing 777-224ER Boeing 777-224ER N14120 N78017 N26210 N13720 N76021 N77022 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 March 2010 July 2010 August 2010  Croatia Croatia Airlines Airbus A319-112 9A-CTI March 2010  Egypt EgyptAir Airbus A330-243 Boeing 777-266ER Boeing 737-866 SU-GCK SU-GBR SU-GCS May 2008 June 2008 August 2008  Poland LOT Polish Boeing 737-55D Embraer ERJ-170-100LR Boeing 767-341ER SP-LKE SP-LDK SP-LPE October 2003 May 2005 July 2005  Germany Lufthansa Airbus A340-642 Airbus A340-311 D-AIHC D-AIGC December 2003 December 2003  Germany Lufthansa Regional For Lufthansa CityLine: 3 Bombardier CRJ701ER For Contact Air: 5 Fokker 100 D-ACPS D-ACPQ D-ACPT D-AGPH D-AGPK D-AFKA D-AFKB D-AFKF May 2003 September 2003 October 2003 April 2008 April 2008 September 2008 April 2009 August 2009  United States Republic Airlines For US Airways: Embraer ERJ-170-100-SU N828MD N829MD September 2005 September 2005  Denmark  Norway  Sweden SAS Scandinavian Airlines Airbus A330-343X McDonnell Douglas MD-82 McDonnell Douglas MD-81 Boeing 737-883 SE-REF OY-KHE LN-RRL OY-KHP February 2004 August 2004 January 2005 May 2005  China Shanghai Airlines Boeing 767-36D B-2570 November 2007  Singapore Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-312 Boeing 747-412 Boeing 777-212ER 9V-SYE 9V-SPP 9V-SRE July 2004 August 2004 September 2004  South Africa South African Airways Airbus A340-642 Boeing 737-844 ZS-SNC ZS-SJV February 2006 May 2006  Spain Spanair Airbus A320-232 McDonnell Douglas MD-87 McDonnell Douglas MD-83 EC-ILH EC-INM EC-IOH EC-KCZ EC-KHA EC-KJE EC-GQG EC-GXU EC-GVO February 2003 April 2003 May 2003 April 2007 July 2007 August 2007 March 2007 September 2007 June 2008   Switzerland Swiss International Air Lines Avro RJ100 HB-IYV HB-IYU March 2006 April 2006  Brazil TAM Airlines Airbus A320-232 Airbus A330-223 PR-MBO PT-MVM May 2010 June 2010  Portugal TAP Portugal Airbus A320-214 Airbus A330-223 CS-TNP CS-TOH June 2006 June 2007  Thailand Thai Airways International Boeing 747-4D7 Airbus A330-322 HS-TGW HS-TEL July 2003 October 2003  Turkey Turkish Airlines Airbus A340-311 Boeing 737-8F2 Boeing 737-8F2 TC-JDL TC-JFH TC-JFI April 2008 March 2009 July 2009  Austria Tyrolean Airways Fokker 100 OE-LVG June 2005  United States United Airlines Boeing 767-322ER Boeing 777-222ER Boeing 747-422 N653UA N218UA N121UA January 2004 (New Version) April 1998 (First Version) November 2004 March 2009  United States US Airways Airbus A319-112 Boeing 757-2B7 N700UW N935UW N936UW September 2004 January 2007 March 2007

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  Adria Airways (2009)
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  Air Canada Airbus A330-343X at Vancouver International Airport (2008)
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  Air China A330-243 at Vancouver International Airport (2008)
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  Air China A330-243 at Vancouver International Airport (2008)
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  Air China A330-243 at Beijing Capital International Airport (2009)
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  Air New Zealand A320 at Melbourne Airport (2008)
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  All Nippon Airways at Kansai International Airport (2006)
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  All Nippon Airways B767-381 at Kansai International Airport (2007)
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  All Nippon Airways B777 at San Francisco International Airport (2008)
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  Austrian Airlines B767-300 at Beijing Capital International Airport (2008)
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  Austrian Airlines B767-300 at Beijing Capital International Airport (2009)
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  Continental Airlines B777-200 at Beijing Capital International Airport (2010)
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  Croatia Airlines Airbus A320 at Dubrovnik Airport (2008)
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  EgyptAir A330 at Paris Charles de Gaulle (2008)
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  EgyptAir A330 at Beijing Capital International Airport (2009)
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  LOT Polish Airlines B767-300ER at Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (2007)
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  LOT Polish Airlines B767-300ER at Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (2007)
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  Lufthansa A340 departing Zürich Airport (2004)
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  Lufthansa B747-400 at Frankfurt International Airport (2006)
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  SAS MD-82 taking off from London Heathrow International Airport (2008)
• Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) seen at Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup (2007)
  Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) seen at Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup (2007)
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  Shanghai Airlines B767-300 at Beijing Capital International Airport (2009)
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  Singapore Airlines B777-200 at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali (2006)
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  Singapore Airlines B747-400 at Singapore Changi Airport (2007)
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  Singapore Airlines B747-400 at Singapore Changi Airport (2008)
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  South African Airways at London Heathrow International Airport (2006)
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  Spanair MD82 in full Star Alliance colours prior to its ill-fated JK5022 flight
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  Spanair A320-232 at Madrid Barajas Airport (2005)
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  Thai Airways B747-400 (2006)
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  Thai Airways B747-400 at Don Mueang International Airport (2006)
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  Turkish Airlines A340-300 at Beijing Capital International Airport (2010)
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  United Airlines B777-200 at San Francisco International Airport (2008)
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  United Airlines B747-422 at San Francisco International Airport (2009)
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  United Airlines B767-300 at Zürich Airport (2009)
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  US Airways Express/Republic Airlines Embraer ERJ-170 at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (2010)

• Star Alliance– official site
• Photos of aircraft in Star Alliance livery