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With this behemoth boasting 26 member airlines connecting passengers to 1,300 destinations on more than 19,000 daily flights, chances are that you’ve flown on a Star Alliance carrier. This year, the alliance is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Singapore with a charity run to honor health-care workers.
Star Alliance has two elite tiers — Silver and Gold. Rumor has it that Star Alliance Silver and Gold are being reevaluated. Still, let’s look at all the alliance offers, including its member airlines, status benefits and airline lounges.
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In This Post
Star Alliance airlines
PATRICK PLEUL/GETTY IMAGES
Here’s the list of the 26 airlines that are part of Star Alliance. Juneyao Airlines is a connecting partner of Star Alliance:
Aegean Airlines.
Air Canada.
Air China.
Air India.
Air New Zealand.
ANA (All Nippon Airways).
Asiana Airlines.
Austrian Airlines.
Avianca.
Brussels Airlines.
Copa.
Croatia Airlines.
Egyptair.
Ethiopian Airlines.
EVA Air.
LOT Polish Airlines.
Lufthansa.
SAS.
Shenzhen Airlines.
Singapore Airlines.
South African Airways.
Swiss.
TAP Air Portugal.
Thai.
Turkish Airlines.
United.
Related: Book this, not that: Star Alliance award tickets
Star Alliance status tiers
United Premier Gold members and higher enjoy special perks when traveling on partner airlines like Lufthansa. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Star Alliance has just two elite status tiers: Silver and Gold. These are the benefits associated with both tiers:
Star Alliance Silver
Priority reservations waitlist.
Priority airport standby.
North American airline status: United Premier Silver, Air Canada Aeroplan 25K and 35K.
Star Alliance Gold
Priority reservations waitlist.
Priority airport standby.
Gold Track security.
Extra baggage allowance.
Priority boarding.
Airport lounge access.
Priority baggage handling.
Priority airport check-in.
Upgrades to Business First class on the Heathrow Express.
North American airline status: United Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, Premier 1K, Global Services, Air Canada Aeroplan 50K, 75K and Super Elite 100K.
Certain tickets like inter-Europe “Light” fares on Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian may not have access to these benefits. It’s worth looking at the Star Alliance benefits page to ensure that your ticket has the benefits you expect before planning a lengthy layover.
Related: Which mileage program is best for getting Star Alliance status quickly?
Star Alliance lounges
United Polaris lounges don’t participate in Star Alliance Gold. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
As a Star Alliance Gold status member, you can visit more than 1,000 Star Alliance lounges worldwide.
Let’s look at how Star Alliance lounge access works at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), one of the airports with the most Star Alliance lounges.
KrisFlyer Gold Lounge, Terminal 3.
Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
KrisFlyer Gold Lounge, Terminal 2 (temporarily closed).
Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
Royal Orchid Lounge (temporarily closed).
Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
SilverKris Lounge Business Class, Terminal 3.
Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
SilverKris Lounge Business Class, Terminal 2 (temporarily closed).
Open for Star Alliance Gold members on any Star Alliance carrier.
SilverKris Lounge First Class, Terminal 3.
No access through Star Alliance Gold.
SilverKris Lounge First Class, Terminal 2.
No access through Star Alliance Gold.
The dnata Lounge, Terminal 1.
Only for select Air China passengers.
SATS Lounge, Terminal 3.
Only for select United passengers.
SATS Premier Club Lounge, Terminal 3.
Only for select Air China and Asiana passengers.
SATS Premier Lounge, Terminal 3.
Only for select LOT, Ethiopian, EVA, Turkish, Asiana and Air India passengers.
SATS Premier Lounge, Terminal 1.
Only for select Air China passengers.
It’s quite apparent that there are many rules on access for each lounge, so visit the Star Alliance lounge finder for the most accurate information on lounge access. However, there are a few general exceptions to keep in mind:
First-class lounges, United Polaris lounges and the Air Canada Signature Suite are not included in Star Alliance lounge access.
United elites can only access the United Club when traveling on international itineraries. This is not the case for other airlines; for example, an Asiana Star Alliance Gold member can access the United Club on a domestic United flight.
Related: Gold star: A review of the Star Alliance business-class lounge at LAX
Bottom line
Unfortunately, since the benefits of Star Alliance Silver only kick in if your travel plans don’t go to plan, there’s minimal value from the alliance’s entry-level tier.
Outside of luggage benefits and priority boarding, the best benefit of Star Alliance Gold is access to more than 1,000 business class lounges worldwide. As Oneworld’s top tier provides access to first class lounges, it will be interesting to see if that’s a benefit that’s included in a future iteration of Star Alliance status.
Featured photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy.