Skip to content
Go to Home Page
Guide

Your complete guide to Star Alliance benefits

Kyle Olsen
Kyle Olsen
Points and Miles Reporter
Kyle Olsen is the points and miles reporter at TPG. He specializes in maximizing points and miles, elite status and credit cards so readers travel more comfortably and at a lower cost.
Sept. 06, 2022
•
5 min read
United Boeing 777 Star Alliance LAX Los Angeles
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.

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.

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

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.

Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

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 image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.