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[TRAVEL] Update to Airline Alliances (updated May 11, 2014)

We previously wrote a posting about flying with airline alliances. I continue to believe that you should always consider all the options that airline alliances have to offer.

If you collect Aeroplan points because you are based in Canada and that is the only airline that is a member of any of the three airline alliances, your Aeroplan points are actually very flexible. First off, you can earn points through credit card sign up bonuses, credit card spending, as well as flying on partner airlines. If you fly on United Airlines, the money you spend on that flight can bank you Aeroplan points. Then, you can use those Aeroplan points on a flight with Lufthansa. Using this method, you can actually completely avoid ever flying on an Air Canada flight, which taking advantage of the Aeroplan points that you earned from credit card spending and sign up bonuses.

I would like to point out that there has been a lot of Air Canada bashing, mostly due to their high fees, however, I generally find Air Canada an enjoyable flight regardless. The airline has a lot to offer. If they can lower the fuel surcharges, they might actually rank higher on people’s preferred choice of airline to fly on.

Below are updates to the memberships within three major airline alliances:

Airline Alliance

Oneworld SkyTeam Star Alliance
Air Berlin Aeroflot Adria Airways
American Airlines Aerolíneas Argentinas Aegean Airlines
•   US Airways (added on March 31, 2014) Aeromexico Air Canada
British Airways Air Europa Air China
•    BA CityFlyer Air France Air India (to be added in July 2014)
•    British Airways Limited Alitalia Air New Zealand
•    Comair China Airlines All Nippon Airways
•   OpenSkies China Eastern Asiana Airlines
•   Sun-Air China Southern Austrian Airlines
Cathay Pacific Czech Airlines Avianca
Dragonair Delta Air Lines Avianca Brazil (to be added in 2014)
Finnair Garuda Indonesia (added on March 5, 2014) Brussels Airlines
•   Flybe Nordic Kenya Airways Copa Airlines
Iberia KLM Croatia Airlines
Japan Airlines Korean Air EgyptAir
LAN Airlines Middle East Airlines Ethiopian Airlines
•   LAN Argentina Saudia EVA Air
•   LAN Ecuador TAROM LOT Polish Airlines
•   LAN Express Vietnam Airlines Lufthansa
•   LAN Peru Xiamen Airlines Scandinavian Airlines
•   LAN Colombia (added on March 31, 2014) Shenzhen Airlines
Malaysia Airlines Possible future members to SkyTeam: Singapore Airlines
Qantas Air Madagascar South African Airways
Qatar Airways Air Mauritius SWISS International Air Lines
Royal Jordanian Gol Transportes Aéreos TAM Airlines (ceased on March 31, 2014)
S7 Airlines Hunnu Air TAP Portugal
SriLankan Airlines (added on May 1, 2014) Uzbekistan Airways Thai Airways International
TAM Airlines (added on March 31, 2014) Virgin Atlantic Turkish Airlines
TAM Paraguay (To Be Determined) United Airlines
US Airways (ceased on March 31, 2014)

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