Star Alliance will soon have a new airline member in Italy, as ITA Airways moves closer to joining the alliance as part of Lufthansa Group. It’ll soon join the ranks of SWISS, Austrian Airways, Brussels Airlines, and indeed, those further afield like Singapore Airlines, Air Canada and United.

Previously, ITA Airways was a SkyTeam member, stemming from the days of Alitalia. But once ITA Airways is officially part of the Star Alliance fold, that’ll open up some great opportunities for earning and using points. For instance, members of programs like Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Air Canada Aeroplan will be able to book ITA Airways reward flights.

On the one hand, this will open the door to easier travel within Italy. Say, flying into Rome on a long-haul flight, but being able to zip to cities like Florance, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Catania and more using points. But it also makes it easier to reach Italy itself, with long-haul flights from places like Tokyo and New York, and short-haul flights from many points across Europe.

For learn more about how the airline is progressing towards those goals, I catch up with the CEO of ITA Airways, Joerg Eberhart. We’re both in Delhi for the invitation-only IATA AGM.

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ITA Airways’ place in Star Alliance

Given Star Alliance is already the world’s largest airline alliance, what more could ITA Airways bring to the table? “ITA is an airline with about a hundred aircraft, with 22 long range aircraft,” Eberhart begins. With hubs in Rome (Fiumicino) and Milan (Linate), “we are pretty much concentrated on Italy.”

“But we also add Italian culture. So we are very glad to be here. We are very glad to have this kind of welcome from Star Alliance. Of course, there’s a lot of work to be done now. There’s a whole list of, let’s say, integration work. But we are looking from the perspective of our customers.”

Once ITA Airways is properly integrated in Star Alliance, the travel experience for passengers gets smoother. ITA Airways flights would be bookable as Star Alliance reward seats, for one thing. This allows flights to be combined onto a single ticket, taking advantage of some frequent flyer ‘sweet spots’ such as KrisFlyer’s very generous reward seat pricing between Europe and the Middle East. (Which, in my experience, is a great way to begin the journey home to Australia, saving on the total number of miles needed if you were already planning a stopover).

There’ll also be the ability to purchase connecting flights with ITA Airways, linked with flights of other Star Alliance airlines. Within that, there’ll be the ability for Star Alliance airlines to issue connecting boarding passes and tag bags through.

Naturally, for those with Star Alliance Gold status, lounge access becomes broader and easier. The same can be said of priority treatment at airports, such as fast-track check-in, boarding and baggage delivery.

“Our customers have to experience seamless travel. They have to experience closeness (with) all the other carriers.” ITA Airways plans to become a Star Alliance member in 2026, so watch this space!

Also read

Featured image courtesy of IATA. Pictured left to right: CEOs of Star Alliance, ITA Airways, and Air India.


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ITA Airways makes tracks towards Star Alliance was last modified: June 4th, 2025 by Chris Chamberlin