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ITA Airways has been doing lots to align itself with Lufthansa. I recently wrote about how it moved terminals at both Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Munich International Airport (MUC). This week, a vote was held around ITA Airways officially joining Star Alliance. Lufthansa made the motion and it was carried with approval moving forward. Star Alliance says that ITA Airways will become the 26th member of the world’s largest airline alliance.
ITA Airways will add 360 daily flights and provide tons of connections through its hubs in Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) and Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO). ITA Airways is also expected to join the transatlantic joint venture held by Air Canada, Lufthansa, and United.
Star Alliance CEO, Theo Panagiotoulias, said:
In early 2026, ITA Airways is expected to officially join the Star Alliance network as a full member. The decision by our Chief Executive Board underscores the strong confidence our members have in ITA Airways. As a gateway for Italy, its addition strengthens our global network, offering seamless and connected journeys to more travelers worldwide.”
Joerg Eberhart, CEO of ITA Airways, added:
We are excited to join the Star Alliance network and to bring the excellence of Made in Italy into the alliance, further enhancing its global reach. This is a significant milestone in ITA Airways’ growth, and we look forward to offering our customers the future privileges of the world’s largest airline network.”
Once ITA Airways joins Star Alliance, the collective 26 airlines will offer an astounding 18,000 daily flights that connect 192 countries.
Anthony’s Take: I’m excited for ITA Airways to join Star Alliance. They were an outlier when they were a member of SkyTeam. I think this integration will run much deeper (also thanks to the Lufthansa Group’s 41% ownership stake). I used its Hangar Lounge (review here) in Rome again this week and love that space.
(Image Credits: ITA Airways.)
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2 comments
I status matched to Volare Executive status very late last year. I was thrilled until they hit the current situation where they’re neither Skyteam nor Star Alliance so unless I actually fly with ITA my top tier membership is effectively worthless and it expires at the end of the year. Sad and funny at the same time.
Uh, oh. Maybe they will extend it?