Some of the lesser-known airline partners and how to use them to your advantage

The most effective function of the three main airline alliances — Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld — is which you could earn factors or miles on any service inside a given alliance by flying on every other. Likewise, you should utilize factors or miles from any service in that alliance for award journey on a flight operated by one other. These reciprocal preparations are straightforward to grasp, even when they do not at all times work out so effectively in apply.

Along with the main alliances, airways even have nonalliance companions that passengers can use similarly. Nevertheless, most of the nonalliance companions prohibit which flights you may earn or redeem miles on, so it is essential to evaluate the necessities on the airline’s web site earlier than you guide any flights. Beneath, we’ll undergo a number of the lesser-known airline partnerships and spotlight just a few candy spots to reap the benefits of them.

Air Canada is a part of the Star Alliance. Its Aeroplan program is a switch accomplice of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

• Air Creebec
• Air Dolomiti
• Air Mauritius
• Air Serbia
• Azul Brazilian Airways
• Bamboo Airways
• Calm Air
• Canadian North
• Cathay Pacific
• Uncover Airways
• Edelweiss Air
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways
• Eurowings
• Flydubai
• Gol Airways
• Gulf Air
• Juneyao Airways
• Lufthansa
• Olympic Air
• Oman Air
• PAL Airways
• SunExpress
• Virgin Australia

Nonalliance companions for incomes solely embody:

• Aer Lingus
• Central Mountain Air
• Center East Airways
• SriLankan Airways

Associated: You can now use Aeroplan points for Emirates first class, but it isn’t cheap

Air France and KLM

Air France and KLM are each a part of the SkyTeam alliance. The miles you earn from flights on Air France and KLM — together with nonalliance accomplice Transavia — go to Flying Blue, the loyalty program shared amongst these three airways.

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Flying Blue is a switch accomplice of American Categorical Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Final Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Wells Fargo Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

• Air Corsica
• Air Mauritius
• AirBaltic
• Aircalin
• Chalair Aviation
• China Southern Airways
• Copa Airways
• El Al
• Etihad Airways
• Gol Airways
• Japan Airways
• Malaysia Airways
• Oman Air
• Qantas
• Transavia
• WestJet
• Winair

Flying Blue additionally has a partnership with Bangkok Airways, however solely redemptions are allowed. You can not earn miles from paid Bangkok Airways flights.

Alaska Airways is a part of the Oneworld alliance. Its Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program is a switch accomplice of Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Cape Air
• Condor
• Hainan Airways
• Icelandair
• Korean Air
• LATAM
• Oman Air
• Porter Airways
• Singapore Airways
• Starlux Airways

Nonalliance companions for incomes solely embody:

• Aleutian Airways
• Bahamasair
• Cape Air
• Contour Airways
• Kenmore Air
• Mokulele Airways
• Southern Airways Categorical

Associated: On board Condor’s inaugural Airbus A330neo to NYC — in a swanky new business-class product

ANA is a Japanese-based airline and a member of Star Alliance. Its ANA Mileage Club program is a switch accomplice of American Categorical Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

• Air Dolomiti
• Air Macau
• Etihad Airways
• Eurowings
• Garuda Indonesia
• Olympic Air
• Philippine Airways
• Virgin Atlantic
• Vietnam Airways
• Virgin Australia

American Airways is a part of the Oneworld alliance. Its American Airlines AAdvantage program is just not a part of any bank card switch applications, however it’s a switch accomplice of Marriott Bonvoy.

Nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

Nonalliance companions for incomes solely embody:

• Aer Lingus
• IndiGo
• JetSmart — presently incomes solely however with redemptions coming quickly

British Airways and Iberia are each Oneworld member airways. They’re two of the six airways that use Avios as rewards forex; the opposite airways are Oneworld members Finnair and Qatar Airways and nonalliance members Aer Lingus and Vueling. Although every airline has a person program, you may freely transfer your Avios at a 1:1 ratio between all six airways.

British Airways and Iberia are each switch companions of American Categorical Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Final Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Wells Fargo Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. The previous can also be a switch accomplice of Capital One miles. As a result of you may transfer your Avios between the six collaborating airways, any Avios you’ve in these applications can be utilized to guide a number of nonalliance companions.

British Airways’ nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

The service additionally has a partnership with China Southern Airways, however you may solely earn Avios for paid flights. You can not redeem Avios for China Southern flights.

Iberia’s nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

• Avianca
• Binter Canarias
• LATAM
• Stage
• Vueling

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific is a part of the Oneworld alliance. Its Asia Miles program is a switch accomplice of American Categorical Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

• Air Canada
• Air China
• Air New Zealand
• Austrian Airways
• Bangkok Airways
• Fiji Airways
• Gulf Air
• HK Categorical
• LATAM
• Lufthansa
• Shenzhen Airways
• Swiss

Delta is a member of the SkyTeam alliance. Its Delta SkyMiles program is a switch accomplice of American Categorical Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

• AirBaltic
• Cape Air
• China Southern
• El Al
• Hawaiian Airways
• LATAM
• WestJet

Redemptions on AirBaltic are restricted to connections from a transatlantic award flight on Delta, Air France or KLM. Incomes and redeeming on Hawaiian Airways is restricted to flights solely inside Hawaii.

Nonalliance companions for redeeming solely embody:

• Air Tahiti Nui
• Mandarin Airways
• Shanghai Airways

Associated: 5 things you need to know about the Delta-LATAM joint venture

United is a Star Alliance service. Its United MileagePlus program is a switch accomplice of Bilt Rewards, Chase Final Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Dolomiti
• AirLink
• Azul Brazilian Airways
• Cape Air
• Uncover Airways
• Edelweiss Air
• Emirates
• Eurowings
• Flydubai
• Hawaiian Airways — flights solely inside Hawaii
• JSX
• Juneyao Airways
• Lufthansa
• Olympic Air
• Silver Airways
• Virgin Australia

For Emirates and Flydubai, you may solely redeem miles on choose routes between Dubai and Africa, the Center East and the South Asian subcontinent as a part of an award reservation that features a United flight between Newark and Dubai, all on the identical ticket. Incomes and redeeming on Hawaiian Airways is restricted to flights solely inside Hawaii.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic is a part of the SkyTeam alliance. Its Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program and the Virgin Pink rewards program — which you’ll hyperlink to Flying Membership — are switch companions of American Categorical Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Final Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Nonalliance companions for incomes and redeeming embody:

• Air New Zealand
• All Nippon Airways
• El Al
• Hawaiian Airways
• LATAM
• Singapore Airways
• South African Airways

Virgin Atlantic additionally has a partnership with IndiGo, however you may solely earn factors for paid flights. You can not redeem Virgin factors for IndiGo flights.

Many airways have moved to fluctuating award charges, referred to as dynamic pricing, for redemptions on their very own airline. Nevertheless, most applications nonetheless have an award chart for accomplice redemptions at mounted charges.

Some applications provide zone-based redemptions, the place the award fee is decided by what areas you are touring between. Different applications have distance-based redemptions, the place the award fee relies on the variety of miles between the airports you are touring.

Reviewing an airline’s accomplice award charts may help you goal redemptions which may be notably helpful or noteworthy. Listed here are just a few candy spots of the nonalliance companions.

Alaska redemptions for Starlux enterprise class

Alaska is the one airline accomplice of Taiwan-based Starlux Airlines. Starlux has a formidable business-class product between the U.S. and Taiwan, and award charges begin as little as 75,000 Alaska miles every method.

Associated: A review of Starlux business class on the Airbus A350-900 from Los Angeles to Taipei: Out of this world

Virgin Atlantic redemptions for ANA enterprise or top quality

This redemption is just not as candy because it was after several devaluations over the previous few years. Nevertheless, it is nonetheless probably the greatest makes use of of Virgin factors for premium cabin journey — notably should you can guide The Room enterprise class or The Suite top quality versus the airline’s older merchandise. One-way enterprise class between the U.S. and Japan is out there for as few as 52,500 Virgin factors; top quality is out there for as few as 72,500 factors.

Utilizing Virgin factors presents extra flexibility than ANA’s personal miles; it is because Virgin permits for one-way redemptions whereas ANA solely permits round-trip redemptions. Virgin additionally has many extra choices for transfers from bank card factors and miles applications.