ITA Airways and Lufthansa, what would change for Italian frequent flyers
News of a possible marriage, commercial and equity, between Lufthansa and Ita Airways has been circulating incessantly on [...]
Star Alliance
SkyTeam
News of a possible marriage, commercial and equity, between Lufthansa and Ita Airways has been circulating incessantly in various news sources, without finding any confirmation from those directly involved.
In this article:
In case this happens this would be a real revolution for the Italian frequent flyer world And, for once, it would be a change for the better.
Goodbye Skyteam
The Lufthansa Group and its subsidiaries Brussels, Swiss and Austrian are the driving force behind the Star Alliance. It is therefore practically a foregone conclusion that ITA Airways, should the agreement with LH close, Will switch to this alliance. This is an avenue that the current management had deliberately left open, since When he sealed his entry into SkyTeam., did so only temporarily and only for a period of 12 months.
Even the current Tergiversary in launching the new Volare loyalty program could be read in this direction. Today, enrollees are still in limbo, do not have a card and the program regulations themselves have not yet been published. Here's that if between now and the end of February the rumors are confirmed, ITA could change the details of its frequent flyer program on the fly.
I have never hidden how my hopes were for a farewell to the SkyTeam alliance., the weakest of the JVs in the aviation world, preferring a move to Star Alliance. I have written this several times and I am increasingly convinced of it.
Why Star Alliance is better than SkyTeam
There are subjective factors and of course objective factors as well. Subjective factors are definitely the destinations we want to reach, the languages spoken on board, the ease of taking flights of that particular alliance in the vicinity of where one lives. I, for example, live less than 60 minutes from Nice airport, it is obvious that for me flying AF from this airport is an advantage over the few routes I have from Genoa and without having to go all the way to Milan.
I know people who travel LH because they don't speak English, but German, and so they find themselves more relaxed when they are on board.
In my case, objective issues carry much more weight. since I speak several languages and do not have a favorite destination for my travels. Personally, I am looking for the best cabin, the biggest planes, and the ability to be able to use my points on the most airlines.
If it were a soccer game, where we compare formations role by role, I would say. the LH group compared with AF/KLM wins easily, because it has more than twice as many hubs from which intercontinental flights depart (FRA, MUC, BRU,VIE,ZUR) and not just two (CDG/AMS) and because it has a much more diverse fleet with the pearl of the 747. In terms of cabins, the businesses are similar; however, the Germans have many more first-class seats. Of course, La Premiere's service is superior, but since it is not accessible to SkyTeam partner programs it is a point in SA's favor.
The two U.S. carriers in terms of cabin are equivalent; United's new Polaris and Delta's One Suite are nice. United wins short snout because its policy of using multiple hubs in the U.S. is winning over Delta, which concentrates (almost) all its flights from New York and Atlanta.
The bulk of the difference, however, between SkyTeam and Star Alliance is made by the other companies. It is impossible to compare Singapore Airlines with Vietnam Airlines. Just as All Nippon Airlines is much better than Korean Airlines. Turkish outclasses MEA and Saudia. And one could go on running down the list with Thai, Air New Zealand, EVA much better than any SkyTeam member.
Why Italian frequent flyers would gain
Much will depend on the agreements that will be signed by ITA Airways, but with LH's backing you can bet that it will not be the last wheel on the wagon as it is today under the control of Delta and the Franco-Dutch. Certainly today an Italian is able to Book a ticket in first with Singapore Airlines, thanks to Membership Rewards points, but the vast majority of SA carriers are off limits except by wasteful triangulation of points.
Accumulating miles with the Volare program will open the door to all alliance companies being able to target award tickets such as Lufthansa First Class and what is considered the best in the world, namely ANA's armchair.
But it's not just about premium cabins, it's the ability to take advantage of premium status, or higher, to access the best lounges around the world even when flying economy.
In conclusion
A higher quality of partners, more airlines, and a much more extensive network. These are the reasons why I believe that leaving SkyTeam for Star Alliance will be good for all reward travel enthusiasts.
