Tag · 14 pieces
Every piece on the journal carrying the star alliance tag, most recent first.
The Star Alliance Lounge at LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal opened to the alliance-wide network in 2013, was extensively refreshed in 2021, and has been operating in its current configuration for five years. We logged three visits in spring 2026 to assess where the lounge sits against the Centurion Lounge at LAX Terminal 5 and the new Chase Sapphire Lounge at LAX Terminal 4 (Q3 2026).
On December 17, 2026, Asiana exits Star Alliance and Korean Air absorbs the brand, fleet, and slots. December 1 is the hard deadline for Star Alliance awards.
Five years on from the 2020 Aeroplan relaunch, the published award chart has gone the half-decade without a devaluation — but on 1 January 2026 Air Canada quietly retired the SQM/SQD elite-qualification model and replaced it with a single revenue metric, Status Qualifying Credits (SQC). We audit the chart, the eUpgrade currency, the new SQC qualification system, the non-Star partner roster, US co-brand earn, and Family Sharing, and we benchmark Aeroplan against MileagePlus, Miles & More, BA Avios, and LifeMiles.
Miles & More after the June 2025 dynamic-pricing transition: the partner chart, Allegris and Swiss Senses First Class redemption access, HON Circle perks, and the structural US accumulation problem. From our own balance, no comped points.
Four visits to ANA's international lounge complex at Haneda T3 between October 2025 and April 2026 — the Suite Lounge naming question, the ramen counter, the sushi bar, the showers, and how ANA's business-tier flagship reads against the JAL Sakura across the same terminal.
We flew IAD-FRA on LH419 in Allegris Business Suite Plus, then back on UA987 in Polaris on the 787-9. The 2026 review of the Washington Dulles to Frankfurt corridor, the alliance lounge stack at IAD, and what to book.
I flew AC1 YYZ-NRT on C-FGDX and AC32 YYZ-FRA on C-FGDT. Here's how Air Canada Signature Class on the 787-9 holds up against UA Polaris and LH Allegris.
Avianca LifeMiles remains the single most valuable Star Alliance currency for partner premium redemptions in 2026, despite two carrier bankruptcies, a Chapter 11 restructuring, and a financial-stability question that has not fully resolved. We worked through the current LifeMiles distance-based award chart, the points-buy promotion cadence, the elite tiers, and the post-bankruptcy risk profile to determine whether the programme still merits a place in the premium-traveller mile portfolio.
I flew CM465 PTY-JFK on the MAX 9 Dreams cabin and CM117 JFK-PTY on the MAX 8 recliner cabin. Here is the difference and how Copa fits the Star Alliance Americas network.
I flew LX52 ZRH-BOS in seat 11A on HB-IFA on the SWISS Senses A350-900 inaugural. Here's how the new cabin holds up against Lufthansa Allegris in 2026.
We worked an ANA Mileage Club balance for six months, booked LH First trans-Atlantic on partner space, and stress-tested the SFC hack. The full 2026 teardown of the partner chart, status tiers, transfers, and round-trip rule.
I flew BR66 Vienna to Taipei in seat 7A on EVA's 787-9 — the doored Royal Laurel cabin that has quietly become Star Alliance's best mid-tier business class. Here is the full 2026 review of a product that punches above its 1-2-1 staggered weight.
I cleared the Senator Lounge at FRA T1 Concourse A at 09:20 ahead of LH456 to ORD. Four visits in January 2026. The long version of what the Senator Lounge actually is in 2026 — and what it is not.
We tested an SQ Suites redemption from JFK to FRA, an EWR-SIN J Saver, and a JFK-FRA-SIN J via LH partner — paid in our own KrisFlyer miles. The full 2026 teardown of Saver, Advantage, Access, partner charts, PPS, and transfers.