Why airline alliances work for global travellers

From smoother journeys to frequent flyer perks, partnerships in the skies offer benefits to all

- CHRIS CHAMBERLIN

Airline alliances are the gold standard of modern aviation. Consistency and proper integration between airlines remove much hassle from the travel experience. But formal alliances offer so much more - and not just for passengers.

Let's wind the clock back to 1997, when the concept first took flight. Hungry for new opportunities, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Thai Airways and United Airlines banded together to form Star Alliance. Dubbed "The Airline Network for Earth", its name tips its key objective - having a broad network of destinations dotted across the map, like clusters of stars in the night sky. For the trivia buffs, Star Alliance's logo also connects five points to create a circuit representing the five founding airlines working together. Precious metals represent Star's global frequent flyer tiers: Silver and Gold.

Not to be outdone, American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines (later absorbed into Air Canada), Cathay Pacific and Qantas would then come together and form Oneworld in 1999. Making a planetary play of its own, Oneworld is symbolised by a globe-like orb, across which its members can transport you. Oneworld's frequent flyer tiers would also pay homage to the Earth, and its high flyers identified via gemstones: Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald.

A third collective emerged in 2000, which joined Aeromexico, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air. SkyTeam championed simplicity over branding trends, where regular flyers would simply be categorised as Elite or Elite Plus.