A crucial factor in shaping your strategy, from accumulation and purchases to transfers and ticket issuance, is comprehending how airlines operate in relation to one another and the options available for choosing where to accumulate miles.

Airline alliances are groups formed by several airlines that often share the same mileage program. In other words, if you accumulate Avios points, you can transfer these points to other airlines within the same alliance that use these points, or, through the website of one of the airlines, you can book a ticket with another airline from the same alliance, using your accumulated miles.

Many times, when you search for flights on an airline's website, the results also include flights from other airlines within the same alliance.

This means you don't necessarily need to stick to a single airline, and you're not limited to relying solely on your country's local carrier. For example, if you live in Germany, you don't have to consider only Lufthansa. With the same miles, you can book a ticket through a much better promotion with TAP or take advantage of a great bonus transfer opportunity to send Livelo points to KLM, for instance.

You might also need a short-haul flight within Europe, which you can book with a low-cost carrier, spending much less than if you purchased a cash ticket from Lufthansa.

Star Alliance - Miles & More

The Star Alliance is the world's largest airline alliance, with Lufthansa as its principal member.
You can accumulate miles by flying with any airline within the alliance and use (or transfer) these miles with any airline within the alliance. In other words, you can fly with Lufthansa, earn miles in the Miles & More program, transfer these miles to TAP, and/or book a ticket with TAP using the miles accumulated from Lufthansa.

The Star Alliance currently comprises 26 airlines, including:

Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca Brasil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, United.

Check all the airlines in the Star Alliance here.

You can enroll in the Miles & More program here.

SkyTeam - Flying Blue

SkyTeam is the world's second-largest airline alliance, with Air France as its principal member.
You can accumulate miles by flying with any airline within the alliance and use (or transfer) these miles with any airline within the alliance. For example, you can fly with Air France, earn miles in the Flying Blue program, and use these miles to book a ticket with KLM.

SkyTeam currently consists of 19 airlines, including:

Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeroméxico, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, Xiamen Airlines.

Check all the airlines in SkyTeam here.

You can enroll in the Flying Blue program here.

OneWorld Alliance - Executive Club

The OneWorld Alliance is the world's third-largest airline alliance, with British Airways as its principal member.
You can accumulate miles by flying with any airline within the alliance and use (or transfer) these miles with any airline within the alliance. For instance, you can fly with British Airways, earn miles in the British Airways Executive Club program, transfer/use these miles with Iberia, and book a ticket with Iberia using the miles accumulated from British Airways.

OneWorld consists of 13 airlines, including:

Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan Airlines.

Check all the airlines in the OneWorld Alliance here.

You can enroll in the British Airways Executive Club program here.

IAG (International Airlines Group) - Avios

The International Airlines Group is a consortium of airlines from the UK 🇬🇧, Spain 🇪🇸, and Ireland 🇮🇪, including British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, and Level, and it features the Avios mileage program.

The Avios program is also used by the OneWorld Alliance, establishing synergy between the two groups.

You can enroll in the Avios program here.