Around the World

he Star Alliance is the largest consortium of airlines offering Around the World fares. This group offers several mileage fares, based on three levels of travel; 29,000, 34,000, and 39,000 miles.

The Star Alliance consists of the following airlines: Air Canada, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Asiana, Austrian Airlines, British Midland, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, SAS Scandanavian, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SpanAir, Swiss International, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, United Airlines, and US Airways. Travel benefits are also available on regional airlines Adria Airways, Blue 1, and Croatia Airlines.

This partnership presently claims to offer service to over eight hundred destinations in one hundred and ten countries worldwide. All the airlines in this alliance participate in each others frequent flyer program, and have integrated lounge access, and baggage handling to make the journey more convenient

Fare Information

Mileage	Coach	Business	First
29,000	$3,800	$7,400	$9,800
34,000	$4,400	$8,450	$11,200
39,000	$5,150	$9,950	$13,200

The prices listed above are in US dollars for departures originating in the United States. They do not reflect any additional taxes and are subject to change without notice until ticket is purchased.

Routing Information

Below you will find a review of the various routing options as well as some pros and cons of the program to consider.  We hope this helps in your decision making process.

North America

Eighteen of the carriers have some service to or through North America, utilizing the extensive route structure of these airlines.  United now the second largest airline in the world, has service to most cities in the United States and the Caribbean. US Airways has recently joined this alliance and added its extensive array of North American destinations. Air Canada, is the major carrier in Canada, and services many destinations in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

South and Central America

 United Airlines and Lufthansa have limited service between some South American cities. United provide service between North and South America.  Lufthansa has widespread route networks to cities throughout Europe. No direct service to Australia is available however. South African Airlines provides direct service to destinations on the African continent.

The recent demise of former member Varig Airlines has severely restricted travel within the South American Continent.

No Central American airlines are members of this Alliance but both United and US Air service many Central American destinations.

Europe

European coverage is outstanding! All the airlines in this alliance have some service to the continent and several major European carriers are members of this alliance With the recent additions of Swiss International, and South African Airways this alliance has even more destinations than ever to offer.

One major advantage of this alliance is the number of stops you may make in Europe which is not limited.  While other alliances severely limit travel in Europe this group encourages extensive travel.

Asia

Thai Airlines has its primary hub located in the heart of South East Asia in Bangkok. Singapore airlines adds its' extensive route network in the region. ANA All Nippon has routings throughout Japan and the rest of Asia. Asiana services a vast network of destinations in the region from its' hub in Seoul, South Korea.

Other airline hubs are located in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Delhi  This is not a list of destinations.  These cities are where you can make connections to other Star Alliance airlines, to an incredible number of Asian cities. No limitation is made on number of stops in this region. 

Africa

South African Airways as long rumored, has joined the Star Alliance. It offers an extensive network of destinations on the African continent as well as connections to cities around the world. Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines offer service from Europe, while Singapore and Thai Airlines have connections to Asia in Johannesburg. 

South Pacific

Air New Zealand is one of the dominant carriers in the South Pacific region and many destinations throughout the South Pacific are easily accessible.  United, Thai, South African, Singapore and Asiana also offer limited service in this region.

No Australian airline participates in the alliance so travel on that continent is severely restricted.

Possible Itineraries

Utilizing  the different fare structures and the permitted partners, the following itineraries are possible. Listings below are samples only, the number of actual routings are only limited by the destinations you which to visit.

29,000 MILES: CHICAGO - SAN FRANCISCO - HONOLULU - AUCKLAND - CHRISTCHURCH - SYDNEY  - SINGAPORE - BANGKOK - DELHI - FRANKFURT - ROME - MUNICH - MADRID - LONDON - NEW YORK - CHICAGO 

34,000 Miles: CHICAGO - TOKYO - BEIJING - BANGKOK - KATMANDU -SINGAPORE - BOMBAY - FRANKFURT - RIO DE JANEIRO - BUENOS AIRES - SANTIAGO - MEXICO CITY - CHICAGO

39,000 MILES: CHICAGO - MEXICO CITY - SANTIAGO - RIO DE JANEIRO - MADRID - FRANKFURT - JOHANNESBURG - SINGAPORE  - SYDNEY - AUCKLAND - HAWAII- CHICAGO

These are just a few of the possible routings, thousands of different routing possibilities can be utilized with theses fares.

How to Book this fare!

This fare is most easily booked by contacting one of the Star Alliance airline members.  Usually the airline handling the first international segment is responsible for ticketing and may be the best carrier to contact.

Additional Tools

Mileage calculator: This is a great link to determine mileages between principal cities

Airline Schedules: For detailed schedule information of the airlines participating in these programs please use the above link.

Airline Maps: For detailed route network maps of the primary airlines in this group use this link.

Fare Rules

The main features of the Round-the-World Fare are:

• You can travel with any Star Alliance member airline subject to some flight exceptions. Start and end of your journey have to be located in the same country and one Atlantic and one Pacific crossing have to be included in your itinerary. 
• Star Alliance Round-the-World Fare is available for travel in First, Business or Economy Class. 
• There are 3 fare levels, allowing you to travel up to 29,000, 34,000 or 39,000 miles. The exact fares will depend on the origin and the class of service of your journey. 
• There is no high season surcharge, so it does not matter when you depart. You simply need to determine the class of service and the total mileage you need. 
• If your journey originates in Canada, USA or Mexico, you can buy your ticket up to seven days before departure. In all other cases, you can buy your ticket at any time before you depart. 
• Your journey may last any time between 10 days and a year. You can change the dates of most of your flights at any time, except for those flights up to and including your first international or intercontinental journey. For a small fee, you will be permitted to change destinations.
• You can take as few as three, or as many as 15 stopovers in different cities (within the permitted mileage). The maximum number of stopovers within certain regions may be limited.
• The fares and more specific conditions for a Round the World ticket will depend on where you start your journey. In order to find out specific information, please be advised that you can either contact your travel agent or your nearest Star Alliance member airline's reservation department.