Lufthansa took a 41% stake in ITA Airways in January (read more here) and has quickly started integrating the airline into its system and the Star Alliance.
ITA Airways has today exited SkyTeam, but there will be a transition phase through April 30, 2025, during which most, if not all, existing benefits will be honored. ITA Airways integration into the Star Alliance has already begun, and it is expected to join in the first half of 2026.
You can access ITA Airways here.
Lufthansa Miles&More and ITA Airways Volare members can from today collect miles and points for each others flights.
Miles&More and Volare elite members will have access to each others and select partner lounges from March 30, 2025.
SkyTeam’s Press Release:
ITA Airways exits SkyTeam Alliance
AMSTERDAM, 3 February 2025 – ITA Airways has ended its membership in the SkyTeam Alliance.
SkyTeam, its member airlines and ITA Airways are working closely together to ensure a smooth transition for customers and partners during the exit phase, which concludes by 30 April 2025.
Customers are advised to consult their airlines directly with questions related to SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus benefits, SkyPriority services, lounge access and loyalty mileage accrual and redemption for upcoming travel involving ITA Airways.
On behalf of SkyTeam and its member airlines, we thank ITA Airways for three years of partnership and wish the airline all the best for the future.
SkyTeam member airlines will continue to serve nine cities across Italy, with more than 1,000 flights to and from the country operated weekly by Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, China Eastern, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air, MEA, SAS, Saudia and TAROM.
Bilateral frequent flyer agreements are currently in place between ITA Airways and Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air, MEA, Saudia and Virgin Atlantic. These agreements may be subject to change and customers should consult their individual airlines directly for the latest information.
Lufthansa’s Press Release:
Integration of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group has commenced
- With immediate effect: Miles for Miles & More members with ITA Airways and points for Volare members with the Lufthansa Group’s network airlines
- From 30 March: ITA Airways will move into Terminal 1 in Frankfurt and into Terminal 2 in Munich
- From 30 March: mutual lounge access
- From 30 March: 100 code shares connections and coordinated European flight schedule
- ITA Airways leaves SkyTeam
From the use of frequent flyer programs, moving of flight operations at airport terminals, lounge access, code sharing, coordinated European flight schedule – customers will already be able to see the benefits of the integration, shortly after the Lufthansa Group’s concluded participation in ITA Airways. At a press conference in Rome, Carsten Spohr, CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Sandro Pappalardo, Chairman of ITA Airways, and Joerg Eberhart, CEO of ITA Airways, presented the first concrete steps and improvements for customers.
With immediate effect, 36 million Miles & More members can earn and redeem miles on all ITA Airways flights. At the same time, the 2.7 million members of the ITA Airways frequent flyer program Volare can earn and redeem their points on all flights operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.
With the start of the summer flight schedule on March 30, 2025, passengers of ITA Airways and Lufthansa Group can enjoy the following benefits:
Under one roof in Frankfurt and Munich: Using the same terminal is an essential prerequisite for quick and comfortable transfers at the Lufthansa Group’s hubs. With the start of the upcoming summer flight schedule, ITA Airways will move into the Lufthansa Airlines terminals in Frankfurt and Munich – into Terminal 1 in Frankfurt and into Terminal 2 in Munich. This will significantly reduce passengers’ transfer times. At all other hubs of the group, as well as in Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Linate, the Lufthansa Group airlines already offer their flights in the same terminal areas as ITA Airways.
Lounge access:
Starting 30 March, ITA Airways passengers will also be able to visit and use the approximately 130 lounges of the Lufthansa Group and its partners on their travels. The lounges of ITA Airways will also be open to Lufthansa Group passengers from this date.
Code sharing:
By adding ITA Airways flights to the route networks of Lufthansa Group Airlines, customers will have more choice and greater flexibility. With the start of the summer flight schedule, more than 100 flight connections will initially share their flight numbers and can thus be more easily combined. These code-shares make it possible to combine flights of different airlines in the group into a single booking. Once fully implemented, this code-sharing will give ITA Airways passengers access to over 250 destinations of the Lufthansa Group. For passengers of the Lufthansa Group airlines, the offer will be expanded to include ITA Airways domestic flights to Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria and Puglia. All codeshare connections can be booked from 25 February through all global sales channels, including online and via the Lufthansa Group and ITA Airways apps.
Coordinated flight schedules between the hubs:
The flight connections between the Lufthansa Group’s hubs (Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels) and ITA Airways’ two main airports (Rome and Milan) are optimized and better distributed throughout the day to offer guests more travel flexibility. Coordinated departure times mean less waiting time for guests and better connections to long-haul destinations.
Change of airline alliance:
In the future, ITA Airways passengers will also be able to take advantage of all the product benefits of the Lufthansa Group. The Italian airline’s admission to Star Alliance, the biggest global aviation alliance, is of crucial importance for this. Preparations have already begun. ITA Airways’ official accession to the Star Alliance is planned for the first half of 2026. Accordingly, ITA Airways already initiated the withdrawal from the SkyTeam alliance.
The cooperation between ITA Airways and Lufthansa Cargo is also to be quickly intensified in the airfreight sector. The first joint offers for freight customers will be available on selected routes as early as the upcoming summer.
Carsten Spohr, CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says:
“Now that ITA Airways has become a member of our airline family a few days ago, we want to push ahead with the merger quickly, so that ITA and its passengers, as well as the guests of our other passenger airlines, can quickly benefit from the advantages of an expanded Lufthansa Group. We are also confident that ITA Airways will realize a profit as early as this year. All in all, we are convinced that today, the start of the integration of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group, marks the beginning of a joint success story for customers, employees and shareholders of ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group.”
Conclusion
ITA’s SkyTeam exit was relatively swift and effectively happened overnight, but the SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits and miles earnings should be in place for the exit phase until April 30, 2025.
It will be another year or so before ITA Airways becomes a full member of Star Alliance. That should be a straightforward process now that Lufthansa is in charge of the airline and can buy the rest of the airline in due course.
We certainly wish Lufthansa the best with their Italian flair and hope they succeed where everyone else has failed (just ask Etihad).
