It has been almost 30 years since the Star Alliance was formed as the world's first major airline alliance. Founded, as the group's website recalls, " in 1997 [by] five airlines from the Americas, Europe and Asia ," the alliance has since grown to feature more than two dozen member carriers. Several of these are from Europe, but which ones? Let's take a look, as well as examining some structural changes.
Lufthansa was a founding member Back in 1997, the Star Alliance started as a much smaller entity, but with the same goal of bringing the world closer together through codeshares and integrated network and ticketing solutions. Among its five founders was German flag carrier Lufthansa, with the Cologne-headquartered national airline actually being one of two European founders alongside the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). Love aviation history ? Discover more of our stories here! However, earlier this year, SAS left the Star Alliance in order to join SkyTeam instead, leaving just four founding members.
Alongside Lufthansa , the other three are Asia's Thai Airways and North America's Air Canada and United Airlines. Over the years, Lufthansa has celebrated its membership in the Star Alliance by painting jets in a special livery. According to Lockon Aviation , the types used include: Airbus - A319, A320, A321, A340-300, A340-600.
Boeing - 747-400, 767-300. Bombardier CRJ700. Other Lufthansa Group carriers are also present Nowadays, Lufthansa is one of several airlines that form.
