Why Not Alliances



Forming alliances is becoming an essential part of most corporate strategies. Combining skills and strengths is the only way to stand out in the ever-expanding consumer market. An alliance can be defined as an association between countries, companies or even organizations to promote their mutual benefit. We all seek a one-stop-shop for our list of requirements and that is exactly what alliances aim to provide.

While alliances have a number of benefits, we would also like to help you understand why travel agents offer an added bonus over alliances and how specialized agencies happen to be the preferred option amongst seasoned travelers.

  1. Flexibility and Rules

There are 3 major alliances in the aviation industry today. These comprise Star Alliance, Sky Team and Oneworld, listed in order of their size. These alliances a formed by a collection of airlines that have come together to provide efficient and effective services to all their customers. However, each alliance is defined by certain rules and regulations. If you were to book your round the world or multi city trip with an alliance you may encounter the following restrictions:

  • The distance to be travelled cannot exceed a certain fixed number of miles.
  • There may be a set number of stopover’s that you are allowed to take on a single ticket.
  • It is possible that your alliance may require to follow one global direction (east to west to vice versa) which means you cannot backtrack.
  • Your starting point and final destination may be required to be the same.
  • Some alliances even have regulations with respect to how many times you can cross over the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean.

These are just a few specifications that are common to most alliances, you may find that when you get down to booking there may be a lot more under the terms and conditions. This can make the process unnecessarily complicated and can easily be avoided.

  1. Options

Since an alliance is formed between a fixed number of airlines, you may find that there is lower frequency of flights to destinations that do not have airlines belonging to the same alliance. This can be very restricting as to avail the benefits of the alliance you need to stick with the options that they provide. You may want to fly to Switzerland via France, but you will need to use the connections available under one alliance to be able to use your frequent flier miles or get the best prices possible. It can be very confusing and time consuming to constantly keep checking about affordable flights to where you need to go. When planning a complex itinerary, you should contact your travel agents as they always have a good idea of alliances, associations and packages that make the investment worth your while.

  1. Costs and Other Benefits

Many people feel that they must stay loyal to their alliance as over time they are entitled to upgrades, lounge facilities, speedier check-in and larger baggage allowance. While all of this may very well be true, you must also know that there are many benefits you may miss out on from trying something new. Undoubtedly, the biggest advantage of using alliances is that they enable you to use and collect frequent flier miles, but you can also find other ways of using and collecting miles by selecting the right airline associations. It is not necessary to stay loyal to an alliance to make the most of your miles. Have a word with your agent and we are quite certain that the advise they have to offer will give you much needed perspective on the best ways to make the most of your air travel.