TL;DR (May 2026): The three global airline alliances have undergone significant membership shifts since late 2024, directly impacting how Australian travellers earn and burn points. Star Alliance has exchanged Asiana’s Seoul–Australia nonstops for fuller integration of ITA Airways, opening new Italian gateways but leaving a Korean gap. SkyTeam welcomes LATAM Airlines and the return of China Southern, dramatically boosting South America and China connectivity. oneworld consolidates its South Pacific presence with Fiji Airways joining as a oneworld connect partner, while Royal Air Maroc and Air Serbia deepen network options for multi-stop itineraries. For SYD/MEL-based frequent flyers, these changes recalibrate the value proposition of Qantas Frequent Flyer, KrisFlyer, and Flying Blue. Below, we dissect the new alliance landscape, provide earning and redemption comparisons on key long-haul routes, and deliver Australian-specific cents‑per‑point valuations.
1. The Alliance Bedrock for Australians in 2026
Before examining the membership changes, it’s worth establishing which alliance carriers physically serve Australia. Each alliance’s Australian departure board sets the ceiling for lounges, status recognition, and points redemptions without extra connecting flights. The following list details all full‑service alliance airlines operating their own metal to/from Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL), Brisbane (BNE), Perth (PER), and beyond as of May 2026. Codeshare‑only partners are excluded; operators of actual aircraft are counted.
Alliance Carriers with Direct Flights to/from Australia (May 2026):
1、 oneworld · Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Japan Airlines, American Airlines, Royal Air Maroc (seasonal codeshare but no own metal; listed for alliance-wide connectivity)¹ 2、 Star Alliance · Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, United Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Thai Airways, South African Airways, Air China, ITA Airways (via codeshare hubs)² 3、 SkyTeam · China Eastern, China Southern (re‑joined 2025), Korean Air, Delta Air Lines, Air France (codeshare to SIN then own metal), LATAM Airlines (joined April 2026)³
¹ Royal Air Maroc does not fly its own aircraft to Australia but is a full oneworld member offering seamless connections via Doha or Europe.
² ITA Airways does not operate its own metal to Australia; it is accessible via Star Alliance partners with one stop in Asia or the Middle East. South African Airways reinstated full membership post‑restructuring in 2025.
³ Air France’s own metal only reaches SIN; onwards Australian segments are operated by partners. LATAM’s Sydney–Santiago (SYD–SCL) and Melbourne–Santiago (MEL–SCL) flights are now full SkyTeam members.
Even a quick glance reveals a more multi‑polar Australia‑Asia‑Europe axis than existed five years ago. The membership adjustments described below further refine how Australians can optimise their loyalty strategies.
2. The Shifting Membership Map
2.1 Star Alliance: Asiana Out, ITA Airways In
The most consequential Star Alliance development for Australian frequent flyers is the gradual exit of Asiana Airlines from the alliance following Korean Air’s acquisition, which was approved in 2024 and fully consummated by Q3 2025. Asiana ceased to exist as a standalone brand in late 2025, and its Sydney and Melbourne services were either absorbed by Korean Air or discontinued. As a result, Star Alliance lost its only non‑stop Seoul–Australia link, a route that had been a reliable KrisFlyer redemption sweet spot – especially when Asiana business class cabins were released at Saver level.
Impact on Star Alliance redundancy to South Korea:
- Previously: Travellers could fly SYD/ICN or MEL/ICN on Asiana and earn/redeem KrisFlyer miles, with connections to the Asiana network.
- Now: To reach Seoul on Star Alliance airlines from Australia, you must connect via Singapore (SQ), Tokyo (NH), Bangkok (TG), or Hong Kong (codeshare). This adds 3–5 hours to a journey that was previously a 10‑hour non‑stop, pushing many itineraries close to a 15‑hour total travel time.
For Qantas Frequent Flyer members, the change is less severe because Korean Air is not a oneworld member – but it does re‑emphasise the value of KrisFlyer diversifying into non‑alliance partners such as Virgin Australia (which has a codeshare with Korean Air, though redemption opportunities are limited). For Star Alliance loyalists whose primary airport is SYD or MEL, the loss of Asiana nudges the alliance’s convenience score down modestly.
On the plus side, ITA Airways joined Star Alliance in October 2024 and achieved full lounge‑access and mileage‑earning integration by March 2025. ITA serves Rome Fiumicino (FCO) as its hub, and Star Alliance carriers now offer excellent one‑stop connections from Australia via Singapore, Bangkok, or Tokyo. This fills a European gap: the previous SkyTeam member Alitalia had minimal direct relevance from Australia, while ITA’s alliance move means Australians can now redeem KrisFlyer miles on ITA‑operated segments intra‑Europe or to Rome itself. When combined with Singapore Airlines’ non‑stop SIN–FCO flight (which is Star Alliance metal), a SYD–SIN–FCO itinerary in business class on SQ/ITA can be booked as a single Star Alliance award from 111,000 KrisFlyer miles one‑way – opening Rome without painful surcharges on Lufthansa.
Remaining Star Alliance health in Africa: South African Airways (SAA), after a turbulent restructuring, reaffirmed its commitment to Star Alliance and resumed full alliance benefits in January 2025. Its SYD–JNB and PER–JNB flights again allow top‑tier status recognition and mileage earning. This is significant for Australians because connectivity to Southern Africa via Johannesburg now sits transparently within the Star Alliance ecosystem, whereas for years SAA’s partial suspension of alliance privileges created uncertainty.
2.2 SkyTeam: The LATAM Shift and China Southern’s Return
SkyTeam had long been the alliance least relevant to the Australian traveller unless you were a Velocity member piggybacking on Delta. That changed in two dramatic moves:
- LATAM Airlines joined SkyTeam on 1 April 2026, after a multi‑year period without alliance affiliation. LATAM operates the only non‑stop flights between Australia and South America – SYD–SCL (daily) and MEL–SCL (5x weekly). For a decade, these flights were a Qantas oneworld monopoly; now the aircraft are fully integrated into the SkyTeam partnership.
- China Southern Airlines re‑entered SkyTeam in November 2025, reversing its 2019 departure. China Southern has the largest network of any Chinese carrier into Australia, with direct services to Guangzhou from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. This puts the entire China Southern web – including domestic China and deep connections to Europe and North America – under the SkyTeam umbrella.
From an Australian viewpoint, the LATAM move is transformative for those who wish to avoid Qantas’s notoriously high‑tax business class redemptions on the same route. While Qantas continues to fly SYD–SCL as its own oneworld operation, a SkyTeam member can now book LATAM business class using Flying Blue miles (the loyalty currency of Air France–KLM), a currency accessible to Australians via credit card transfer programs like American Express Membership Rewards and Citibank Rewards. We will quantify the value in a later section, but the ability to earn and redeem on South America flights without going through the Qantas ecosystem is a huge win for competition.
China Southern’s re‑entry might appear less flashy, but its dense Australian footprint makes it the single most convenient SkyTeam connection to China. For Australians holding a stash of Flying Blue miles or Delta SkyMiles, the ability to redeem on CZ’s SYD–CAN or MEL–CAN flights – and then onwards to Europe – opens a new set of lower‑tax redemption paths. Historically, China Southern trans‑Pacific and China–Europe flights levied modest fuel surcharges compared with Qantas or Lufthansa, and Flying Blue’s dynamic pricing occasionally yields excellent Promo awards on CZ long‑haul.
2.3 oneworld: South Pacific Consolidation and New European Links
oneworld has not experienced the tectonic shifts seen at Star Alliance or SkyTeam, but two quieter additions keep it relevant for Australians:
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Fiji Airways became a oneworld connect member in February 2026. Fiji Airways operates multiple daily flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Auckland to Nadi, with a growing network of trans‑Pacific services to the US and Canada. As a oneworld connect partner, Qantas Platinum and Platinum One members receive priority check‑in, boarding, and lounge access on Fiji Airways, and Qantas points can be earned (though not status credits) on Fiji Airways flights. For Australians heading to Fiji, Hawaii, or Los Angeles via Nadi, this adds a useful mid‑tier redemption option. The impact is moderate: Fiji Airways’ business class redemptions using Qantas points are often available when Qantas’s own trans‑Pacific flights are full, providing an alternative escape valve.
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Air Serbia joined oneworld as a full member in late 2025. While Air Serbia does not fly to Australia, its Belgrade hub offers a low‑tax European gateway that can be stitched onto a Qantas long‑haul to London or a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. For multi‑city European itineraries, this means Qantas Points can be used for Air Serbia‑operated segments, often at classic award rates significantly lower than intra‑Europe surcharges on British Airways. For example, a London–Belgrade one‑way in economy costs 8,000 Qantas points plus minimal taxes, versus British Airways’ steep carrier charges on the same route. The net effect is to expand oneworld’s utility for niche Europe travel without adding complexity to the core Australia‑Asia‑UK corridors.
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Royal Air Maroc, a full member since 2024, continues to offer a oneworld bridge to North Africa, though its relevance to Australians is primarily for those flying Qatar Airways to Casablanca and needing onward connections.
Overall, oneworld remains the “home” alliance for many Australians by vi