Star Alliance Fires Back at SAS Defection with Loyalty Status Match

Skift Take

With the ink barely dry on the divorce papers, Star Alliance is wasting no time in luring back some of SAS’ most loyal – and profitable – customers. The aim of this neatly timed promotion is business continuity and customer retention, but it remains to be seen how many frequent flyers will take up the offer.

Gordon Smith, Skift

On September 1, SAS Scandinavian Airlines left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam. The change came just days after Air France-KLM formalized its 19.9% shareholding in the Nordic carrier. With the Franco-Dutch group a cornerstone of SkyTeam, it was incomprehensible that SAS would remain with Star.

SAS EuroBonus silver members are now recognized as SkyTeam Elite, with gold and diamond members now ‘Elite Plus’. Any previous status held through SAS with the Star Alliance disappeared overnight. But that’s not the end of the story.

In a tactical move with timing very much by design rather than accident, Star is offering SAS’ best customers an opportunity that many will find hard to refuse. 

On September 2, Star announced that SAS EuroBonus silver and gold members can now request a like-for-like status match with many of its biggest airlines. 

In a thinly veiled dig at SkyTeam, Star described its offer as “compelling for customers in Northern Europe who seek seamless connectivity and unmatched loyalty benefits offered by Star Alliance.”

Star Alliance on the Offensive

Star issued a bullish statement on Monday morning, keen to show that it is bruised but still in the game after SAS’ departure. It highlights that even without SAS, the alliance still offers strong connectivity between Scandinavia and the world.

A total of 18 Star member carriers, including the Lufthansa Group, United Airlines, and Turkish Airlines, operate more than 3,650 flights each month to the region from 26 global hubs.

Star says this offers customers onward connections to more than 1,070 international destinations — the most of any airline group. SAS was a member of the Star Alliance since its inception in 1997.

For his part, Anko van der Werff, SAS President and CEO described the switch to SkyTeam as “the beginning of a new era” for the Scandinavian carrier. “The partnership will open new opportunities for our passengers, expand our global network, and allow us to collaborate closely with like-minded airlines. Together, we will offer even greater value to our customers while strengthening our position in the global aviation market,” he added.

Alongside Air France-KLM, other big name SkyTeam members include Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic and Saudia.

Who is Star Alliance Targeting? 

The status match is available to eligible members of SAS’ EuroBonus program. Travelers with silver or gold tiers can “seamlessly request” joining one of over a dozen Star airlines including Air Canada, Air India, Thai, and TAP Air Portugal. Individual carriers (full list below) have varying terms and conditions. 

A dedicated webpage has been created with the promise that SAS members can “make [the] move in 60 seconds.” The promotion is available until November 30, 2024.

Monday’s developments are the latest in a long-running battle between the world’s three main airline alliances. Like Star and SkyTeam, oneworld competes to offer airlines, and by definition, their frequent flyers, a series of best-in-class perks to reward loyalty. 

Skift recently sat down with Nat Pieper, the new CEO of oneworld, to learn more about how his alliance is trying to differentiate itself from the other big two. 

The full list of the Star Alliance member airlines participating in the SAS Eurobonus promotion is as follows: