Show menu

ITA Airways Joins Star Alliance on April 1

Passengers move through Rome Fiumicino as ITA Airways Star Alliance entry improves Italy connections and lounge access
by
5 min read

ITA Airways Star Alliance membership is now live as of April 1, 2026, which turns a long planned Lufthansa integration step into a practical change for travelers booking Italy trips with multiple airlines on one ticket. The immediate gains are through check in across alliance itineraries, reciprocal status recognition, and access to Star Alliance lounges for eligible travelers. For passengers connecting through Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) or Milan Linate Airport (LIN), the change reduces some of the friction that sat between ITA and the larger Star network after Lufthansa took its minority stake in the airline in January 2025.

ITA Airways Star Alliance: What Changed

Star Alliance says ITA is now its 26th member, and that from April 1 the airline is fully connected into the alliance network. That network expansion matters most through Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate, which Star says are already served by 17 member airlines, creating more straightforward alliance connectivity into and beyond Italy. In practical terms, travelers flying ITA plus another Star carrier can now expect a more normal alliance experience instead of a patched together one, especially on itineraries that depend on check in coordination, lounge eligibility, and elite recognition.

The loyalty side changed on the same date. Miles and More became ITA Airways' official frequent flyer program on April 1, with Miles and More saying the Lufthansa Group program is now open to all ITA passengers and that further integration will continue over the course of the year. That makes this more than a branding move. It pulls ITA deeper into Lufthansa's commercial system at the same time that alliance benefits go live.

Who Benefits Most From the New Italy Connectivity

The biggest winners are travelers booking one ticket across ITA and Star partners, especially those connecting between Italy and North America, Central Europe, the Balkans, South Asia, or the Middle East through Lufthansa Group hubs and Rome. Business travelers and frequent flyers benefit most because status recognition and lounge access now work in a more predictable way across participating itineraries. Leisure travelers benefit too, but mainly when they are booking mixed carrier journeys instead of simple point to point flights on ITA alone.

There is still a limit travelers should note. ITA says it remains commercially and operationally separate in North and Central America and Japan. That means the alliance move improves the customer side of the trip, but it does not automatically mean every back end process, sales channel, or partnership behaves as if ITA were already fully absorbed into Lufthansa everywhere. Travelers should read that as a structural improvement, not as a sign that every integration wrinkle is gone.

What Travelers Should Do Before Booking

For trips that involve Italy connections, this is a good time to reprice or rebuild itineraries that were previously awkward across alliance lines. A one stop booking through Rome on ITA plus another Star carrier may now be more useful than it was a few months ago, particularly for travelers who value lounge access, status perks, or a cleaner check in flow over the absolute lowest fare.

The decision threshold is simple. If your trip depends on a tight connection, checked baggage, or elite benefits actually working across carriers, Star aligned ITA itineraries now deserve a fresh look. If your trip is purely price driven and nonstop alternatives exist on other carriers, the alliance change is less decisive. It improves trip mechanics more than it changes the basic fare market overnight. Travelers with existing ITA or Lufthansa Group loyalty should also check status match and account details before departure rather than assuming every profile and perk has already migrated cleanly.

Why This Happened, and What Comes Next

This shift is the direct result of Lufthansa Group's January 17, 2025 closing on a 41 percent stake in ITA Airways, while Italy's Ministry of Economy and Finance kept the remaining 59 percent. Lufthansa said at the time that integration would move quickly, with passenger benefits phased in and Star Alliance admission planned afterward. The April 1, 2026 membership date is the visible traveler facing outcome of that strategy.

The bigger travel implication is structural, not promotional. Italy now sits more firmly inside the Star Alliance network, which ITA says spans more than 1,250 airports in 195 countries, while Star says ITA adds stronger southern European depth through Rome and Milan. That should make multi carrier Italy trips easier to assemble and service, and it gives Lufthansa Group another hub system to feed. The next thing to watch is how fast deeper commercial integration spreads beyond alliance basics, because Miles and More says additional offers will roll out through the year, while ITA still flags some geographic separation in North and Central America and Japan.

Sources

Topics