Star Alliance began operations in 1997 as the world’s first global airline alliance.
The alliance was founded by Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International, and United Airlines. Its original purpose was to let participating airlines coordinate networks, offer reciprocal frequent-flyer benefits, and provide smoother connections across continents.
Star Alliance’s creation marked a shift from individual airline competition toward large international partnership networks. Members continued to operate separately, but passengers could often book connecting journeys and earn or redeem loyalty points across multiple carriers.
Oneworld followed in 1999, while SkyTeam began operations in 2000. Those later alliances are sometimes confused with Star Alliance because all three became major global networks, but Star Alliance was the first of the three to launch.