At the beginning of the year, the European Union green lit Lufthansa‘s venture to acquire a 40% stake in ITA Airways. The first statement from the German airline was nothing but a press release containing no quotable information. That changed today. Within another press release, Lufthansa named milestones and time stamps for ITA Airways’ future. Among those are that starting today, crediting ITA Airways tickets to Lufthansa’s Miles&More loyalty programme is possible, and dates for ITA’s impending switch from SkyTeam to Star Alliance have been set.
ITA Airways Faces Eight Months Without Alliance Membership
ITA Airways will leave their current SkyTeam aviation alliance in April 2025 and join many other Lufthansa Group airlines in Star Alliance at some point in early 2026. That also means that elite status holders of ITA Volare can no longer enjoy frequent flyer benefits on SkyTeam departures after April 30, 2025.
During the transition period, set to last at least eight months, other frequent flyer benefits are a bit up in the air. The only thing that has been specifically addressed was lounge access:
“From summer 2025, the lounge networks of the Lufthansa Group and ITA Airways will gradually be harmonized. Eligible passengers will gradually gain access to an extended lounge network. This includes 23 lounges belonging to ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group, 10 partner lounges and more than 100 third-party lounges. Reciprocal lounge access is available to qualifying passengers of all airlines, providing significantly more comfort and choice at airports.”
If “from summer 2025” means whether the process will start in June or August was not mentioned. How fast the “gradual harmonization” works remains unanswered, as well. Miles&More status holder with an ITA ticket will most likely face some confusion this summer, unless bag and lounge access regulations are clearly regulated by the travel class.
Reciprocal Mileage Credits and Redemptions Possible as of Today
Information regarding both airlines’ frequent flyer programs are more concrete. Currently, ITA Airways runs its own Volare program, while all Lufthansa Group airlines are part of Miles&More. The future of Volare remains unmentioned, but reciprocal mileage credits are possible as of February 3, 2025 (today).
Award redemptions through each other’s program are possible, too. While looking for examples, a search from Rome to Bangkok resulted in no ITA Airways, but plenty of Star Alliance partner flights. On the other hand, searching for a ticket from Milan to Munich yielded in connections operated by ITA:
Even More News: Terminal Changes and Codeshare Flights
Unsurprisingly, ITA Airways also announced terminal changes in both Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC), to join operations with other Lufthansa Group airlines. These changes take effect with the beginning of the 2025 summer schedule at the end of March. Furthermore, ITA Airways and Lufthansa are set to start code share flights during the 2025 summer holidays. This step increases the number of destinations available with both airlines and eases up connectivity.
The press release also states that ITA tickets will become available through Lufthansa’s booking system on February 25, 2025. This is not necessarily good news, as the Italian airline has regularly been giving out attractive discount codes in the past two years. Switching the booking platform will most likely put an end to that.
Bottom Line
Lufthansa has addressed the future of ITA Airways in a surprisingly short and unceremonial press release. Crucial information includes that ITA is set to leave SkyTeam in April 2025 and join Star Alliance at an undisclosed date in early 2026. Furthermore, mileage credits and redemption between the two airlines’ loyalty programs are possible, effective immediately. While most details remain up in the clouds, the foundational work of ITA’s integration into Lufthansa Group has been mapped out.
Cover Picture: Photo by Aron Marinelli on Unsplash
Comment (1)
I wonder what impact this will have on Air Dolomiti, if any ?