ITA Airways begins Lufthansa Group integration, to join Star Alliance in 2026  

Lufthansa has unveiled further, more detailed, plans as to how it will integrate newly acquired Italian carrier ITA Airways into its own global operations going forward. In a statement released on February 3, 2025, the German airline group announced post-merger plans that incorporate a plethora of activities, from the alignment of frequent flyer programs, the moving of flight operations together within certain airport terminals, lounge access, codesharing, and the coordination of flight schedules.

At a press conference held in Rome, Carsten Spohr, CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Sandro Pappalardo, Chairman of ITA Airways, and Joerg Eberhart, CEO of ITA Airways, presented the steps already taken by Lufthansa to incorporate the newest member of the growing Lufthansa Group of carriers into the fold, and how these steps will benefit customers of ITA Airways as well as the German airline and its partners.

With immediate effect, 36 million existing members of Lufthansa’s loyalty scheme, known as ‘Miles & More’, can earn and redeem miles on all ITA Airways flights. At the same time, the 2.7 million members of Volare, the ITA Airways frequent flyer program, can earn and redeem their points on all flights operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines collectively.

Cineberg / ShutterstockAdditionally, once the IATA northern summer scheduling season kicks off on March 30, 2025, ITA Airways passengers and those of Lufthansa Group carriers will be able to benefit from joint operations within a single terminal at Lufthansa’s primary German hubs at Frankfurt Airport (FAR) and Munich Airport (MUC). Using the same terminal “is an essential prerequisite for quick and comfortable transfers at the Lufthansa Group’s hubs,” said a Lufthansa statement.

With the start of the summer of 2025, ITA Airways will move into the Lufthansa spaces within Terminal 1 in Frankfurt and into Terminal 2 in Munich, which will allow for simpler transfers between flights operated by the respective carriers and reduce the amount of time between connecting flights. At all other hubs of the Group, as well as at the primary ITA Airways hubs of Rome-Fiumicino (FCO) and Milan-Linate (LIN), the Lufthansa Group airlines already operate flights from the same terminals as ITA Airways.

There will be closer coordination of flight schedules between the Group’s main hubs, said the statement. In particular, flight connections between the Lufthansa Group’s hubs located at Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, and Brussels, plus ITA Airways’ two main hubs at Rome and Milan will be optimized and better distributed throughout the day to offer customers more flexibility in their travel plans.

In terms of lounge access, also starting on March 30, 2025, ITA Airways passengers will also be able to access approximately 130 lounges of the Lufthansa Group and its partners while traveling on the Group network worldwide. As part of the reciprocal deal, ITA Airways lounges will also be open to Lufthansa Group passengers from the same date.

DCStockPhotography / ShutterstockNew codeshare launched

The carriers will also launch a new codeshare agreement to enhance booking flexibility and connectivity for passengers. Lufthansa said, “By adding ITA Airways flights to the route networks of Lufthansa Group Airlines, customers will have more choice and greater flexibility.”

“With the start of the summer flight schedule, more than 100 flight connections will initially share their flight numbers and can thus be more easily combined. These code-shares make it possible to combine flights of different airlines in the group into a single booking. Once fully implemented, this code-sharing will give ITA Airways passengers access to over 250 destinations of the Lufthansa Group.”

“For passengers of the Lufthansa Group airlines, the offer will be expanded to include ITA Airways domestic flights to Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria and Puglia. All codeshare connections can be booked from 25 February through all global sales channels, including online and via the Lufthansa Group and ITA Airways apps,” the statement concludes.

Markus Mainka / Shutterstock“Now that ITA Airways has become a member of our airline family, we want to push ahead with the merger quickly, so that ITA and its passengers, as well as the guests of our other passenger airlines, can quickly benefit from the advantages of an expanded Lufthansa Group, “ commented Carsten Spohr, CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “We are also confident that ITA Airways will realize a profit as early as this year. All in all, we are convinced that today, the start of the integration of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group marks the beginning of a joint success story for customers, employees, and shareholders of ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group.”

Switching alliances

Perhaps one of the most significant changes being implemented as part of the takeover deal will see ITA Airways leave the SkyTeam global airline alliance, with a transition period already underway. ITA Airways will then join Star Alliance, of which Lufthansa was a founding member in 1997. The Italian airline’s admission to Star Alliance, the biggest global aviation alliance, is seen by both carriers as of crucial importance for the success of the newly enlarged airline group.

InsectWorld / ShutterstockWith preparations underway for ITA Airways to join Star Alliance during the first half of 2026, SkyTeam (along with its leading members of Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, China Eastern, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air, MEA, SAS, Saudia, Virgin Atlantic, and TAROM), are reported to be “working closely with ITA Airways to ensure a smooth transition for customers and partners during the exit phase, which concludes by 30 April 2025.”

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ITA Airways begins Lufthansa Group integration, to join Star Alliance in 2026  

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