Switching from BA Executive Club: An Alliance Comparison of Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam

In light of many readers looking to switch from the British Airways Executive Club to another airline loyalty programme, the big question is: which scheme should you choose? 

In this article, we compare the three main airline alliances — Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam — to give you a clear picture of the benefits at each elite tier.  You can then go on to research the one you like the sound of. In the coming weeks, we will cover specific airline loyalty programmes and alliances in more detail to help you make an informed choice.

Why Do Airline Alliances Matter?

Most airlines are part of an airline alliance, with notable exceptions like Emirates and Etihad. Alliances are partnerships that allow airlines to expand their services by collaborating with other carriers.

The three major airline alliances are Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam. Together, they unite over 70 airlines and provide access to nearly every corner of the globe. By joining an alliance, airlines can pool resources, expand their route networks, and offer a better travel experience. You can book connecting flights across multiple airlines on a single ticket.

As you progress through the elite levels of an airline’s loyalty programme, your status is recognised across the alliance. This allows you to enjoy perks with your preferred airline and other airlines in the same alliance.

You don’t earn status directly from the alliance. Instead, your status is based on your membership with a specific airline, corresponding to an alliance tier. For instance, British Airways Silver status aligns with Oneworld Sapphire, and BA Gold matches Oneworld Emerald.

Another advantage of alliances is the ability to fly with one airline and credit your miles to another, giving you more flexibility in earning and redeeming your points.

Before you start reading about the perks of each alliance, it’s important to know how your airline status matches up with the alliance. For example, with Star Alliance, Silver Airline status does not necessarily match up to Silver Star Alliance status. An example of this is ANA Mileage Club Bronze, which is equal to Star Alliance Silver.

Here’s how your airline status matches up to the three alliances:

Star Alliance

SkyTeam

Oneworld

Oneworld Vs Star Alliance Vs SkyTeam

Alliances are a game-changer for the airport and travel experience. While benefits are set at each status level, each carrier has the right to set its own requirements to earn elite status.

Now BA has drastically changed the BA Executive Club, you have three alternative options:

Option 1: Switch to Star Alliance

Option 2: Switch to SkyTeam

Option 3: Switch to another Oneworld airline and enjoy the same perks as if you had BA status by earning Oneworld Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald status. You could also stay loyal to BA.

This post is a simple overview of the three alternative options.

The Perks of Elite Status 

This table compares the perks of elite status in the three main airline alliances:

Key Benefits of Star Alliance Vs Oneworld Vs SkyTeam

Each alliance offers perks like standby priority, priority check-in, extra baggage allowance, and lounge access. They vary in terms of how early you can access these benefits and how generous they are. If you’re currently a BA Silver or Gold member, you’re most likely looking for an alliance and status level that matches your current perks.

Here’s a quick overview of the major perks by alliance status. There’s a more detailed overview below:

Lounge Access

You can read my full comparison of lounge access by alliance here, including which lounges you can access and the guest policies. For a simple comparison:

Star Alliance: Lounge access with Star Alliance Gold.

SkyTeam: Lounge access with Elite Plus. Access is restricted to international flights.

Oneworld: Business lounge access with Sapphire status (BA Silver) and First lounge access with Emerald status (BA Gold).

Verdict: All alliances offer lounge access as a perk of the second level of elite status. This is easier to get with some airlines than with others! Oneworld has the added benefit of access to First lounges with Emerald status.

Extra Baggage Allowance

Extra baggage allowance can be one of the most valuable benefits of elite airline status, especially now baggage is rarely included in economy fares. Although alliances generally advertise particular baggage benefits, they vary massively by airline and fare type.

Star Alliance: At Star Alliance Gold, there is an extra baggage allowance (airline policies apply), usually 20 kg or one extra piece.

SkyTeam: An extra baggage allowance of 10kg or one additional bag, depending on the airline. 20kg or one additional bag is offered for Elite Plus.

Oneworld: No extra baggage allowance at the Ruby level. You need to reach Sapphire to unlock this perk.

Sapphire:

• Weight system (international or domestic): 15kg added to your Economy Class baggage allowance.
• Piece system (international with domestic sectors): One extra bag weighing up to 23kg, with a maximum of two pieces.
• Piece system (domestic only, with no baggage entitlement): One piece of baggage weighing up to 23kg, even if your ticket doesn’t include any baggage.

Emerald

• Weight system: You can check an extra 20kg beyond your ticketed baggage allowance.
• Piece system: One additional checked bag on on top of your ticketed allowance.

Verdict: All alliances have a generous extra baggage allowance for elite members. Rules vary by airline, but SkyTeam has the added benefit of offering extra baggage regardless of fare type. Oneworld has the downside of not offering extra baggage until Sapphire level (BA Silver).

Standby and Waitlists

All three alliances provide priority waitlists and standby perks at their first tier.

Verdict: While this is a helpful feature across all alliances, it’s not a game-changer unless you frequently deal with fully booked flights or need flexibility for last-minute changes. The benefit is similar across all the alliances and not worth switching for!

Priority Check-In and Bag Drop

This is where the alliances start to diverge. Oneworld and SkyTeam offer priority check-in at their first tier, but Star Alliance reserves this perk for Gold members.

Oneworld Ruby: Grants access to Business Class priority check-in counters, even when flying in economy.

SkyTeam Elite: Provides priority check-in through SkyPriority lanes.

Star Alliance Silver: No priority check-in at the Silver level. You need to reach Gold status to unlock this benefit.

Verdict: If you value faster check-in and shorter lines, Oneworld Ruby and SkyTeam Elite are more advantageous at this level than Star Alliance Silver.

Access to Preferred or Pre-Reserved Seating

Oneworld Ruby and SkyTeam Elite offer this benefit at the first tier.

Oneworld: Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating. This varies massively by airline. Some don’t provide this benefit at Ruby equivalent level. British Airways offers seat selection 7 days before departure at Bronze (Ruby) and at the time of booking for Silver (Sapphire).

SkyTeam Elite: Priority seating selection, depending on the airline.

Star Alliance Silver and Gold: No preferred seating benefit

Verdict: If choosing your seat is a priority, Oneworld and SkyTeam are the only alliances where this is a published benefit.

Priority Boarding

Priority is a great benefit, especially on busy flights. Here’s how it compares:

Star Alliance: Priority boarding is reserved for Gold members.

SkyTeam  Priority boarding at the first tier – SkyTeam Elite

Oneworld: Priority boarding is reserved for Sapphire and Emerald holders.

SkyTeam stands out here, offering priority boarding from the first tier, whereas Oneworld and Star Alliance reserve this perk.

Priority Baggage Handling

Getting your luggage quickly upon arrival can make a big difference, especially after a long-haul flight. This perk is offered at the second level across all alliances – Oneworld Sapphire, SkyTeam Elite Plus and Star Alliance Gold.

Priority Security

This benefit varies massively by airport. Here’s how it matches up between the alliances:

Star Alliance: GoldTrack security and immigration at Gold Track Priority Locations from Gold level.

SkyTeam: Priority at immigration and security lanes for Elite Plus members.

Oneworld: Fast Track’ or ‘Priority Lane access at select airports worldwide from Emerald level.

Verdict: All alliances offer this benefit to elite status holders at the top tier. With Oneworld, you’ll need Emerald status to unlock this benefit.

What Other Factors You Should Consider

Your ultimate decision may not be based on the best benefits, but you may be swayed by the alliance that covers more routes in the area you travel to often, how miles are earned and redeemed and where you call home. Additional factors to consider include how long your status will last, the earning rate and family redemptions/benefits. 

Route Network and Home Base

For example, SkyTeam has less of a presence in Asia, while Star Alliance arguably has the biggest presence. All alliances, including United (Star Alliance), Delta (SkyTeam), and American Airlines (Oneworld), have a strong presence in North America.

You may also decide based on where you live. KLM, for example, has flights from many regional airports like Bristol to its AMS hub, making travel much more convenient.

The Airline You’re Already a Frequent Traveller With

If you already have status with another alliance or you have a secondary airline as well as BA, where you’re gradually earning status, I would recommend switching to that alliance. Alternatively, if that airline is part of Oneworld, it may be best to stick to Oneworld.

Option 1: Switch to Star Alliance

Founded in 1997, Star Alliance is the oldest and largest of the three major alliances, with 25 member airlines and the biggest network reach.

The network covers over 1,300 destinations in 195 countries, with more than 19,000 daily departures operated by a fleet of over 5,000 aircraft.

It also has some of the world’s best airlines as members, including Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, ANA, and United Airlines.

A major benefit of the Star Alliance is its strong European and Asian presence. In Europe, members include Lufthansa, Swiss, and LOT Polish Airlines, and in Asia, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, and ANA are members. Another major member is United Airlines, which offers a huge amount of US domestic and international routes.

Here are all the Star Alliance Members:

• Air Canada
• Aegean Airlines
• Air China
• Air India
• Air New Zealand
• ANA
• Asiana Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Avianca
• Brussels Airlines
• Copa Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• EGYPTAIR
• Ethiopian Airlines
• EVA Air
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Swiss
• TAP Air Portugal
• Thai Airways International
• Turkish Airlines
• United

Star Alliance has two status levels: Silver and Gold. Unlike Oneworld, there is no third elite tier equivalent to Oneworld Emerald.

Star Alliance Silver is the entry-level elite status within the alliance. However, if you’re expecting game-changing perks, you might be disappointed. Compared to Oneworld Ruby or SkyTeam Elite, Silver offers only a few modest benefits. While helpful, the Silver benefits are unlikely to drastically improve your travel experience. The real magic happens at the next level: Star Alliance Gold.

Now, Star Alliance Gold is where things get interesting. This tier is equivalent to Oneworld Sapphire or SkyTeam Elite Plus and unlocks a range of valuable perks that can truly make a difference. Think lounge access, priority check-in, extra baggage allowance, and more – everything you need to take the stress out of your journey and give you a better airport experience.

Option 2: Switch to SkyTeam

Founded in 2000, SkyTeam has grown rapidly to include 19 member airlines and has a strong presence in Europe and North America. The network covers an impressive 1,000 destinations across more than 160 countries, with over 13,600 daily departures and more than 624 million passengers each year.

Recent growth has bolstered SkyTeam’s appeal, particularly with the addition of Virgin Atlantic in 2023. Virgin is an excellent choice if you already have or are thinking of applying for a Virgin credit card. You can gain status by getting tier points on redemption! There are also plenty of cheaper non-flight redemption options.

In Europe, SkyTeam is anchored by strong players such as KLM, Air France, and SAS. In North America, Delta is a major member.
In Asia, SkyTeam’s presence isn’t as big as Star Alliance and Oneworld, but it still features valuable partners such as China Airlines, China Eastern, and Korean Air.

SkyTeam has two tiers: Elite and Elite Plus:

SkyTeam members include:

• AeroMexico
• Aerolinas Argentinas
• Air Europa
• Air France
• China Airlines
• China Eastern
• Delta Air Lines
• Garuda Indonesia
• ITA Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM
• Korean Air
• SAS
• Saudia
• Tarom
• Vietnam Airlines
• Xiamen Air
• Middle East Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

Option 3: Stick with Oneworld

You could still have the perks of BA Bronze-Gold if you gain Oneworld Ruby-Emerald status in the Oneworld alliance! Make sure you read Michele’s Oneworld comparison to help decide which Oneworld scheme to go with if you choose to stick with Oneworld.

The Oneworld alliance offers the best benefits due to its three-tier status system and coveted Emerald Status, which gives elite perks like First lounge access.

Oneworld has grown to include 13 member airlines and covers over 900 destinations in 170 countries carrying over 500 million passengers each year.

The alliance has also seen recent growth, including the future additions of Fiji Airways and Oman Air, which will further expand global reach. Oneworld is well represented in Europe with members like British Airways. If you want to switch to a European airline besides BA, there are airlines like Iberia and Finnair to consider.

There’s a strong presence in North America, with members like American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, and the biggest presence in Asia Pacific out of all the alliances. Airlines include Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Qantas.

Current Oneworld members include:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• SriLankan Airlines

Final Words

Choosing the best airline alliance ultimately depends on your personal travel patterns, the airlines you frequently fly with, and the benefits you value most.

In light of the recent changes to the BA Executive Club, are you planning to switch from British Airways to SkyTeam or Star Alliance, or are you considering staying with BA or switching to another Oneworld airline? Share your thoughts in the comments below!