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Alliances & Partnerships

Your miles travel further.
Your accommodations might not.

Airline alliances let you earn and redeem miles across dozens of carriers. They do not automatically transfer your accessibility accommodations. Here is what you need to know before you book a multi-carrier itinerary.

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Read This Before You Book

You book a flight on Delta. You request wheelchair assistance. You show up at the airport and the operating carrier is Air France. Your wheelchair request did not transfer.

This happens constantly on codeshare flights and it is one of the most common accessibility failures in air travel. The airline whose name is on your ticket is not always the airline operating the flight. Accessibility accommodations must be re-requested directly with the operating carrier. This page explains how to protect yourself.

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What is an alliance

Airlines working together so you do not have to.

An airline alliance is a formal agreement between carriers to cooperate on routes, share frequent flyer programs, and offer seamless connections. When airlines are in the same alliance, your miles from one carrier count toward status on another. You can book a single itinerary that spans multiple carriers and check your bags through to the final destination.

There are three global alliances: Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam. Most major international airlines belong to one of them. A handful of significant carriers, including Southwest, JetBlue, Frontier, Allegiant, and Breeze, belong to none.

What an alliance does not do

The gap nobody talks about.

Alliance membership standardizes the frequent flyer experience. It does not standardize the accessibility experience. Each airline in an alliance maintains its own customer of size policy, its own wheelchair assistance procedures, its own accessible service request forms, and its own approach to accommodating travelers with disabilities.

When you are on a multi-carrier itinerary, you are subject to the policies of each individual carrier for each leg. If your first flight is on American Airlines and your second is on British Airways (both Oneworld), you need to make your accessibility requests with both airlines separately. The alliance does not coordinate this for you.

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The three global alliances

Which airlines are in each and what it means for your miles

Oneworld
13 member airlines
Home to American Airlines and its international partners. Alaska Airlines joined in 2021, bringing the West Coast network into the fold. Strong transatlantic and Asia-Pacific coverage through British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines.
AirEndex airlines in this alliance
American Airlines Alaska Airlines Hawaiian Airlines British Airways Cathay Pacific Japan Airlines Iberia Qatar Airways Finnair Royal Jordanian Malaysia Airlines SriLankan Qantas
Alaska and American both use the EXST booking method for extra seats but have very different refund policies. Always check which carrier operates each leg of your Oneworld itinerary before making accessibility requests.
Star Alliance
26 member airlines
The largest alliance by member count. United Airlines anchors the U.S. presence. Air Canada is the primary Canadian carrier. Deep coverage across Europe, Asia, and South America through Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, ANA, and LATAM among others.
AirEndex airlines in this alliance
United Airlines Air Canada Lufthansa Singapore Airlines ANA LATAM Turkish Airlines Swiss Austrian Brussels Airlines LOT Polish Scandinavian Ethiopian Air China + 12 more
Air Canada has the most distinct accessibility policy in this alliance: a free second seat on domestic Canadian flights under specific conditions. United and Air Canada miles transfer freely but accessibility requests do not. Always contact each carrier separately.
SkyTeam
19 member airlines
Delta Air Lines leads the U.S. presence. Strong in Europe through Air France and KLM (operated together as Air France-KLM), and in Asia through Korean Air and China Eastern. Virgin Atlantic joined as an associate member in 2023.
AirEndex airlines in this alliance
Delta Air Lines Air France KLM Korean Air Virgin Atlantic Aeromexico Alitalia (ITA) China Eastern Czech Airlines Garuda Indonesia Kenya Airways Middle East Airlines TAROM Xiamen Air + 5 more
Delta is the most accessible U.S. carrier in SkyTeam. Air France and KLM have their own COS policies and accessibility procedures. On Delta-coded Air France operated flights, your Delta accessibility request will not automatically appear in the Air France system.
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What this means for accessibility travelers

The alliance works for your miles. Not your accommodations.

Here is how alliances and partnerships affect the specific needs of plus size travelers, disabled travelers, and travelers with chronic illness on multi-carrier itineraries.

Wheelchair assistance does not auto-transfer
When you request wheelchair assistance with the ticketing carrier, that request is in their system. The operating carrier on a codeshare leg has a separate system. You must call or contact the operating carrier directly to confirm wheelchair assistance for every leg operated by a different airline. Do this at least 48 hours before departure.
Extra seat bookings across carriers
If you purchase a second seat on a multi-carrier itinerary, each carrier must process the extra seat separately. You cannot book an EXST seat on American for the whole trip if one leg is operated by British Airways. Contact each operating carrier to ensure the extra seat is registered in their system for their specific leg.
Seatbelt extenders by carrier
Extender availability is managed by the operating carrier, not the ticketing carrier. If Delta sold you the ticket but Air France is operating the flight, the extender follows Air France's equipment and procedures. Different aircraft have different extender lengths. Always confirm extender availability with the operating carrier for each leg.
Miles and status work seamlessly
The one thing that does transfer cleanly: your miles and elite status. If you have United MileagePlus Gold status, you get reciprocal benefits on most Star Alliance carriers including Air Canada and Lufthansa. If you earn Delta SkyMiles, they credit when you fly Air France or KLM on the same ticket. Alliance perks for loyalty programs work well. Accessibility accommodations require manual coordination.
Medical equipment approvals per leg
FAA approved POCs and other medical devices need to be cleared by each operating carrier. Notification requirements vary: most carriers want 48 hours notice, some want more. On a three-leg itinerary with three different operating carriers, you need three separate approvals. Start this process as early as possible, especially for international itineraries with non-U.S. carriers.
Preboarding by operating carrier
Preboarding requests are handled at the gate by the operating carrier's staff. Even if the ticketing carrier has a note in your reservation, the gate agent at the operating carrier may not see it or may handle it differently. Always arrive at the gate early and proactively request preboarding from the gate agent for each leg, regardless of what is in your reservation notes.
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The codeshare trap

How one booking detail derails everything

A codeshare flight is when one airline sells a ticket for a flight that is physically operated by a different airline. The flight number on your ticket starts with the ticketing carrier's code (like DL for Delta) but the actual plane, crew, and service belong to the operating carrier (like Air France). Here is how the trap sets itself.

1
You book on the ticketing carrier's website
You go to delta.com and buy a flight from New York to Paris. The confirmation shows a Delta flight number. You request wheelchair assistance and a second seat through Delta's system. Delta's confirmation looks complete.
2
The fine print says "operated by Air France"
In your itinerary, often in small text beneath the flight number, it says "operated by Air France." This means Air France owns the plane. Their crew works the flight. Their policies apply. Their accessibility system is separate from Delta's.
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Your accommodation request lives only in Delta's system
Delta logged your wheelchair request and second seat. Air France has no record of either. The two airlines' reservation systems do not automatically sync accessibility notes. Some information transfers through standard SSR (Special Service Request) codes but accommodation of those codes is not guaranteed by the operating carrier.
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You arrive at the airport without your accommodations in place
The Air France gate agent has no wheelchair waiting. The extra seat is not in their system. You are now solving an accessibility problem at the airport, under time pressure, with a carrier whose staff may have no context for your situation. This is the codeshare trap.
The rule that protects you
For any multi-carrier itinerary, identify every operating carrier for every leg. Call or contact each operating carrier directly at least 48 to 72 hours before departure to confirm your accessibility accommodations are in their system. Do not assume. Do not rely on the ticketing carrier to pass the information. Make the call yourself. Keep a written record of who you spoke to, when, and what they confirmed.
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Your action plan

How to protect yourself on every multi-carrier trip

This checklist applies to any itinerary where more than one airline is involved, whether through an alliance partnership, a codeshare, or separate tickets.

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Find the operating carrier for every leg
In your itinerary confirmation, look for "operated by" text beneath each flight number. If you cannot find it, call the ticketing carrier and ask. Write down the operating carrier name and their direct phone number for each leg.
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Contact each operating carrier directly
Call the operating carrier's accessibility or special assistance desk for each leg operated by a different airline than the one that sold you the ticket. Confirm wheelchair assistance, extra seat, seatbelt extender, medical device approval, and any other accommodation you need. Do this at least 48 to 72 hours before departure.
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Get a confirmation number or reference for each request
Do not end the call without a confirmation reference. Write down the date, time, name of the agent, and the confirmation number for each accommodation request at each carrier. If there is a problem at the airport, this documentation is your leverage.
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Arrive at the gate early and re-confirm with the gate agent
Even with confirmed accommodations on record, arrive at your gate early and introduce yourself to the gate agent. Confirm your wheelchair assistance, preboarding, and any other need. A 30-second conversation at the gate prevents the situation where you are the last person to board while a wheelchair sits unattended.
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Know your rights
In the U.S., the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) requires airlines to provide accessibility accommodations including wheelchair assistance, preboarding, and assistance with carry-on items. On international flights to or from the U.S., the ACAA applies to U.S. carriers and to foreign carriers operating flights to or from the U.S. If a carrier fails to provide legally required accommodations, file a complaint with the Department of Transportation at transportation.gov.
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