THAI Smile Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thai Airways will become the next Star Alliance Connecting Partner by the end of this year after all entry requirements are fulfilled. It joins Juneyao Airlines the alliance’s first Connecting Partner since 2017.
First established by Star Alliance in June 2016, the Connecting Partner model complements the global airline alliance’s membership model by allowing commercial relations with a minimum of three carriers.
If your itinerary includes a transfer between a Star Alliance member airline and a Connecting Partner, you get to enjoy the standard Alliance benefits including passenger and baggage through check-in, as well as Star Alliance Gold membership benefits including Priority Check-In, Thai Smile Lounge Access and Priority Baggage Delivery.
THAI Smile Airways will add 11 new destinations to the Star Alliance network, which comprises over 1,300 airports in 194 countries.
