When it comes to booking award flights to Asia, the airline alliance you choose can make a huge difference in price, availability, and overall experience. Star Alliance, the largest of the three major airline alliances, offers plenty of options for getting to Asia using miles. With partner airlines that include some of the best in the world, it’s worth taking a closer look at which loyalty programs offer the best value.
Why Star Alliance for Asia?
Star Alliance has a strong presence in Asia, with carriers like ANA, Asiana, EVA Air, Singapore Airlines, and Air China offering solid business class products. Even in economy, these airlines generally provide a better experience than many other long-haul carriers.
Additionally, many Star Alliance frequent flyer programs allow you to transfer points from major flexible points currencies, making it easier to accumulate the miles needed for award flights.
So, which Star Alliance programs are the best for booking flights to Asia? Here are some of the top contenders:
1. Air Canada Aeroplan
Why it’s great:
- Generous award chart with no fuel surcharges on partner awards
- Easy to earn miles with transfer partners (Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, Bilt)
- Stopovers allowed for just 5,000 extra points
Aeroplan consistently ranks as one of the best Star Alliance programs for booking flights to Asia, especially if you want flexibility and avoid high fees.
2. ANA Mileage Club
Why it’s great:
- The absolute lowest award rates for round-trip flights
- Fantastic business class redemptions, like ANA flights to Japan for as low as 100,000 miles round-trip
- Transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards
Downside: ANA requires round-trip redemptions—no one-way awards allowed. Also, transfers to ANA from American Express are not instant and may take 2-3 days to process.
3. Avianca LifeMiles
Why it’s great:
- No fuel surcharges on awards
- Regular mileage sales and transfer bonuses make earning miles easy
- Partners with Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt for point transfers
Downside: Avianca’s customer service is notoriously bad. If you’ve had a good experience redeeming LifeMiles, I’d love to hear about it!
4. Singapore KrisFlyer
Why it’s great:
- Access to more Singapore Airlines award space than Star Alliance partners get
- Easy to earn points (transfer partners include Chase, Citi, Amex, and Capital One)
Downside: KrisFlyer miles expire after three years, which limits flexibility.
Final Thought
While United MileagePlus has historically been my go-to for Star Alliance redemptions, I’m now exploring other options. Which of these programs do you prefer for award flights to Asia? Let me know your experiences!
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2 comments
No mention of EVA with transfer partner Citibank? I have found availability there fairly often.
My problem with awards to Asia tends to be finding business class award space. With that space being so difficult to find for two people, my choice of programs is affected.
Generally I’ll try Aeroplan first for the reasons you mention. They also offer routing through Europe as a nice plus.
I’ve never really engaged with Lifemiles due to issues including problems booking complex itineraries and phantom space.
ANA has a reputation for good pricing but being difficult to use and only works for immediate family so I stay away.
Singapore is pricey but is the best bet for award space on Singapore flights in my experience. They offer consistent availability and a quality experience.