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Get SkyTeam status now – and Star Alliance status later – via ITA’s new BA status match

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ITA Airways, the ‘replacement’ carrier for Alitalia, has brought back its elite status match offer.

This allows you, for free, to get elite status across most of the SkyTeam alliance – including Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Air France and KLM – by matching your British Airways status.

In December, ITA will be acquired by Lufthansa. Your status is very likely to be matched to Miles & More status (Star Alliance) at that point.

If Lufthansa refused to match your newly minted SAS status recently, this is another route to get Miles & More status for 2025.

Match your British Airways to SkyTeam with ITA

The offer runs to 19th August and you can apply by following the instructions here. Your new status will last until the end of December 2025, although I suspect that this will change following the merger with Lufthansa.

Which 19 airlines are being matched?

It isn’t just British Airways status that is being matched. ITA is accepting applications from 19 airlines:

  • Aegean
  • Aer Lingus
  • Air China
  • American Airlines
  • British Airways
  • Emirates
  • Etihad
  • Finnair
  • Iberia
  • LATAM
  • Malaysia Airlines
  • Oman Air
  • QANTAS
  • Qatar Airlines
  • Singapore Airlines
  • TAP
  • Thai Airways
  • Turkish Airways
  • WestJet

All of the Lufthansa Group and SkyTeam carriers are missing for obvious reasons.

Interestingly ITA will match EXPIRED status too, as long as you have proof you held a particular status later than January 2023.

You cannot apply if you have previously taken part in an ITA status match.

ITA status match

Which airlines are in SkyTeam?

Now, here’s the thing.

Whilst ITA likes to claim it is in SkyTeam, it doesn’t actually have contractual deals with all of the SkyTeam partners.

The press release we were sent listed these carriers as ‘ITA partners’:

  • Aerolineas Argentinas
  • AeroMexico
  • Air Europa
  • Air France
  • Delta
  • KLM
  • Korean Air
  • Middle East Airlines (MEA)
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • Saudia

You may struggle to get benefits with the other SkyTeam members:

  • Aeroflot (if it returns)
  • China Airlines
  • China Eastern
  • Czech Airlines
  • Garuda Indonesia
  • Kenya Airways
  • TAROM
  • Vietnam Airlines
  • Xiamen Air

How I do apply for the ITA status match?

You can apply for your match by following the instructions here.

Basically you need to register for ITA’s Volare programme and, once logged in, follow the instructions inside your account area.

There is no requirement to pay any fee or book any flights with ITA Airways.

Match your British Airways to SkyTeam with ITA

Will you get lounge access if you match from BA Silver?

Yes.

British Airways Silver is being matched to ‘Premium’ in Volare. British Airways Gold is being matched to ‘Executive’ which is the top tier.

Both ‘Premium’ and ‘Executive’ are ‘Elite Plus’ when it comes to SkyTeam alliance-wide status, which gets you lounge access with a guest at SkyTeam operated lounges.

The rules on whether you can bring a guest into a lounge with you are complex. It varies depending on whether you are flying with ITA or another SkyTeam airline, and whether the lounge is owned by ITA, by another SkyTeam airline or by a third party.

Conclusion

You have nothing to lose by requesting a status match from your British Airways Executive Club account to ITA Airways and its Volare programme.

You will get SkyTeam status now and, from some point in late 2024 / 2025 it should morph into Lufthansa Miles & More status in Star Alliance.

Full details of the status match, and how to apply, are on the ITA website here.

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Category

British Airways and Avios, SkyTeam alliance partners

Comments (74)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Sandgrounder says:
    17 Jul17 July 04:23

    You will get lounge access if you march BA silver, but don’t count on getting in to the Virgin Clubhouse if you are on an economy ticket.

  • Daniel says:
    17 Jul17 July 04:41

    So if I was Silver in January 2023 (now Bronze), how do I prove that? I can find an email from BA welcoming me to Bronze but nothing mentioning Silver.

    • Nico says:
      17 Jul17 July 06:39

      I was wondering the same, boarding pass?

      • Tariq says:
        23 Jul23 July 21:10

        Either of you have success with this. Think my status followed a similar timeline to Daniel’s – I only have my original membership card which showed an expiry date during The Covid Years.

        • Pablo says:
          4 Aug4 August 09:09

          I had an old screenshot of now expired BA silver in my iphone. Uploaded that and got matched to ITA premium a few days ago.

  • Niall says:
    17 Jul17 July 05:55

    Is there a way to match your Star Alliance status to Oneworld? I’m personally more interested in that direction

  • Jon says:
    17 Jul17 July 06:15

    Interesting, thanks Rob. Done. There’s a few oddities / UX 101 faux pas in the sign up and match request forms (birth date in the future, anyone? 😂), but don’t be put off by the total lack of feedback as to whether or what you’ve uploaded for the requested documents – doesn’t seem to prevent submission, so fingers crossed… 😉

    • Tom1 says:
      17 Jul17 July 06:28

      I can’t get past the status match.
      As you say, no feedback on the files/photos uploaded (although it gave negative feedback when file size too big) but once I’ve selected photos of passport and competitor airline status card, doesn’t even show on safari on iPhone/ipad.
      When i press submit, i get a brief red status at the top – too quick for me to read.

      • Jon says:
        17 Jul17 July 06:33

        I was using iPhone and iPad (tried both, same on each), and the only way I could tell my files were uploaded was when I eventually noticed the Submit button change from disabled to enabled. I didn’t notice any red status. I did get a “Thank you for contacting us” email moments afterwards – no mention of status match request, so presumably it goes into a standard queue along with every other contact form… 😉

        • Iain says:
          18 Jul18 July 13:49

          if you mouse hover over the upload box it will show you the file name that you have uploaded (desktop Mac)

  • James C says:
    17 Jul17 July 06:21

    My main takeaway is the amount of ‘chaff’ in SkyTeam. Beyond AF/KLM, Delta and Virgin not sure I’d entertain flying on any of them.

    • Dubious says:
      17 Jul17 July 06:57

      I’ve flown SV a few times – they were good to fine.

    • Throwawayname says:
      17 Jul17 July 09:04

      That’s nonsense, KE and China Airlines are superb (no comparison with the likes of Delta), KQ pretty much on a par with Ethiopian at the top of African aviation, Garuda and VN are generally well-regarded and I prefer crossing the pond on Aeroméxico as opposed to any US airline (plus I have a soft spot for MEA as I was blown away by the catering the one time I flew them). I wouldn’t go out of my way to fly TAROM or Xiamen Air, but overall Skyteam has decent coverage in most parts of the world (oneworld don’t have anything in Latin America or sub Saharan Africa) and treats frequent flyers better than the other alliances (e.g. you get business class check in and extra baggage on all fares as a FB Silver / Skyteam Elite member).

  • MSHORT says:
    17 Jul17 July 06:39

    Flew Vietnam airlines (surprisingly good). Using ITA status we got Lounge access.

  • Dubious says:
    17 Jul17 July 07:00

    It seems today is also the last day to get a MEMBER GET MEMBER PROMOTION joining bonus too (but that also requires a subject ITA flight before 30 September 2024.

    The Inviter will receive 2,000 NQ Volare points…doesn’t seem to be anything in it for the invitee.

  • Adam says:
    17 Jul17 July 07:06

    Superb. Quick and easy from AerClub Platinum.
    Ever hopeful that can somehow work AerClub Platinum into BA Silver, perhaps this is stage one.

    • Lobster says:
      17 Jul17 July 07:38

      “Quick and easy” means you’ve had confirmation from ITA? It would be interesting to hear just how quick they were. Thanks!

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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