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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.

  • johnny_c-l says:
    17 Jul17 July 07:19

    *Turkish Airlines

  • Matthias says:
    17 Jul17 July 07:48

    I did this last time round (2 years ahgo?) and worked well. And despite only taking a handful of ITA flights, they’ve automatically extended it so I still have Premium.

    ITA lounges are fairly rubbish but you do get (limited) free seat selection and fast track, which is useful eg at LIN.

    I also successfully used the status on an AF flight recently to get benefits, but had to call to make that happen because the IT integration didn’t work. Indeed ITA IT is still pretty shocking.

    So overall recommended.

    • aDifferentSimon says:
      17 Jul17 July 10:57

      I quite like the Linate lounge ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    • JFSV says:
      17 Jul17 July 11:27

      Same here. I just located my “old” Volare account after I did the status match two years ago and still have Volare Club Premium until Jan 2025 even though I have not taken any flights with them since they rebranded to ITA…

    • Boon says:
      17 Jul17 July 14:10

      I also did the ITA status match two years ago, and there has been pros and cons.

      Pros:
      – Got free checked baggage on Delta flights
      – Got free lounge access on Delta (economy) flights, as well as China Airlines flight.

      Cons:
      – Had to fight hard to get Delta to recognise it at Check-in, as it was in the early days. Maybe its more automated / better now.
      – I put through some of the domestic economy flights (low mileage) into Volare to make it easier, but none of them have posted. So I suggest making sure your boarding pass at Check-in has another SkyTeam FF number, and then try to use the ITA Volare at the lounge desk to gain entry.

  • Polly Gatehouse says:
    17 Jul17 July 08:07

    I can’t seem to join Volare as it doesn’t accept my postcode format from the UK. Has anyone else had/solved this issue?

    • Goldflyer40 says:
      17 Jul17 July 11:33

      I’ve a similar issue. Where I live there are no postcodes. Normally a simple “0000” would do the trick but not this time.

      • ramsey says:
        17 Jul17 July 19:56

        It would only work for me with using capital letters and putting a space in the correct place for your postcode

  • Alex Sm says:
    17 Jul17 July 08:18

    There are more status match offers running atm than before. Still waiting for a BA (or oneworld) status match offer. Any chance to get these? 🇬🇧

  • ianM says:
    17 Jul17 July 08:28

    Strangely no mention of the SAS Eurobonus status match covered here last week – isn’t that pretty much the same offer?
    Should you do both or if already done the SAS wait and see what that brings?

    • Lobster says:
      17 Jul17 July 08:46

      The EB match will get you Star Alliance status for a few weeks, then SkyTeam status when SAS switches alliances. There’s also a possibility — no more than that at this point — that you might be able to match to another Star Alliance airline after SAS has left. In a perfect world that would be Lufthansa’s Miles & More.

      The ITA match will get you SkyTeam status for a few months and then Star Alliance status — possibly within Miles & More — when the takeover is complete.

      I can’t see that there’s anything to lose by taking advantage of both offers.

    • BMR says:
      17 Jul17 July 15:33

      SAS matched but then LH wouldn’t match as was new – so better to have options I think here

  • Skywalker says:
    17 Jul17 July 09:15

    @Rob – just wondering if you had any hints as to when ITA status will morph into LH status?

    • Rob says:
      17 Jul17 July 09:17

      I would guess December

      • Skywalker says:
        17 Jul17 July 09:42

        Cool, thanks @Rob

      • Lobster says:
        17 Jul17 July 10:27

        Sorry, I was too fast pressing “send” — Spohr says that a M&M integration will happen as soon as the takeover is complete (ITA customers will be able to collect and redeem M&M miles) but that full *A membership will take longer.

        It will be interesting to see just how ITA will continue to work throughout SkyTeam. Will we really be able to earn M&M miles by flying Delta or AF/KLM?

        • Blair Waldorf Salad says:
          17 Jul17 July 11:54

          LH Group could offer benefits to ITA status holders absent full Star integration. I expect that would happen soon if full membership for ITA looks like 2026.

  • Barry says:
    17 Jul17 July 11:51

    I struggling to find the status match area on my personal profile, can anyone advise if its up and running yet please.

    • Barney says:
      17 Jul17 July 19:54

      Maybe they have taken it down due to too much demand? Can’t see anything about status match on this page

  • Geoggy says:
    17 Jul17 July 13:31

    Have tried and given up. No matter which option I select for my passport picture it just says file invalid

    • jjoohhnn says:
      17 Jul17 July 14:27

      Try a different browser!

      • Geoggy says:
        17 Jul17 July 15:52

        Thanks. Worked with Chrome but worked out it doesn’t like iPhone photos but is ok with iPhone screenshots, regardless of browser.

    • Tony says:
      17 Jul17 July 18:57

      Check the resolution and file size. Mine was too big at first.

      • Points Hound says:
        17 Jul17 July 20:04

        Me too, needs to be under 2mb, I had to reduce both my files before they would upload.

        • Rob says:
          17 Jul17 July 20:48

          The entire HfP home page with 25 images on it (on desktop) is around 1.3mb. If you need more than that to do a single screenshot …..!

    • Iain says:
      18 Jul18 July 13:47

      is a “live” photo – these are a different file format – you have to export from Photos to get a flat JPEG.

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

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