This article takes a look at the presence of the three major airline alliances - Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and oneworld - in the Philippines. Which of the airline alliances have the strongest presence in the country, and how they impact the Philippine aviation industry.
Since its founding in the 1940s, Philippine Airlines has expanded its network to reach destinations as far as the East Coast of North America and even London, England which was served prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While it is considered the flag carrier of the Philippines, it has faced growing competition from budget and full-service airlines when it comes to international flights to and from the country. It could also be argued its international route network is limited. This is also a factor that holds the airline back compared to airlines based nearby such as Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific, the Taiwan-based duo of EVA Air and China Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and Singapore Airlines. Each one of the previously mentioned airlines also have something Philippine Airlines does not – a membership in one of the big three airline alliances – Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and oneworld.
In addition to the challenges presented by the growth of local and foreign budget airlines in the Philippines, Philippine Airlines – the lone Philippine-based full-service airline – has seen more full-service airlines launch direct routes to the Philippine capital city of Manila. Some of which also represent an airline alliance, and some of whom have also increased their presence to other cities in the Philippines besides Manila. In addition to competing with the Philippine-based airlines on routes to key Asian cities, airlines with alliance membership also offer connections to destinations not served by the local airlines – including by flag carrier Philippine Airlines. Where Philippine Airlines and the other local airlines are lacking, the airline alliances have added more travel options to and from the Philippines. As a result, the Philippines has become a major playground for the big three airline alliances.
Star Alliance, oneworld, and SkyTeam in the Philippines
As of June 2025, there are 24 airlines operating to/from the Philippines that have a membership with one of the three major airline alliances. From four cities in the Philippines – Manila, Cebu, Clark, and Davao - the 24 airlines operate a total of around 400 weekly flights on 40 routes to around 29 destinations.
The number of airlines and flights excludes services operated by subsidiaries such as budget airline Scoot – which is fully-owned by Singapore-based Star Alliance carrier Singapore Airlines. In this article, we'll be focusing on the mainline, full-service operations of the airline alliance members.
While they do operate separately as their own airlines, the figures I'll be mentioning here will be to show the presence of the airline alliances in the Philippines with the member airlines combined including weekly scheduled flights, routes, cities served, seat capacity, and Available Seat Mile (ASM). Flight schedules are based on data from Flightradar24 and seat capacity is based on the airlines' seat map information.
Star Alliance
Of the three major airline alliances, Star Alliance has the largest presence in the Philippines represented by 11 member airlines offering a total of around 175 weekly flights/46,533 weekly seats. Combined, the 11 airlines have a weekly ASM of around 97 million. From the Philippines, Star Alliance member carriers operates flights from three cities – Manila, Cebu, and Clark – on around 20 routes to 15 cities.
The biggest airline representing Star Alliance in the Philippines is United Airlines, which operates four routes to/from the Philippines. These routes include direct flights to Manila from San Francisco, Koror (Palau), and Guam, along with its Fifth Freedom flights between Cebu and Tokyo Narita. With a weekly ASM of around 21.6 million, United is followed by Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Asiana, and EVA Air.
From the Philippines, Star Alliance's strength is the selection of direct and connecting options to/from North America. These connecting options can take a traveler from the three Philippine cities to North American destinations via hubs at Tokyo with All Nippon Airways (ANA), Taipei with EVA Air, and Seoul with Asiana. In addition, there are also connecting options to Europe and beyond with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul.
However, this will change as it will lose Seoul as a connecting hub as a result of the Korean Air-Asiana merger. For those who are not familiar with the merger, the merger has been completed and Asiana is expected to be integrated into Korean Air.
In addition, Ethiopian Airlines also provides a direct link to Africa with its flights to Addis Ababa via Hong Kong. The segment between Hong Kong and Manila is not a Fifth Freedom route, so Ethiopian is not permitted to sell bookings between the two cities.
Star Alliance's presence in the country is expected be enhanced futher with a historic, first direct connection between India and the Philippines by Air India. The Gurugram, India-based member airline will launch its highly anticipated inaugural route between Delhi and Manila on October 1.
oneworld
Following Star Alliance, oneworld is the second biggest airline alliance in the Philippines. While it has the least number of member airlines present in the Philippines of the three major alliances (5), combined they operate around 127 weekly flights/33578 weekly seats on 10 routes from four cities in the Philippines – Manila, Cebu, Clark, and Davao – to six cities. From the four cities, the oneworld carriers' have a weekly ASM of around 75 million.
Leading the oneworld carriers in terms of weekly ASM is Doha, Qatar-based Qatar Airways which is the lone foreign airline operating international flights to/from the four cities in the Philippines. Qatar Airways is also the biggest airline with an alliance membership operating in the Philippines with a weekly ASM of +40 million. Travelers are able to take advantage of connections to other destinations on Qatar Airways' network via Doha. Following Qatar Airways are Qantas and Cathay Pacific.
In terms of the number of scheduled flights, the oneworld carrier with the most weekly flights to/from the Philippines by far is Cathay Pacific which operates a total of 52 weekly flights from Hong Kong to both Manila and Cebu. On the Manila-Hong Kong route, Cathay operates up to six flights a day.
With just five airlines representing oneworld in the Philippines, there are connecting options to Australia, the Middle East, India, and Europe. Qantas offers direct flights to Australia (Sydney/Brisbane), and travelers can make connections via Tokyo or Hong Kong to North America with Japan Airlines (JAL) and Cathay Pacific.
SkyTeam
The SkyTeam alliance has more member airlines representing it in the Philippines compared to oneworld with 8 members, though combined they operate fewer flights (105 weekly flights/24871 weekly seats) and have a lower combined weekly ASM of around 54.6 million. From two cities in the Philippines - Manila and Cebu - the SkyTeam carriers operate flights on 14 routes to 12 cities.
Leading the SkyTeam carriers are Saudia (18.1 million) and Korean Air (12.3 million), though Korean Air has the higher number of weekly flights with 28. Travelers have options to make connections to North America via Taipei with China Airlines, or via Seoul with Korean Air. The connections at Seoul is expected to be enhanced futher with the integration of Asiana into Korean Air.
Where SkyTeam stands out among the other two airline alliances in the Philippines are direct flight options to Europe. Air France operates three weekly flights from Manila to Paris-Charles de Gaulle. KLM's flights to Manila from Amsterdam makes a stop in Taipei Taoyuan. Similar to Ethiopian Airlines Hong Kong-Manila segment, KLM is not allowed to sell flight bookings between Manila and Taipei.
Airline Alliances and the Philippine Aviation Industry
The Philippines is an odd man out in Asia when it comes to being represented in an airline alliance. Within Southeast Asia, Star Alliance is represented by THAI Airways and Singapore Airlines, oneworld by Malaysia Airlines, and SkyTeam with Garuda Indonesia, and Vietnam Airlines. Nearby in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific represents oneworld while the skies of Taiwan is dominated by SkyTeam's China Airlines and Star Alliance's EVA Air.
Prior to the pandemic, there has been some discussion within aviation geek circles and online forums on whether Philippine Airlines should join one of the major airline alliances. To date, Philippine Airlines remains unaffiliated with any alliance though it has codeshare partnerships with select airlines. As Philippine Airlines has adapted to the landscape of the modern global aviation industry, the airline – along with the other Philippine-based carriers - have seen increased competition by airlines with an alliance membership on their own homeland.
The increased presence of major airlines with an alliance membership has opened up new travel options from the Philippines to the rest of the world. From Clark, Cebu, and Davao, travelers are now able to by-pass having to make a connection at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which has long been the main gateway to/from the Philippines. With just one check-in, frequent flyer benefits, and a connection at one hub, the Philippines is now more connected to the world when it comes to international air travel.
The carriers representing the airline alliances in the Philippines also provide opportunities for other fellow alliance member carriers that do not currently operate within the country. These codeshare arrangements have made it possible for other alliance members to sell flight bookings to/from cities within the Philippines and reap the benefits. An example of this is US-based SkyTeam airline Delta – which previously operated its own flights to/from Manila. Delta now relies heavily on connections to Manila and Cebu from the US via Seoul through its SkyTeam and Joint Venture partner Korean Air.
While it is a long-shot for Philippine Airlines to join an airline alliance, it could be argued there is a slim chance for it happen. We have seen some new airlines join oneworld in recent years such as Alaska Airlines, Fiji Airways, and Royal Air Maroc. To jump into the alliance playground, the Manila-based airline will have to provide a good value proposition for an alliance, and address any potential challenge to their intent to join an alliance from other member airlines in the region such as from Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong for oneworld, and Singapore Airlines in Singapore for Star Alliance.
The alternate strategy for Philippine Airlines is to enhance its codeshare and joint venture partnerships to offer more connecting options beyond its current network. It could be argued there is a value proposition with the Philippines as an emerging economy in Southeast Asia that has seen growing interest in tourist attractions within the country. This could also be a value proposition for another local airline – budget airline Cebu Pacific - to bring up in potential talks for partnerships with other airlines. While Cebu Pacific is a budget airline, it could take notes from the recently announced partnerships between China Airlines and US-based Southwest, and India-based IndiGo's new partnership with SkyTeam carriers Delta, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic.
Airline alliances have become a major part of global aviation, and travelers and member airlines take advantage of the benefits. There has also been a growth of flights and routes by airline alliance members which have boosted travel options to/from the Philippines. To address the challenge of foreign airlines with alliance memberships within the country, the Philippine-based carriers have to assess their strategies to provide the best value for travel to/from the Philippines.
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