Lufthansa makes a stand-alone bid for Italy’s ITA

Lufthansa confirmed yesterday that it has submitted an offer to the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance to acquire ITA.

ITA is the ‘reborn’ Alitalia, although the airline is not currently operating on the scale of its predecessor.

Having been through numerous bailouts, at huge cost to Italian taxpayers, it seems that the Government may be close to seeing the back of its problem child.

Lufthansa has proposed to purchase a minority stake in ITA in the short term – rumoured to be 40% – but with an option to acquire the remainder at a future date.

If the offer made yesterday is accepted, the Government would enter into a period of exclusivity with Lufthansa Group to reach a binding agreement.

Lufthansa is now bidding alone, as its original partner – shipping group MSC – has backed out. An Air France-backed bid also seems to have faded away.

If Lufthansa succeeds in acquiring ITA, it is virtually certain that the airline with leave SkyTeam and join Star Alliance. The airline would join Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty scheme.

Anyone who got ITA elite status via a match from their British Airways Executive Club card in 2022 could soon find themselves with Star Alliance status.

You can read more on the Lufthansa website here.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

None of the Star Alliance airlines currently have a UK credit card.

There is, however, still a way to earn Star Alliance miles from a UK credit card. 

The route is via Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty points convert to over 40 airlines at the rate of 3:1.

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is via the official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. It comes with 20,000 points for signing up and 2 points for every £1 you spend. At 2 Bonvoy points per £1, you are earning (at 3:1) 0.66 airline miles per £1 spent on the card.

There is a preferential conversion rate to United Airlines – which is a Star Alliance member – of 2 : 1 if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points at once.

The Star Alliance members which are Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners are: Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review