Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
GUIDE
How to search SkyTeam award space
SkyTeam award space is the redemption side of the SkyTeam airline alliance: flights operated by its member airlines that a traveller can book with miles held in a SkyTeam frequent flyer programme. SkyTeam states that miles earned in one member airline's frequent flyer programme can be redeemed for free flights on any SkyTeam member airline, across a network of 945 destinations in 145 countries. [4]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- SkyTeam describes itself as a global airline alliance whose member airlines work together across one extensive network, welcoming 605 million customers a year on more than 13,800 daily flights to 945 destinations in 145 countries. [4]
- Miles earned in a member airline's frequent flyer programme can be redeemed for free flights on any SkyTeam member airline, so a single balance is not tied to the carrier that issued it. [4]
- Lounge access is a status and cabin benefit for Elite Plus, First and Business Class customers, and cannot currently be purchased through skyteam.com. [6] [7]
How does SkyTeam award redemption work?
SkyTeam's instruction to travellers is to join one of its member airlines' frequent flyer programmes. [4] Once a traveller is enrolled, qualifying flights earn miles in that programme. [4] Those miles can then be redeemed for free flights on any SkyTeam member airline. [4]
Two things follow from that structure. First, the balance a traveller earns in one programme reaches beyond that airline's own route map, because redemption is written at alliance level. [4] Second, earning is described in terms of qualifying flights rather than every flight, so the conditions attached to a ticket decide whether a journey adds miles. [4]
When you search, you are therefore looking for two separate things: a flight operated by a SkyTeam member airline, and a programme holding miles that can issue the redemption. [4] The alliance-level statement covers the second part only in broad terms; the conditions attached to a particular redemption sit with the programme that holds the miles. [4]
Which airlines and programmes does SkyTeam cover?
SkyTeam's member airlines together welcome 605 million customers each year on more than 13,800 daily flights to 945 destinations in 145 countries. [4] The same network carries the frequent flyer programmes that members join in order to earn and redeem. [4] Delta SkyMiles is one of the member programmes named directly in SkyTeam's published benefit rules. [6]
Alongside the flying network, SkyTeam points to 750 lounges across its members' airports. [4] More than 750 member lounges are listed for Elite Plus, First and Business Class customers. [6]
Is award space the same as status benefits?
No. Award space is about spending miles on a flight [4], while lounge entry is a benefit attached to status tier or cabin. SkyTeam opens its lounges to Elite Plus, First and Business Class customers, reservations are not required, and it is not currently possible to purchase lounge access through skyteam.com. [6] [7]
The guest rule is narrow: an Elite Plus member may bring one guest, and that guest must be travelling on the same SkyTeam-operated flight as the Elite Plus customer. [6] Since 1 April 2025, Elite Plus customers have also had lounge access on domestic itineraries at selected member airline lounges, with more than 70 lounges now reachable on domestic trips. [6]
Exceptions and limits
- Scope of this guide. This page sets out the alliance-level redemption rule and the alliance-level benefits published by SkyTeam. [4] It makes no claim about seats being available on any particular route, date or cabin, and it does not set out the search screens, online ticketing rules or telephone procedures of individual member programmes.
- Programme rules differ. Programme-level award rules for Delta SkyMiles, Flying Blue and Korean Air SKYPASS are outside the scope of this page and are not covered here.
- Delta Sky Club carve-out. Complimentary access at Delta Sky Clubs is no longer extended to Delta SkyMiles Elite Plus equivalent members (SkyMiles Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion) when flying in Main Cabin or Delta Comfort+ internationally, and from 1 January 2024 Delta SkyMiles members travelling in Basic Economy or an equivalent partner cabin do not have access to Delta Sky Clubs. [6] SkyTeam Elite Plus members of other member programmes are not affected by that change and can keep using other SkyTeam member airline lounges and SkyTeam branded lounges, though third-party lounges are excluded. [6]
- Domestic lounge exceptions. Separate domestic lounge access policies may apply to members of Aerolineas Argentinas' Aerolineas Plus and Delta Air Lines' SkyMiles. [6] SkyTeam also notes that international travel in its lounge rules excludes customers travelling between the US and the Caribbean. [6]
Frequently asked questions
Can I redeem miles from one SkyTeam programme on another member airline?
Yes. SkyTeam states that miles earned in a member airline's frequent flyer programme can be redeemed for free flights on any SkyTeam member airline. [4]
How large is the network an award search can reach?
SkyTeam's member airlines fly more than 13,800 daily flights to 945 destinations in 145 countries, carrying 605 million customers each year. [4]
Do I have to join a frequent flyer programme to earn SkyTeam miles?
SkyTeam's earning guidance starts with joining one of its member airlines' frequent flyer programmes; qualifying flights then earn miles in that programme. [4]
Does an award booking include lounge access?
Lounge access is a separate benefit for Elite Plus, First and Business Class customers rather than something sold through skyteam.com, and reservations are not required. [6] [7]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Delta SkyMiles, Flying Blue and Korean Air SKYPASS are not covered here at programme level; see the SkyTeam guide for the alliance overview.
- SkyTeam Global Airline Alliance, checked 18 October 2026
- SkyTeam lounge access policy and lounge finder, checked 18 October 2026
- SkyTeam lounges worldwide, checked 18 October 2026