After a long back and forth, Lufthansa and the Italian government have agreed on an acquisition of ITA. And under Lufthansa’s leadership, things are now accelerating rapidly.

As such, ITA already left SkyTeam two weeks later, with the separation taking place gradually until April 30. However, joining the Star Alliance will be delayed until early 2026.

A frequent flyer partnership for Volare and Miles & More members with the other partner is also already in effect. At the moment, miles can already be collected and redeemed; initial elite benefits (such as lounge access) are expected to be added by the end of March.

According to Lufthansa’s strategy of taking full control over its partners, it seems unlikely that Volare will have a future as an independent program in the medium term, but will probably be integrated into Miles & More. In fact, Volare has already communicated that the continuation of the program is secured until December 31, 2025, but remains silent about the plans thereafter. The real value of an airline like ITA lies, in fact, in its customer base, which can only be accessed through full program integration.

And Lufthansa knows this all too well and has even managed the masterstroke of maintaining this access through the Miles & More program to the customers of companies like LOT or Luxair, which have meanwhile developed into clear competitors of Lufthansa…