Hello, I am trying to book a ticket to either Ecuador or Bolivia (any airports really) from Europe and it seems that there is not a single Star Alliance connection to any of those without having to go through the US or another South American country. Am I missing something or is this the only way to get there on Star Alliance?
Isn't Aerloineas Argentinas in Star Alliance? I know they fly to Spain and Italy. Also occasionally to Bolivia. Maybe TAM or Lufthansa to Brazil ?
That's about it really if you want to fly with a Star Alliance member airline. You may cross the Atlantic with either TAM or Lufthansa, as it was suggested, and continue to Bolivia on TAM. I could not find a flight on TAM from Brazil to Ecuador, and Aerolinias Argentinas is not a Star Alliance member airline. Also, check on this link for more information on the South America Airpass that TAM has to offer: http://www.tam.com.br/b2c/vgn/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=587e105ac2e7b110VgnVCM1000005f05a8c0RCRD I hope this helps!
Where the various alliances differ the most are in their southern hemisphere coverage (including the parts of Africa and South America north of the equator in that, though).
You'll have to call TAM to learn within-S. America award availability. Your only options for Quito are United through Houston or Copa (not yet?) through Panama City.
It is slightly worse than that. All the 100% *A connections are through the US, if my ExpertFlyer research is correct. OW is another matter, Lan has many options. For the moment you might be able to get a JJ codeshare with the Lan connection included, but that will not last long because they'll soon be in the same alliance now that their merger is happening.
Thank you all for your replies. I was hoping I could fly straight into one of those two countries straight from Europe. The only option seems to go with LAN or SkyTeam. Being very stubborn about my loyalty I will probably just end up flying to Houston for a few days then head from there on United.
