Miles & More Program Expands Award and Status Benefits on ITA Airways

Updated: May 2, 2026, 2:14pm CDT

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Table of Contents

A Quick Recap on ITA’s Move to Star Alliance and Miles & More
New Benefits Added
Final Thoughts

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ITA Airways recently joined the Miles & More program, and benefits for ITA-operated flights just got better.

As of May 1, 2026, members of the Lufthansa Group’s loyalty program will pick up several new ways to redeem miles on ITA flights, and elite travelers will see a noticeably expanded set of status perks.

Here’s a closer look at the changes.

A Quick Recap on ITA’s Move to Star Alliance and Miles & More

ITA Airways, the carrier that took over from Alitalia, left SkyTeam last year and officially joined Star Alliance on April 1, 2026, as part of its closer alignment with the Lufthansa Group — due to a major investment from that airline group.

On the same day, Miles & More became ITA’s official loyalty program. Since then, members have been able to earn and burn miles on ITA flights, accumulate Points and Qualifying Points, and rack up HON Circle Points when flying in business class.

Elite members already enjoy a few standard perks on ITA flights, including priority check-in, an additional checked bag, lounge access, and elevated waitlist priority. Senators and HON Circle Members receive priority boarding, Fast Lane access, expedited baggage handling, and complimentary seat reservations, subject to availability and fare. The May benefit update builds on all of that and starts addressing the benefit gaps members were asking about.

New Benefits Added

Award bookings are getting an update. Miles & More members can now book award flights in ITA Airways’ premium economy cabin, which previously wasn’t bookable with miles. The program is also opening up child award flights, world award flights, and 3-region award flights on ITA, giving families and round-the-world planners far more flexibility to put their balances to work.

ITA Airways Airbus A350 premium economy cabin into economy cabin — Premium economy cabin on ITA Airways Airbus A350. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

Upgrades are also improving. From May, elites can apply miles or eVouchers toward upgrades on ITA flights directly through miles-and-more.com. And starting May 4, ITA flights will be folded into Mileage Bargains, the program’s rotating, discounted award promotions that frequent flyers tend to watch closely.

Elite travelers should also be happy about upgrade improvements. Senators and HON Circle members will now enjoy a booking guarantee on sold-out ITA flights when booking through the ITA Airways Service Centre, the ability to book companion award flights at 50% off for a travel partner, and complimentary transport for 1 piece of golf equipment. HON Circle elites go a step further with increased award flight availability on ITA and the ability to extend many of their status benefits to a companion traveling on the same booking.

Hot Tip:

Earning Miles & More miles isn’t as easy in the U.S. as earning miles in some other programs, because there aren’t as many abundant transfer partners. However, you’ve still got options.

Final Thoughts

ITA’s transition out of SkyTeam and into Star Alliance hasn’t been the smoothest, but the Miles & More integration looks to be progressing well.

These recent updates fill in some gaps — especially premium economy awards, mileage upgrades, and Mileage Bargains access — and the elite tweaks give Senators and HON Circle flyers more reasons to put ITA on their itineraries. If you’re heading to Italy this summer or fall, it’s a solid time to take another look at what your Miles & More balance can actually do for you.