What does Continental’s move to the Star Alliance mean for business travelers?

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Continental Airlines decided to pick up its toys and move them to another playhouse. Whereas the big airline used to be part of the Skyteam Alliance, it’s now part of the massive Star Alliance. So, what does that mean for you, the business traveler?

Well, it depends.

If you don’t regularly fly Continental, but it’s occasionally on your flight plan, you’ll just need to make sure you’ve got your frequent flyer numbers updated and that you’re looking at the right airline alliance partnerships when you’re looking at accumulating miles and redeeming rewards.

If, on the other hand, you’re a frequent Continental flyer or you regularly fly other airlines in the Skyteam Alliance, you may need to do a bit more legwork to make sure you’re not losing frequent flyer points.

First off, make sure your Continental frequent flyer number information is up to date. Next, read up on Continental’s new airline partners in the Star Alliance. Finally, find out if there are big differences between the two airline alliances in terms of non-air travel methods of earning miles.

This research is particularly important if you have any trips coming up, no matter what airline you’re flying. For instance, if your next flight is on Delta but you’ve got your Continental frequent flyer number saved in the Delta system, you’ll need to change that before your flight to avoid the post-flight headache of trying to get credit for those miles.

The good news is that the Star Alliance is, as mentioned above, enormous – and it’s especially handy if your business trips take you outside the U.S. (or if you want to use those frequent flyer miles you’re racking up for an overseas vacation). So after you’ve done all your homework to make sure your frequent flyer miles are all going to go exactly where you want them to, have a browse over at the Star Alliance website to see all the places you’ll be able to go when you’re finally ready to cash in those miles.

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