Star Alliance offers themed itineraries for travelers

Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance, has added themed itineraries to its portfolio of round-the-world flight packages to appeal to diverse travel interests including food, wine, sports and nature.

The alliance, which comprises 28 members including major Korean carrier Asiana Airlines, already allows travelers to create custom round-the-world trips through its online “Book and Fly” tool. The group has added 12 new themed itineraries to the platform, giving customers the option of selecting routes based on travel interest.

Asiana Airlines said Wednesday that the themed journeys remove the hassle of having to create travel plans from scratch. The themes offered include World Food, World Wonders, Architectural Hotspots, Nature Trail, Aquatic Wonders, Ramsar Wetlands, Natural Wonders, Great Hotels, Sports Hotspots, Wine Tasting, Romantic Journey and Luxury Lifestyle.

To provide a glimpse of the experience on these themed journeys, the alliance has engaged seven bloggers to travel the routes and report on them. Food writer Mark Wiens will try culinary delights across the globe, while self-described nomad Justin Carmack will dive into underwater sites and blogger Scott Eddy will taste wines on six continents. Customers, too, can document their own global-trotting plans through the online tool’s integrated social media function.

Travelers can customize the route based on mileage and fare level. Trips need to begin and end in the same country and be in one direction, either going east or west. Layovers of at least 24 hours must be made in a minimum of three cities, and the overall itinerary can include up to 15 stops. Some economy-class fares have a maximum of five stops.

Customers of Star Alliance’s round-the-world trips can save mileage on one of its member carriers including Asiana Airlines.

“Round-the-world fares generally offer better value for money than individual one-way tickets on separate airlines for the same journey,” Star Alliance said in a statement.

BY KIM JEE-HEE [kim.jeehee@joongang.co.kr]