This week, TACA Airlines, Copa Airlines and Avianca joined the Star Alliance. If you are unfamiliar with the major Global Airline Alliances, they are: Star Alliance (United and US Airways), SkyTeam (Delta), and oneworld (American Airlines).

What the alliances do is increase your ability to have better coordination of scheduling between different airlines. This results in efficient connection times and options. Also, your elite benefits reach many more airports and airlines through the alliance. Finally, it allows more chances to earn and use your frequent flyer miles.

The latest triple addition to the Star Alliance makes the United/US Airways powerhouse the prime pick for those who are frequently visiting Latin America. Not only will United and US Airlways clients be able to use their benefits on Copa Airlines, TACA Airlines and Avianca, but it adds the traveling ease of 5 new hubs and somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 new airports to the alliance. The new hubs will be: San Jose, Costa Rica; Bogota, Colombia; Panama City, Panama; San Salvador, El Salvador and Lima, Peru.

Star Alliance now stretches across 193 countries via 27 different airlines. People have a plethora of travel options given the fact that there are over 21,000 daily departures and 1,300 plus destinations encompassed within this now even more convenient Star Alliance.

Source: SmarterTravel and Fox News