‘We have shared something that goes beyond flights.’ That’s how ITA Airways chose to announce that the Volare loyalty programme closes on 30 March 2026. It’s a remarkably sentimental farewell for a programme most members probably forgot they had. I had a Volare account myself and honestly couldn’t tell you how many points were in it. If you held Volare points or status, now’s the time to act. If you didn’t, you missed nothing.
A programme nobody mourns
ITA tried to position Volare as the spiritual successor to Alitalia’s MilleMiglia, which had a small but dedicated following built over decades. The farewell email suggests ITA expects members to feel something about this closure. The reality is simpler. Volare launched in 2022, never built critical mass, and was always a placeholder for a transitional airline. Between thin earning rates, a limited partner network, and modest status benefits, there was never a compelling reason to engage with it.
This was always coming
Once Lufthansa Group completed its acquisition of ITA Airways, Volare’s days were numbered. Lufthansa funnels its group airlines into Miles & More. That’s the playbook, and it has been for years. Brussels Airlines’ b.miles programme was folded in. Swiss’s own frequent flyer scheme was absorbed after the 2005 acquisition. There was no realistic scenario where a four-year-old Italian loyalty scheme survived integration into one of Europe’s largest airline groups.
The ITA Volare programme closes not with a bang but with an administrative checkbox.
What you actually need to do
If you’ve got Volare points sitting in an account, there are three windows to use them. Miss all three and they vanish.
Before 30 March 2026: Use non-qualifying points for award tickets or Cash & Points bookings on ITA flights. Any flights booked must depart within 12 months.
Then, from 1 April to 30 June 2026: Convert remaining points into a Gift Card Volare voucher. This is worth paying attention to. The voucher is non-personalised and transferable, so you can hand it to someone else. It covers all fare types on ita-airways.com but must be used to book by 30 June 2026. Flights can depart within 12 months of booking.
Finally, before 30 April 2026: Spend points with commercial partners or donate them to charity.
The voucher route is the most flexible option for anyone who can’t commit to a specific flight right now. But don’t expect extensions on any of these deadlines. ITA has set the dates, and loyalty programmes don’t tend to offer grace periods when they’re being wound down.
ITA Volare Executive card
What comes next
For travellers who fly ITA regularly – Rome hub connections, Italian domestic routes – the likely transition to Miles & More is probably a net improvement. It’s a larger, more functional programme with wider redemption options and full Star Alliance integration. ITA sitting inside SkyTeam was always an oddity given Lufthansa’s intentions. The alliance shift is the bigger structural story, but for loyalty purposes, Miles & More is the relevant change.
No great loss
Volare was a holding pattern, not a loyalty programme. Its closure is administrative tidying by a parent company that already has a perfectly functional alternative. If you’ve got points, use them before the deadlines. If you don’t, you can safely ignore the sentimental farewell email.
The only question worth watching now is how smoothly Lufthansa integrates ITA into Miles & More, and whether ITA’s product actually improves under group ownership. I suspect that story will matter far more than anything Volare managed to achieve in its brief existence.
‘We have shared something that goes beyond flights.’ That’s how ITA Airways chose to announce that the Volare loyalty programme closes on 30 March 2026. It’s a remarkably sentimental farewell for a programme most members probably forgot they had. I had a Volare account myself and honestly couldn’t tell you how many points were in it. If you held Volare points or status, now’s the time to act. If you didn’t, you missed nothing.
A programme nobody mourns
ITA tried to position Volare as the spiritual successor to Alitalia’s MilleMiglia, which had a small but dedicated following built over decades. The farewell email suggests ITA expects members to feel something about this closure. The reality is simpler. Volare launched in 2022, never built critical mass, and was always a placeholder for a transitional airline. Between thin earning rates, a limited partner network, and modest status benefits, there was never a compelling reason to engage with it.
This was always coming
Once Lufthansa Group completed its acquisition of ITA Airways, Volare’s days were numbered. Lufthansa funnels its group airlines into Miles & More. That’s the playbook, and it has been for years. Brussels Airlines’ b.miles programme was folded in. Swiss’s own frequent flyer scheme was absorbed after the 2005 acquisition. There was no realistic scenario where a four-year-old Italian loyalty scheme survived integration into one of Europe’s largest airline groups.
The ITA Volare programme closes not with a bang but with an administrative checkbox.
What you actually need to do
If you’ve got Volare points sitting in an account, there are three windows to use them. Miss all three and they vanish.
Before 30 March 2026: Use non-qualifying points for award tickets or Cash & Points bookings on ITA flights. Any flights booked must depart within 12 months.
Then, from 1 April to 30 June 2026: Convert remaining points into a Gift Card Volare voucher. This is worth paying attention to. The voucher is non-personalised and transferable, so you can hand it to someone else. It covers all fare types on ita-airways.com but must be used to book by 30 June 2026. Flights can depart within 12 months of booking.
Finally, before 30 April 2026: Spend points with commercial partners or donate them to charity.
The voucher route is the most flexible option for anyone who can’t commit to a specific flight right now. But don’t expect extensions on any of these deadlines. ITA has set the dates, and loyalty programmes don’t tend to offer grace periods when they’re being wound down.
What comes next
For travellers who fly ITA regularly – Rome hub connections, Italian domestic routes – the likely transition to Miles & More is probably a net improvement. It’s a larger, more functional programme with wider redemption options and full Star Alliance integration. ITA sitting inside SkyTeam was always an oddity given Lufthansa’s intentions. The alliance shift is the bigger structural story, but for loyalty purposes, Miles & More is the relevant change.
No great loss
Volare was a holding pattern, not a loyalty programme. Its closure is administrative tidying by a parent company that already has a perfectly functional alternative. If you’ve got points, use them before the deadlines. If you don’t, you can safely ignore the sentimental farewell email.
The only question worth watching now is how smoothly Lufthansa integrates ITA into Miles & More, and whether ITA’s product actually improves under group ownership. I suspect that story will matter far more than anything Volare managed to achieve in its brief existence.
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