Continental switches airline alliances

DALLAS—Continental Airlines has changed teams in the battle among three large alliances of global airlines.

Continental officially switched from SkyTeam, led by Delta and Air France-KLM, to the Star Alliance, which includes United, US Airways and Lufthansa. The move was set in motion last year, when Delta bought Northwest, another SkyTeam member, and became the world’s largest airline company.

Continental said customers will be able to choose from more flights and that its frequent fliers will get a new roster of international airlines on which to earn and spend miles.