Star Alliance celebrated 20 years since founding members Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways and United Airlines formed the world’s first global aviation alliance.

The alliance, comprised of 28 members and 40 affiliates, serves more than 1,300 destinations in 191 countries. The group’s focus shifted from network expansion to providing a seamless experience, especially to more than 14 million annual customers who connect between member carriers on their journey.

“Access to instant information updates online from more or less anywhere has irrevocably changed the expectations of customers as they travel,” said Pedro Heilbron, chief executive officer, Copa Airlines, and current chairman, Star Alliance Chief Executive Board. “Passengers want to have control over their journey at their fingertips. That means having full access to a wealth of information, but also being able to personalize it to their own particular requirements. Providing such services to today’s digital traveler on an alliance level is the central pillar of our new strategic focus.”

To celebrate the anniversary, Star Alliance launched a competition, offering entrants the chance to win 1 million miles or the equivalent in one of the 21 frequent-flyer programs across the alliance. Entrants must upload a photo of themselves before July 31, and share a cultural experience they enjoyed.