  A-type supergiants are primary targets for quantitative spectroscopy of
individual stars in nearby galaxies because of their intrinsic brightness. An
overview is given on the non-LTE techniques required for their analysis.
Applications concentrate on placing observational constraints on evolutionary
models for massive stars and their host galaxies by detailed abundance
analyses. Results from high-resolution studies of A-type supergiants in Local
Group galaxies and from intermediate-resolution multi-object spectroscopy of
supergiants far beyond the Local Group are summarised.
