Aliantele dintre companiile aeriene

Skyteam se dezvolta in ritm rapid. Se vrea sa se ajunga la 20 membri in 2012 (13 actuali)

Pe langa Aerolineas Argentinas se prefigureaza integrarea MEA (Liban) si Jet Airways (India).

Jet Airways e logic sa vrea in Skyteam avand in vedere ca Air India e cu Star Alliance si Kingsfisher cu oneworld.

Sursa

Cateva discutii interesante despre viitorul Jet Airways aici si aici. Ei au baze importante la BRU si YYZ, mari huburi *A.

Titlu: Avianca-TACA and Copa expect to formally join Star in 2012
Sursa: flightglobal
Autor: Brendan Sobie
Data: 10.11.2010

Citat :

Latin American airline groups Avianca-TACA and Copa expect to formally join the Star Alliance in the second quarter of 2012, giving the alliance 31 members including three in Latin America.

Star announced earlier today applications from the two groups have been accepted by the alliance's chief executive board. Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht told reporters the implementation process now begins. "Today we are kicking off the integration period," Albrecht says. "It will take 12 to 18 months to be completed".

Copa CEO Pedro Heilbron explained that Copa and Avianca-TACA "both have an 18 month period to join. Neither one will join before the 18 months are up."

Heilbron told reporters Copa is confident it can complete the implementation process in 18 months as it has the same IT systems as Continental Airlines, which in October 2009 completed the process of joining Star. Heilbron says "I think it may be a slightly easier process" for Copa because Avianca-TACA will have to implement more technology changes.

Avianca-TACA CEO Fabio Villegas acknowledged that "it is a little more difficult for Avianca-TACA" from a technology implementation standpoint. But he told reporters the carrier is "committed to fulfilling" all the requirements within the 18-month window.

Villegas added that Avianca-TACA is now working on implementing new reservation and inventory systems from Amadeus that will help the group be ready for Star in early 2012. "We are looking forward to being a full member of Star Alliance as soon as we can," he says.

Speaking to ATI and Flightglobal after the press conference, Villegas says Avianca before the merger already completed a switch-over to Amadeus and the TACA side is now switching over to the Amadeus platform. He says Avianca and TACA are also both now in the process of implementing a new revenue management system from PROS.

Lufthansa has been appointed as Avianca-TACA advisor during the implementation process while Copa will be advised by its long-term partner Continental Airlines.

Albrecht says adding both Avianca-TACA and Star "really reinforces Star Alliance's position in what has really been a white spot in our strategy - to cover the north part of South America and the Caribbean." Brazil's TAM, which formally joined Star earlier this year, currently covers the southern part of the South American continent.

Albrecht says Avianca-TACA and Copa will give Star 47 new destinations which are not currently part of the alliance's combined network. He says once the two new members formally join, Star will operate 22,518 daily flights to 1,292 destinations in 188 countries.

Star currently has 27 members and expects to end 2011 with 29 members as both Air India and Ethiopian Airlines are on pace to complete the integration process next year.

Titlu: Star acceptance of Avianca-TACA excludes Avianca Brazil for now
Sursa: flightglobal
Autor: Brendan Sobie
Data: 10.11.2010

Citat :

Avianca Brazil, previously known as OceanAir, has not yet been accepted to join the Star Alliance along with its sister carriers at Avianca-TACA, but expects to be approved for membership at a later date.

Star announced earlier today that Avianca-TACA and Panama's Copa have been accepted as new members. Avianca-TACA and Star executives explain that all passenger carriers in both groups have been accepted as Star members with the single exception of Avianca Brazil because it is not currently owned by Avianca-TACA's new holding company.

Avianca Brazil's CEO, Jose Efromovich, says this ownership issue "is just a formality" and once it is resolved Avianca Brazil will also apply to become part of Star. He explains that currently Avianca Brazil is fully owned by Synergy Aerospace, the holding company controlled by the Efromovich family. But he says the intention is ownership in Avianca Brazil will be transferred in 2011 to the new holding company created from the merger of Avianca and TACA, which was completed in February.

"Avianca Brazil will be integrated [into Avianca-TACA] definitely next year," Efromovich told ATI and Flightglobal at a Star Alliance event today in Miami.

Efromovich says he hopes Avianca Brazil can still become part of Star when the rest of the group formally joins, which is expected in early 2012. If not, Avianca Brazil will join shortly after its sister carriers.

Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht told ATI and Flightglobal that Star expects Avianca Brazil "will be phased in later". He says TAM, which formally joined Star earlier this year, fully supports the addition of Avianca Brazil as a second Brazilian carrier in the alliance. "It's all part of the negotiations," Albrecht says.

Efromovich also says TAM has been supportive and the two carriers look forward to working together. Avianca Brazil is the fifth largest domestic carrier in Brazil while TAM is Brazil's largest.

Ownership in Avianca and Colombian cargo carrier Tampa has already been transferred from Synergy to the new Avianca-TACA holding company. All the subsidiaries and partners under the former Grupo TACA, previously controlled by Roberto Kriete's family, have also transferred. These include El Salvador's TACA, Costa Rica's Lacsa and Sansa, Guatemala's Aviateca, Honduras' Islena, Nicaragua's Costena, Panama's Aeroperlas and TACA Peru.

Efromovich says currently Avianca-TACA is now focused on moving over Ecuador's AeroGal to the new holding company. Avianca-TACA executives say the group has exercised its option to acquire 100% of AeroGal, which was previously owned by Synergy along with a local Ecuadorean owner. This transaction is expected to close by year-end and AeroGal has already been accepted by Star.

Avianca CEO Fabio Villegas says Avianca-TACA holds a similar option to acquire Avianca TACA from Synergy.

While Avianca-TACA expects to continue using several operating certificates, it aims to go to one common brand and one code by 2012. As a result from a passenger perspective, Avianca-TACA will be one carrier when it formally joins Star in early 2012.

Avianca-TACA, after unveiling its merger last year, initially said it would keep two brands. But Villegas says the group has since decided that having only one brand would be better and it now needs to decide whether Avianca or TACA will be the surviving brand.

Titlu: Russia's S7 and Globus formally join Oneworld
Sursa: flightglobal
Autor: David Kaminski-Morrow
Data: 15.11.2010

Citat :

Russia's S7 Airlines has formally become a member of the Oneworld alliance, while subsidiary Globus is also joining as an affiliate.

Inclusion of the two operations brings 55 destinations in Russia and the former Soviet states, among the 90 points they serve, to the Oneworld network.

As a result the network has expanded to more than 780 cities.

"Oneworld gives S7 the best-quality partners, the best worldwide network, the best alliance services for our customers and the best opportunity to put our airline firmly on the global stage," said S7 Group chief Vladislav Filev, speaking at an event in Moscow today.

Oneworld managing partner John McCulloch states that S7 gives the alliance access to a "key region" and is a carrier which "matches our demanding quality requirements".

The alliance adds: "S7's addition to the alliance completes what has been one of the biggest projects in the airline's history, with working groups covering some 35 streams of activity."

British Airways has been S7's sponsor during the accession. Chief executive Willie Walsh describes S7 as "the best [carrier], we firmly believe, in Russia and the CIS".

Oneworld's network will increase to more than 900 points once India's Kingfisher Airlines and Germany's Air Berlin join in the next 18 months.

Titlu: Star prepares for battle to win LAN-TAM allegiance
Sursa: flightglobal
Autor: Brendan Sobie
Data: 12.11.2010

Citat :

The Star Alliance is preparing for a competition against Oneworld to win the allegiance of the LATAM Airlines Group, the new holding company for Chile-based LAN and Brazil's TAM.

After initially unveiling their merger plans in August, Star member TAM and Oneworld member LAN initially indicated they will stay in their respective alliances until at least 2012, at which point they will start to consider potentially selecting a single alliance. But Oneworld managing director John McCulloch said late last month that Oneworld expects LATAM will make a decision significantly sooner and that a battle will ensue over the next couple of months between the global alliances to secure membership from the merged LAN-TAM.

McCulloch said the two carriers "seem well ahead of the timetable" in their integration and it is important for Oneworld to now begin making its case to LAN and TAM. Speaking at a Star Alliance press conference earlier this week in Miami, Star chief executive Jaan Albrecht said Star is also "looking forward to a fair competition" and submitting LAN and TAM its "best proposal".

"We are assured there will be many meetings in Sao Paulo and Santiago," Albrecht said.

Albrecht insisted that Star's approval this week of Latin American airline groups Avianca-TACA and Copa as new members in no way indicates Star is preparing for TAM's exit from the alliance. "What we are doing today is enhancing our presence in Latin America. TAM is the airline that gives us access to Brazil and to deep South America," Albrecht says.

But if LATAM selects Star over Oneworld it could lead to the awkward situation of having Colombia's three main carriers in one alliance. Avianca and Copa Colombia will formally join Star in 2012 along with their sister carriers while LAN last month announced its intention to acquire Aires.

Avianca is currently the largest domestic carrier in Colombia, followed by Aires and Copa Colombia, which was previously known as Aero Republica. Combined these three carriers now control 91% of Colombia's fast-growing domestic market, according to Colombian CAA data from the first eight months of 2010.

LAN already competes head to head with Avianca-TACA in the Ecuadorean and Peruvian markets, where they both have subsidiaries or affiliates. Asked after the press conference by ATI and Flightglobal if Avianca-TACA would welcome its archrival LAN into Star, Avianca-TACA CEO Fabio Villegas replied it is too early to even consider such a question. "I don't know what LAN is going to do. I don't know what will happen," Villegas says. "All we know is what we want to do - we wanted to join Star.

"We've run our numbers and we've run our models and we know that's the best alternative for us. We'll continue to do our best to accelerate the process of entering into the alliance."

Albrecht told reporters the recent spate of mergers and acquisitions are creating new challenges for Star and other global alliances. He says Star is now seeing mergers "in every part of the world" and in recent years several of its members have pursued mergers or acquisitions. But he acknowledges the LAN-TAM merger is unique and presents a different kind of challenge as it involves for the first time a merger between a Star carrier and a carrier from another global alliance.

Titlu: Star Alliance recruitment efforts focus on Russia
Sursa: flightglobal
Autor: Brendan Sobie
Data: 15.11.2010

Citat :

Star Alliance chief executive Jaan Albrecht remains confident the alliance can secure a member from Russia, the last "white spot" in its network.

Russia's S7 Airlines and its affiliate Globus formally joined Oneworld earlier today. With Aeroflot a long-time member of SkyTeam, Star is now the only global alliance without a member from the large and fast-growing Russian market.

In speaking to reporters last week at a Star event in Miami, Albrecht recalled how Star a few years ago first identified Brazil, India and Russia as its major white spots and stepped up recruitment efforts in the three countries. With Brazil's TAM formally joining earlier this year and Air India expected to complete the process of joining in mid 2011, Albrecht acknowledges that "leaves Russia" in Star's campaign to fill all its white spots.

He says "Russia hasn't been an easy market" due in part to the spate of mergers and acquisitions the highly fragmented market has experienced. "A lot is happening and a lot will continue happening," Albrecht says. "We are watching the evolution."

With Star announcing new members this year in Latin America and Africa, which will give the alliance three members from each of these regions and 31 total members, clearly Russia is the big recruitment priority for 2011. "I feel this will be the major big area that Star can be in position to finally fill in its white spot strategy," Albrecht says.

But he adds Star is also still open to adding more members in regions where it already has a presence, explaining it has "no artificial limits" or cap in place that would prevent it from continuing to expand.

Titlu: Garuda to ink SkyTeam agreement next week
Sursa: flightglobal
Autor: Siva Govindasamy
Data: 19.11.2010

Citat :

Garuda Indonesia will hold a ceremony on Tuesday to formally begin the process of becoming a member of the SkyTeam alliance.

The process is likely to take about a year, with Indonesia's flag carrier likely to become a full-fledged member of the alliance around early 2012.

Garuda follows similar recent agreements by Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines and Taiwan's China Airlines, in a clear signal that SkyTeam has placed Asia at the forefront of its expansion.

Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines and Vietnam Airlines are already members, while SkyTeam has also held talks with India's Jet Airways.

Saudi Arabian Airlines se pare ca va intra in viitor in SkyTeam (surse : Saudia to join global alliance si aici)

Titlu: Star Alliance courts Virgin Blue
Sursa: http://atwonline.com/international-aviation-regulation/news/star-alliance-courts-virgin-blue-1213
Autor: Kurt Hofmann
Data: 14.12.2010

Citat :

As Air New Zealand and Virgin Blue work to persuade the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to reverse its draft ruling and approve their proposed transtasman alliance (ATW Daily News, Sept. 23), speculation increased that Blue would join the Star Alliance following CEO John Borghetti’s presence at the Star CEOs' meeting in Queenstown, New Zealand on Monday.

"There's a chance for Virgin Blue to look at everything," he said. "We've got a lot on at the moment and we're evaluating everything, and I mean everything, and certainly as we go forward we'll see where that leads,” Borghetti said, noting he expects a decision “pretty quickly.” Star has had no Australian partner since the 2002 bankruptcy of Ansett.

Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht told ATW that it is “lacking” in Australian membership right now. “We have to look [to Virgin]” as Australia’s “white spot,” he said. Virgin would fulfill its minimum requirements as the carrier is set to establish a business (class) model on its medium-haul fleet. Albrecht mentioned Russia and Africa when asked about where Star seeks future members.

Regarding the ANZ-Virgin Blue alliance, ANZ CEO Rob Fyfe told ATW that he sees the alliance with Virgin as a central plank to its growth strategy. Both airlines have to satisfy regulators’ concerns. Virgin is also attempting to forge alliances with ANZ and Delta Air Lines (ATW Daily News, Sept. 9). It has an interim green light to join forces with Etihad (ATW Daily News, Sept. 24).

Aerolineas Argentinas si Garuda Indonesia au semnat alaturarea la SkyTeam

Sursa : aici

Titlu: SPECIAL REPORT: What's the future for airline alliances?
Sursa: businesstraveller.com
Autor: Jenny Southan
Data: 20.12.2010

Citat :

Business Traveller talks to key figures at the annual Star Alliance CEO board meeting in New Zealand

The largest airline alliance in the world, with 27 members and four more – Ethiopian Airlines, Air India, Avianca, Taca and Copa and in Latin America – set to join in the near future, Star offers more than 21,000 flights daily to more than 180 countries around the globe. But with consolidation between carriers being a trend that's likely to continue, will there be any need for alliances? And, in the meantime, what kind of developments can we expect to see from Star and its member airlines in the years ahead?

On the subject of consolidation, Jaan Albrecht, CEO of Star Alliance since 2001, says: "Consolidation is a trend we are seeing, and it's happening on a regional basis – there is lots of consolidation in Europe, in North America and Latin America, and that will continue. But the added value of the alliance is to be like a bridge over these areas where they are not consolidating – so you have Lufthansa group in Europe and Continental/United in the Americas, but our alliance is still like the umbrella that bring these initiatives together and allows the carriers to offer a seamless product."

Rob Fyfe, CEO of Air New Zealand, agrees: "The opportunity to improve the industry's economics and customer propositions through alliances, mergers and acquisitions is key to the sustainable future of this industry and we expect to see more of this activity moving forward. But Star Alliance provides and creates a great platform to facilitate some of those deeper relationships that will emerge.

"As a remote nation we are also heavily dependant on our Star Alliance partners to help us source the visitors that feed our economy. Every new Star member helps attract more people to this country. Without the connectivity of Star Alliance there is absolutely no doubt that fewer tourists would be visiting our country and we would be a poorer nation as a consequence."

Lufthansa is a good example of an airline that has formed what some might describe as a "mini alliance", with its subsidiaries now totalling four (Swiss, Bmi, Brussels Airlines and Austrian). And there are also rumours that SAS may merge with the German carrier. Robin Kamark, senior vice-president and chief commercial officer for Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), says: "Are Lufthansa and SAS a good fit? Probably. We work very closely within Star but are there any concrete plans between SAS and Lufthansa? The answer is no. We need to structure SAS as a stand-alone entity, and if and when we are successful with that, I think as a healthy company we will be more attractive to be invited."

The biggest merger recently was of Star's two largest carriers, Continental and United, which took place in October. But other examples of airlines that have joined forces within the Star network are Brazil's TAM and Greece's Aegean, both of which entered the alliance in 2010. Albrecht says: "Many airlines have decided that the key to future business success is consolidation – both of these airlines are in the process of merging –Aegean with Olympic and TAM with Lan Chile."

However, it should be noted that as Lan is part of Oneworld, the proposed Latam Airlines Group, set to enter the market in mid 2011, would have to pick an alliance to team up with. Albrecht says: "Depending on that [decision], it might be nice coverage or it might become a new white spot for Star. We are open for that discussion."

He adds: "Ethiopian includes co-operation with our two African members Egyptair and South African Airways, and as we continue to build our strategy in Africa this will most probably result in an enhancement of the network with the creation of another carrier in the western part of Africa."

So what about the Gulf carriers? "I cannot see any of the Gulf carriers joining," says Albrecht. "They are competing business models. The typical Gulf carriers, the Emirates, the Qatars and the Etihads, are building hubs in the desert with huge investment in infrastructure to try to connect South East Asia and Australia to Europe and the US, and these are exactly the traffic flows that we are intending [to connect] in a very efficient way, via hubs in Singapore, Bangkok, and India – now with a new terminal in Delhi – from our hubs in Europe.

"These airlines are competing, they are not generating new traffic – they are trying to steal the traffic from the established carriers. So why should we enter into this form of collaboration helping them to expand and get their brands known on a worldwide basis? The decision that we have taken so far is we don’t see any added value to the alliance from these carriers," says Albrecht.

What about Star's member airlines Egyptair and Turkish Airlines? Albrecht says: "You have a clear difference between Turkish Airlines and the Middle Eastern carriers, which are just building a hub and trying to ship the traffic from other traffic flows. Egyptair and Turkish Airlines have a big advantage in that they have huge local markets to connect with the Americas and Asia. We see the added value of Turkish Airlines because it is a partner that is willing to play, is willing to collaborate in the alliance."

As yet, the Russian market remains untapped. So what does Star have planned to overcome this? Albrecht says: "Russia is top priority but we don’t have a top candidate airline. Why? Because in Russia the airlines are consolidating. We have seen so many changes over the last few years and even months – you had Airunion [a Russian airline alliance] that failed, you have S7, which was a series of airlines coming together, and you have Rossiya, which is a stand-alone airline that is being integrated into Aeroflot, so Russia is a puzzle. As our members already reach Moscow and St Petersburg, what we are looking at, and the customer is looking at, is a way of connecting domestically in Russia."

With a codeshare agreement between Air New Zealand and Virgin Blue just days away, Australia's domestic market could also be opened up to the Star network. But what is the likelihood that the low-cost carrier with be integrated? Albrecht says: "They have the right network but we have not done the due diligence on the other aspects – today in Star we have about 80 minimum joining requirements. Once the bilateral relationship between Air New Zealand and Virgin Blue has taken place, we will get feedback from Air New Zealand to tell us if their experience with Virgin Blue is a positive one and if it is a potential candidate to comply with the minimum requirements to join."

Since Air Berlin joined Oneworld in 2010, are we going to see more low-cost carriers joining alliances? Albrecht says: "This is what we call 'the morphing of the low-cost carriers'. A few years ago they had a business model that was absolutely incompatible with an alliance or a network carrier but what we have seen is a race for low-cost carriers to improve their service and connectivity, and for us network carriers to lower our costs and somehow to meet halfway, so we are definitely seeing this evolution from some low-cost carriers."

kampfmaschine a scris:

Saudi Arabian Airlines se pare ca va intra in viitor in SkyTeam (surse : Saudia to join global alliance si aici)

Se confirma : Saudi Arabian intra in Sky Team :

http://www.skyteam.com/news/headlines/20110110.html

kampfmaschine a scris:

Pe langa Aerolineas Argentinas se prefigureaza integrarea MEA (Liban) si Jet Airways (India).

Middle East Airlines – Air Liban va intra in SkyTeam, asa cum se astepta, dupa Saudi Arabian.

Va semna aderarea pe 28 februarie 2011 si va finaliza integrarea in 2012.

sursa

Star Alliance a dat un ultimatum (31 iulie) pt Air India pentru a se ridica la exigentele aliantei. Sincer, de 4 ani ii tot asteapta sa fie la nivelul la care trebuie.

Oricum, Air India (si mai ales guvernul) blocheaza si discutiile Jet Airways cu fie Star Alliance sau SkyTeam.

sursa

Skyteam se pregateste sa le primeasca pe chineza China Eastern Airlines + filiala Shanghai Airlines si pe taiwaneza China Airlines in cateva saptamani.

sursa

Malaysia Airlines intra in alianta Oneworld incepand cu anul urmator.

Sursa info

Xiamen Airlines (subsidiara China Southern Airlines care este deja in SkyTeam) se va alatura aliantei SkyTeam.

Shenzhen Airlines este vazuta in curand in Star Alliance.

Surse info aici si aici

Titlu: Shenzhen Airlines to sign MoU today to join Star
Sursa: flightglobal.com
Autor: Ghim-Lay Yeo
Data: 06 Iulie 2011

Citat :

Shenzhen Airlines is set to sign a memorandum of understanding today to join Star Alliance, becoming the second Chinese member in the grouping along with its parent Air China.

The carrier will ink the MoU in a ceremony this afternoon, it said.

Last March, Air China increased its stake in Shenzhen Airlines to 51% from 25%, saying that the acquisition would be "conducive" to the co-operation between the two airlines.

In December 2009, Air China took over Shenzhen Airlines' management after its then-majority shareholder Li Zeyuan was taken in by the police for questioning.

Air China has said the acquisition of Shenzhen Airlines will help grow its presence in Guangzhou, and help it compete against rivals China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines.

Titlu: Shenzhen Airlines to join Star by end-2012
Sursa: flightglobal.com
Autor: Ghim-Lay Yeo
Data: 06 Iulie 2011

Citat :

Shenzhen Airlines is set to join the Star Alliance by end-2012, after the grouping's chief executive board approved the carrier's application.

The airline will be assisted in the joining process by its parent Air China, an existing Star Alliance member and currently the only Chinese airline in the grouping. Air China became the majority shareholder in Shenzhen Airlines last March after it grew its stake to 51% from 25%.

"Joining Star Alliance will help Shenzhen Airlines in its mission to build on its strength of a well-known national carrier, while implementing its strategy of establishing itself as a strong brand across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond," said Shenzhen Airlines president Feng Gang.

The addition of Shenzhen Airlines to the alliance will allow the grouping to expand its offering across mainland China and neighbouring countries, said Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht.

"Shenzhen Airlines is the fifth largest airline in China operating from the fifth busiest airport in the country. In conjunction with Air China, we will be growing our customer offer especially in the southern part of China," he added.

Air China will provide support and assistance to Shenzhen Airlines as it integrates itself into the alliance network by end-2012, said Air China chairman Kong Dong.

"Air China and Shenzhen Airlines will actively participate in alliance activities and initiatives, and work closely together with all member airlines to achieve win-win cooperation," he added.

With the addition of Shenzhen Airlines, the alliance's membership will grow to 27 existing and five future members. Shenzhen Airlines will add five new destinations to the Star Alliance network in China: Juzhou, Linyi, Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang and Zhoushan.

Titlu: Star Alliance, Air India agree to suspend integration
Sursa: flightglobal.com
Autor: Quintella Koh
Data: 01/08/2011

Citat :

The Star Alliance network and Air India have decided to suspend the carrier's integration with the global airline alliance as India has not met the minimum membership conditions.

Star Alliance and Air India agreed on the minimum joining conditions in December 2007, Star Alliance said.

The review of Air India's application to join Star Alliance was conducted between the Indian Ministry for Civil Aviation, Star Alliance's CEO Jaan Albrecht and Air India's chairman and managing director, Arvind Jadhav.

During the review, all three parties agreed that Air India's integration into the alliance will be suspended.

"With the collective decision to put the integration efforts on hold today, we aim to contribute to Air India's flexibility to concentrate on its ongoing strategic reorientation. In this process, our member carriers will continue to provide assistance to Air India wherever required," Albrecht said.

"Existing bilateral relationships with Star Alliance member airlines will not be affected by this decision, which also leaves room to discuss a potential Alliance membership at a future stage, if deemed appropriate by both parties," Star Alliance said.

Air India pare, dupa ce s-au rupt discutiile cu Star Alliance, interesata de alianta SkyTeam. Discutii care ar fi dificile daca tinem cont de faptul ca Jet Airways (companie rivala) se afla deja in discutii cu SkyTeam.

Mai multe detalii aici.

Titlu: Malaysia Airlines remains focused on Oneworld membership
Sursa: flightglobal.com
Autor: Siva Govindasamy
Data: 31/08/2011

Citat :

Malaysia Airlines has reiterated its aim to join the Oneworld alliance next year and hopes that it will coincide with the launch of its Airbus A380 service in 2012.

There was speculation in the country's media that the airline could reconsider its plan to join Oneworld or start talks with rival alliance SkyTeam after a revamp of its board and the exit of managing director and CEO Azmil Zahruddin earlier in August.

The changes came after AirAsia's parent Tune Air took a 20.5% stake in the network carrier and MAS' largest shareholder Khazanah International agreed to buy a 10% stake in the low-cost carrier.

Malaysia's flag carrier said it is "focused" on the original aim of joining Oneworld, saying that this will provide the best benefits.

"The airline is currently working diligently to meet the alliance requirements, to ensure that it becomes a full member soonest possible, subject to the relevant regulatory approvals being obtained," said MAS in a statement.

"MAS' impending Oneworld membership will also lead to easier transfers, code-shares, joint ventures and greater route access amongst alliance partners, as well as benefit passengers in terms of miles points, lounge and other rewards," it said.

The airline also said it is reviewing the product offerings on its long-haul A380 and Airbus A330 fleet to ensure that they are the "best-in-class".

This, and the Oneworld membership, will help it to become more profitable in 2012, said MAS.

"MAS is confident that revenues and yields would improve, and that 2012 would see a positive turnaround for the airlines finances," added the airline.

The carrier posted a net loss of ringgit (M$) 527 million ($177 million) in the three months ended 30 June 2011, compared with a net loss of M$535 million a year before. Its revenue increased by 8.5% to M$3.49 billion, but its operating loss widened to M$413 million from M$286 million as its expenses increased by 11.4% to M$3.9 billion.

Titlu: China Airlines Joins SkyTeam
Sursa: http://www.skyteam.com/en/About-us/Press/News/2011/China-Airlines-Joins-SkyTeam/
Autor: ***
Data: 28/09/2011

Citat :

Alliance grows to 15 members, adds Taipei to Asian hub network

TAIPEI, 28 September 2011 – SkyTeam, the global airline alliance, today welcomed China Airlines as its 15th member at a joining ceremony held in Taipei. The flag carrier of Taiwan and one of the world’s leading cargo carriers, China Airlines becomes the first Taiwanese airline to join SkyTeam and cements the alliance’s #1 position in the Greater China region.

From its hub in Taipei, one of Asia’s strongest economies, China Airlines operates a diverse passenger and cargo network throughout the wider Asia pacific region, North America and Europe, with a total of 224 daily departures to 80 destinations worldwide. The new member also brings three new destinations to the SkyTeam network: Okinawa and Miyazaki, Japan; and Surabaya, Indonesia.

Extensive choice of destinations in the Greater China region

China Airlines complements the network of existing members, China Southern and China Eastern, and offers an extensive cross-strait operation to 20 major destinations in China. This provides SkyTeam customers with an unrivalled choice of travel options in the Greater China region.

“Thanks to excellent links to a number of existing SkyTeam hubs, China Airlines’ membership adds value to the alliance for both passengers and cargo customers,” said Michael Wisbrun, SkyTeam’s Managing Director. “Adding a quality brand from a strong economic region will support SkyTeam’s focus on our top priority- enhancing our products and services for our customers worldwide.”

“Joining SkyTeam is an integral part of our strategy for increased international growth and profitability,” said China Airlines’ Chairman, Mr. Chia-Juch Chang. “Today’s milestone is a momentous occasion in our history and we look forward to a future of cooperation and collaboration with our SkyTeam partners, bringing greater benefits to our distinguished passengers.”

Effective immediately, China Airlines customers will be able to earn and redeem miles on all services operated by SkyTeam member airlines. Members of other SkyTeam airlines’ frequent flyer programs can also earn and redeem miles when flying on any China Airlines operated flight. China Airlines will be included in all SkyTeam global deals, particularly benefiting corporate clients with business interests in Taiwan.

Refreshed China Airlines brand

While including the SkyTeam brand within its identity, China Airlines has also completely refreshed its brand image. The ‘Plum Blossom’ trademark and ‘Chinese Seal’ have been integrated, promoting China Airlines’ corporate identity in a simple, harmonized and modern design. The new logo will soon feature on all signboards, bulletins and travel products for passengers worldwide. China Airlines is also the first SkyTeam member airline to fly a Boeing 747-400 in SkyTeam livery colors. The aircraft was unveiled during the festivities at today’s ceremony.

Eva Air vrea sa intre intr-o alianta pana in 2013 mai ales ca cea mai mare concurenta a sa, China Airlines (tot din Taiwan) a intrat in Skyteam in septembrie.

Bine'nteles aliantele cu care este in discutii Eva Air sunt Star Alliance si Oneworld.

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Xiamen Airlines, a 5-a cea mai mare companie din China, a semnat pe 17 nov un acord de aderare la SkyTeam. Se va alatura incepand de anul viitor aliantei din care face parte actionarul sau principal China Southern Airlines, dar si alta companie chinezeasca China Eastern Airlines.

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Ethiopian Airlines devine a 29-a companie a Star Alliance in 13/12/2011 si a 3-a din Africa dupa Egyptair si South African Airways.

Membrii Star Alliance :

Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Blue1, British Midland (Bmi), Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Egyptair, LOT Polish Airlines, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, Swiss International, TAL Brazilian Airlines, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines si US Airways.

Anul viitor vor mai intra : Avianca, TACA Airlines (cele 2 au fuzionat), Copa Airlines si Shenzhen Airlines.

Eva Air si Jet Airways s-au aratat interesate sa intre in Star Alliance.

Air India si-a vazut blocata intrarea in alianta datorita neindeplinirii conditiilor.

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Kingfisher, compania aeriana indiana confruntata recent cu serioase probleme financiare, urmeaza sa integreze alianta Oneworld in 10 feb 2012.

Alte 2 companii urmeaza sa integreze anul viitor aceeasi alianta : Air Berlin si Malaysia Airlines, desi nu se stie in ce lumina va pune integrarea recenta achizitie a pachetului majoritar (29%) al Air Berlin de catre cei de la Etihad.

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Eva Air face un pas mare catre Star Alliance ajutand in acest fel alianta sa echilibreze balanta in Asia de Nord si China in fata Sky Team.

In cadrul intalnirii consiliului de administratie al Star Alliance de saptamana trecuta in Etiopia, Eva Air si-a supus inca o data candidatura, care a fost acceptata, urmand sa integreze alianta in 2012.

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