Reuters
Star Alliance set to name three new members
Friday June 4, 5:54 am ET
SINGAPORE, June 4 (Reuters) - Star Alliance, the world's largest airline network, is set to name three new members on Saturday as it seeks to extend into high growth regions, its chief executive Jaan Albrecht said.
The 15-member Star Alliance, which includes Lufthansa (XETRA:LHAG.DE - News), Singapore Airlines Ltd (SES:SIAL.SI - News), UAL Corp's United (OTC BB:UALAQ.OB - News), and US Airways (NasdaqNM:UAIR - News), allows carriers to combine frequent flyer programmes and sell seats on each other's routes.
"We are talking to several carriers in China, Russia, India, Africa and Western Europe. We have chosen these places because they are where traffic growth is taking place," Albrecht told Reuters in an interview on Friday.
Full-service airlines use networks such as Star Alliance, oneworld and SkyTeam to cut costs and improve connections between long-haul and short-haul routes to help fend off competition from faster-growing discount airlines.
Star Alliance buys fuel for its members in bulk to cut costs.
But Albrecht said Swiss International Air Lines (Zurich:SWIN.S - News) was not among the three despite its decision to ditch plans to join rival oneworld, whose members include British Airways (London:BAY.L - News), American Airlines (NYSE:AMR - News), Qantas Airways Ltd (Australia:QAN.AX - News) and Cathay Pacific Airways (HKSE:0293.HK - News).
Albrecht said one of the three was a European regional carrier -- the first time that the alliance is accepting a regional airline as a member. He declined to identify the three.
The chief executives of Star Alliance airlines -- in Singapore for a weekend meeting -- must vote to accept the new members, Albrecht said.
To eiha diabasi se ena arthro tote pou eklise i Aero Lloyd