AI passengers to benifit following Star Alliance membership

New Delhi, 24 June, 2014

Air India has joined Star Alliance which is the biggest congregation of 26 leading airlines. Ending a seven-year-long wait, the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB), at its meeting in London on Monday, gave an endorsement vote to induct Air India into the fold. This will offer Air India worldwide reach and smoother travel experience, said Minister for Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

Announcing the inclusion of Air India into the Star Alliance club today he said the revenue of Air India (AI) may increase by 4-5 per cent by joining the Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network offers 21,900 daily flights to 1328 airports in 195 countries. Today about 13 Star Member Airlines operate to 10 destinations in India and account for a total share of 13 per cent of India’s to and fro market. The inclusion of Air India in Star would take Star Alliance to a stronger position with a share of about 30 per cent.

Star Alliance would enable seamless travel to over 1,300 destinations for Air India passengers.Air India becomes the first Indian carrier to join a global alliance, the largest one now having 27 member airlines in its fold. Star Alliance members include major airlines like US carrier United, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Air China, Air Canada, Swiss, Austrian, All Nippon Airways, Thai and Turkish Airlines.

A formal induction ceremony would be held here some time next month, for which Air India is getting a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and an Airbus A-320 — signifying its international and domestic operations, painted with the Star Alliance logo and livery.

The member airlines of Star Alliance together own a total of 4,338 aircraft and fly over 640 million passengers a year, many of whom can also earn and burn frequent flyer miles on the entire alliance network.On its behalf, Air India would provide seamless connectivity to the passengers of Star partner airlines throughout its pan-India network.

As a Star Alliance member, Air India will now offer its passengers seamless travel experience across the Alliance network around the world, besides a premium customer recognition and benefits across member airlines. In addition to enjoying seamless transfers while travelling across the world, Air India passengers can earn and burn more frequent flyer mileage points, code sharing leading to a wider choice of flights and an access to over 1000 lounges.

The Minister said that existing facilities for the members of the world’s biggest grouping of airlines would now be available to the passengers of Air India also.

Air India’s entry into the Star Alliance would facilitate its access to a vast global network, offering unmatched reach and connectivity. This is important for Air India and aviation in India in terms of adoption of global best practices, branding and global visibility. The vast Star Alliance network will enhance Air India’s overseas operations linking it to its extensive domestic network. This will help Air India to provide better connectivity, smooth and on-time service to its passengers.