By Arvind Padmanabhan, IANS
New York : Air India hopes to integrate with Star Alliance, an interline commercial pact among 19 global carriers, by March next year in a bid to give passengers wider choice for travel, a top official of the carrier said.
“Members of the Star Alliance team have been regularly visiting us and have been in dialogue since our formal entry into the alliance was okayed in December last year,” said Jitender Bhargava, executive director for corporate communications.
“We hope to fully integrate with the alliance by March next year,” Bhargava told IANS, as the airline prepared to add more destinations to the US, including San Francisco, Washington and one city in Texas – Houston or Dallas.
Air India officials explained that among the various benefits for the carrier in integrating with the Star Alliance would be partnerships with some of the member carriers for marketing, sourcing of spares and long-term contracts for fuel.
This apart, the Flying Returns scheme of Air India would also be integrated with frequent flier programmes of member carriers, where miles earned on one carrier can be redeemed with any of the other member airlines.
The pact will also entail the sharing of airport lounges and synchronisation of flight schedules, which will permit seamless travel on a single air ticket, even if it requires flying several carriers on a single journey, they added.
Some carriers like South African Airways are examining how the connectivity between their country and India could be improved following the induction of Air India into the alliance, as the present capacity did not allow more frequencies.
“We have five flights a week out of Mumbai. We would like to fly more to India. But the traffic is very seasonal. We hope to work out something with Air India,” Jason Krause, head of the carrier’s network development, had told IANS.
Air India chairperson and managing director V. Thulasidas had said earlier that the invitation to join Star Alliance had come at the right time when Indian Airlines was being merged into it and they had a fleet expansion plan of 100 aircraft.
“India has long been on the radar of Star Alliance. After all, it is one of the world’s fastest growing economies and aviation markets,” Glenn Tilton, chairperson of United Airlines, had said in Beijing after the Star Alliance board meeting.
“Having come to an agreement with Air India makes us the first airline alliance to secure a member in India, which will enable our customers to receive more benefits when travelling to, from and within India in the future.”
With 19 members led by Lufthansa, Star Alliance has as its rivals OneWorld, led by American Airlines and British Airways, and SkyTeam, led by Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines.
The Star Alliance membership moved up to 19 following the entry of Air China and Shanghai Airlines in December 2007. The members of the alliance now operate some 17,000 flights daily to 897 destinations in 160 countries.
The alliance members also boast combined revenues of $122 billion, ferrying 455 million passengers annually, a fleet of 3,087 aircraft and access to more than 740 lounges for their customers.