By IANS,
New Delhi : Star Alliance, the global pact among 28 airlines in which Air India is a member-elect, has become the first such interline pact to establish a common infrastructure node at the new terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.
Terminal 3 started full-fledged commercial operations Wednesday.
Nine Star Alliance member-carriers offer more than 70 flights daily to 10 global hubs in nine countries from the airport here and the integration of their infrastructure at the new Terminal 3 is part of its ‘move under one roof’ programme, officials said.
From September, premium passengers of member carriers can also avail of the facilities at the new lounge being set up by Air India, said Lee Hock Lye, the vice president for products and services with Star Alliance.
“We have ensured that from the onset many facilities are shared with future member carrier Air India, thereby laying the groundwork for offering a seamless alliance product, from the moment they officially join.”
Check-in counters for all its member carriers are located in adjacent rows. In addition, Austrian, Continental Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss also share a joint ticket desk that is accessible from both inside and outside the glitzy new terminal.
“Future Star Alliance member carrier Air India is also located in the same area, so as to provide seamless service to customers upon their joining,” Lee said, after a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the beginning of the usage of joint infrastructure.
Overall, the Star Alliance network offers over 21,200 daily flights to 1,172 airports in 181 countries.
From the 10 hubs of member carriers connected with Delhi — Bangkok, Beijing, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Munich, Newark, Seoul, Singapore, Vienna and Zurich — passengers can reach over 1,100 destinations that are served by the 28 Star Alliance carriers.