SkyTeam

In order to provide global passenger and cargo transport services, airlines have set up alliances, enabling them to develop their services and to increase their growth prospects on all markets.

In 2000, Air France, Aeromexico, Delta and Korean set up the SkyTeam alliance, which in 2011 has 15 members:

Air France, KLM, Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern Airlines, CSA, Delta, Kenya Airways, Korean, Tarom and Vietnam Airlines.

SkyTeam is the second largest global airline alliance. In 2011, the three main global alliances represent 65% of world air traffic.

Belonging to an alliance enables Air France to strengthen its offer of frequencies, pool capacity and complete its offer with flights operated by its partners on their domestic networks.

When they travel on one of the 15 SkyTeam member airlines, customers benefit from the same facilities whichever airline they travel on.

They can earn miles on all airlines and benefit from 500 lounges worldwide.

SkyTeam member airlines have also implemented single products such as round the world trips and “passes” for certain regions such as Europe, China and Mexico.

By choosing these products, customers benefit from flexible travel options, a simplified fare scale and earn miles on each of the airlines they travel with.

The alliance has also developed specific corporate products for major companies and the organisers and participants of international conventions.

With the arrival of China Airlines and China Eastern in 2011, SkyTeam now includes four Chinese companies and is the leading alliance in Greater China, with 135 locations, a major asset in this rapidly developing market. China Southern, with its hubs in Guangzhou and Beijing, is the largest Chinese company and the third largest globally, serving 153 cities in 37 countries. China Southern has been a member of the SkyTeam alliance since November 2007. China Southern’s extensive worldwide network makes it a preferred partner for all SkyTeam airlines.

• China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines merged in 2009. The companies, both based in Shanghai, will bring 32 new destinations to SkyTeam. 147 destinations worldwide are served today by China Eastern and 78 by Shanghai Airlines, including 65 domestic routes.
• China Airlines operates an extensive network of passenger and cargo flights departing from its hub in Taipei, a city located in one of the most powerful economic areas of Asia. The airline provides 224 daily flights to 80 destinations around the world, including to Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. It also serves three new destinations within the SkyTeam network: Okinawa and Miyazaki in Japan and Surabaya in Indonesia.

SkyTeam will further strengthen its position in China in the near future with the entry of Xiamen Airlines, the fifth largest airline in China. The company has begun a process of integration to fully join SkyTeam by the end of 2012, further increasing the alliance’s coverage in the prosperous region of Southeast China. Based in Xiamen, a coastal city of Fujian Province in East China, Xiamen Airlines operates a network of domestic and regional flights in China and Asia, primarily from hub airports in Xiamen, Fuzhou and Hangzhou.