13 Years of Skyteam
Your Global Airline Alliance
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During the month of June we will be celebrating thirteen years of SkyTeam. The alliance was founded on 22 June 2000 by Aeroméxico, Air France, Delta and Korean Air. Thirteen years later, it has nineteen members from around the world, covering an extensive network of over 1,000 destinations in 187 countries.
In the last few years the alliance has grown substantially. In 2012 alone we welcomed four new members, adding 77 new destinations. SkyTeam established its first presence in the Middle East when Saudia and MEA joined. Aerolíneas Argentinas became the first South American member, perfectly complementing its network with those of Aeroméxico and Delta and linking the Americas to Australia. Then Xiamen Airlines joined in November, cementing the alliance´s number one position in Greater China. In 2014 we are going to welcome Garuda Indonesia as the twentieth member, enhancing SkyTeam´s position in Southeast Asia together with Vietnam Airlines.
Today, SkyTeam is visible in the world´s most relevant markets both current and future. Among them is Greater China, where SkyTeam is by far the number one airline alliance, offering more than 147 destinations through four member airlines from this region: China Southern, China Eastern, China Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
Now that the network is nearing completion, SkyTeam´s focus is more than ever on the customer experience. This year, the priority will be to become the most customer-focused alliance, providing passengers with an unparalleled travel experience.
With nineteen members the alliance provides better connectivity and makes it easier for passengers to travel the world. In order to help customers get the most from this, SkyTeam is now focusing on increasing quality and improving consistency, whilst enhancing airport-related services. The aim being to make connections from one airline to another easier and smoother, open more SkyTeam-branded airport lounges and other key initiatives.
The first of these projects, focused on delivering a superior travel experience, is SkyPriority. A unique alliance-wide “red carpet treatment” for top customers, which was launched in March 2012 and this year and will be implemented throughout the entire global network. In addition to this, new initiatives will be announced later in the year that will further enhance the alliance´s offer.
We’re looking forward to a bright future and to consolidating our position as your preferred airline alliance.
