™ | Skyteam News & Discussion

[ddes]

Originally Posted by soorox

Who would be next to join in Asia?

- Malaysia Airlines
- Garuda Indonesia
- Philippine Airlines
- Royal Brunei
- Myanmar Airways Int'll
- Jet Airways
- Skymark
- AirAsia? (D7, AK, FD)

- Malaysia Airlines
Highly likely, they've been very close to KLM and Alitalia, and have been allegedly trying to join the alliance for a long time. MH would be a good catch for either Oneworld or SkyTeam

- Garuda Indonesia
The airline has begun the process and will join SkyTeam in 2012

- Philippine Airlines
Not possible. Philippine Airlines relies a lot on its routes to the US, which is unlikely to sit well with Delta, which does well out of Manila

- Royal Brunei, Myanmar Airways
Unlikely, Royal Brunei's and Myanmar Airways International's networks are far too small, especially when you compare it to Malaysia Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Garuda Indonesia which can do the same job, and do it better

- Skymark
Possible, but unlikely. Delta and Korean Air might appreciate the domestic Japan market but the growth figures aren't impressive. Skymark's main hub is at Haneda, Kobe, Ibaraki - hubs which are mostly domestic in nature, and not condusive for international connections.

- AirAsia
Never. AirAsia relies on a low-cost model, and heading for an alliance means the airline is obligated to connect passengers, improve onboard service, introduce a proper Business Class and overall, a rise in fares, departing from the low fare model. Joining an alliance would be completely at odds with its strategy.

[Sky Harbor]

Originally Posted by ddes

- Philippine Airlines
Not possible. Philippine Airlines relies a lot on its routes to the US, which is unlikely to sit well with Delta, which does well out of Manila

But PAL's trans-Pacific network doesn't even connect to the rest of Delta's network. If ever, it serves as a benefit for those from the region as they can benefit from one-stop trans-Pacific service from major cities via Manila. Delta does well because it also connects to points where PAL doesn't connect, such as the eastern United States, despite a lot of people in the western United States also using DL to fly to the Philippines.

DL can also use the additional PR feed to NGO, NRT and KIX out of MNL, as well as possible codeshare traffic on CEB-NRT.

[dinoaizuddin]

Originally Posted by ddes

- Malaysia Airlines
Highly likely, they've been very close to KLM and Alitalia, and have been allegedly trying to join the alliance for a long time. MH would be a good catch for either Oneworld or SkyTeam

- Garuda Indonesia
The airline has begun the process and will join SkyTeam in 2012

- Philippine Airlines
Not possible. Philippine Airlines relies a lot on its routes to the US, which is unlikely to sit well with Delta, which does well out of Manila

- Royal Brunei, Myanmar Airways
Unlikely, Royal Brunei's and Myanmar Airways International's networks are far too small, especially when you compare it to Malaysia Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Garuda Indonesia which can do the same job, and do it better

- Skymark
Possible, but unlikely. Delta and Korean Air might appreciate the domestic Japan market but the growth figures aren't impressive. Skymark's main hub is at Haneda, Kobe, Ibaraki - hubs which are mostly domestic in nature, and not condusive for international connections.

- AirAsia
Never. AirAsia relies on a low-cost model, and heading for an alliance means the airline is obligated to connect passengers, improve onboard service, introduce a proper Business Class and overall, a rise in fares, departing from the low fare model. Joining an alliance would be completely at odds with its strategy.

hopefully the dream will come true for MH to become the members of skyteam..also..as well as other airlines....

[Iggis]

Aeroflot’s brand evaluated at $1.086 billion

Russian carrier Aeroflot unveiled its brand value. According to this estimate, the company currently ranks among the 20 most expensive airlines in the world. At the end of 2010 the value of Aeroflot was $1.086 billion. Analysts mention the steady position of the brand, its status and high customer loyalty.
Evaluation of Aeroflot brand was conducted by British company Brand Finance, an acknowledged world leader in brand evaluation. According to Director General of JSC Aeroflot Vitaly Saveliev, “our company’s entering the top-20 world aviation brands is yet another confirmation of the status of Aeroflot as one of the major players in the global marketplace.”
According to a study conducted by Brand Finance, Aeroflot is one of the few Russian companies in the non-oil sector widely known in the world and able to compete on equal terms with the leaders of the global aviation industry. To date, the largest share of the cost of the brand of Aeroflot is in the domestic market. According to “Business Times”, the most favorable foreign market for the company is Europe, where Aeroflot is known and the strength of its brand is very significant.
According to KP.ru, Aeroflot is currently trying to further increase brand loyalty through improved service. The company has already enhanced the criteria of flight attendants selection. Many of them have already been trained in the school of air service in Singapore and are successfully sharing the experience with their colleagues. Flight attendants’ uniform was updated as well and became more stylish. Aeroflot began to provide Internet access and mobile service on board aircraft. Many passengers noticed that the quality and variety of meals and assortment of drinks have been improved.
The experts of Brand Finance say that under favorable market conditions and the right strategy, the brand value of the company could reach $1.4 billion by the end of this year. In assessing the brand the agency relied on the forecast value of the company’s business in a 5-year term, the value of all trademarks of the company, domain names, corporate identity and business reputation, Vedomosti reports.
Estimated cost of the branded business of Aeroflot in terms of passenger traffic is estimated at $5.23 billion.
“In the air transportation the share of the brand (brand name, marketing component, image and reputation of the company) in business evaluation is much lower than in other industries as air transport is characterized by low predictability of profitability and high sensitivity to external factors. Against this backdrop, the brand of the leading Russian airline looks more than worthy,” the study says.
In addition, Aeroflot boasts one of the highest ratios of brand value to market capitalization. In this regard, analysts of Brand Finance claim that the company is undervalued: Aeroflot should cost $5.235 billion, and the brand’s share in this value should be 21%. Vedomosti noted that the capitalization of Aeroflot on the MICEX was approximately $2.7 billion. At the same time, the Russian air carrier did not ranke among the International Association of Civil Aviation in the top 50 carriers in 2009.
The most expensive brands among airlines are Lufthansa ($3,770 billion), Singapore Airlines ($ 3,585 billion), Emirates ($3,395), Delta Air Lines ($3,153) and China Southern Airlines ($2,495). With regards to other areas of the economy, Russia’s largest retail bank Sberbank has taken 65th place in the world ranking of banking brands. Brand Finance recognized WalMart as the most expensive brand in the world.

http://www.airlineberg.com

[Alvar Lavague]

The Straits Times, June 21, 2011:

China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines join SkyTeam

BEIJING - CHINA Eastern Airlines on Tuesday that the company and its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines Co. have joined global air carrier alliance SkyTeam.

Members of the China Eastern Airlines frequent flyer programme will from now on be able to redeem points when they fly on SkyTeam's other carriers, the company said in a statement.

'SkyTeam will bring high quality transit passengers for China Eastern in the more important markets in the United States and Europe, as well as enrich the company's flight network in these markets,' it added.

SkyTeam said in a separate statement that China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines would bring 32 new destinations to the alliance's global network, including Macau and the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.

SkyTeam now has 14 members after the joining of China Eastern including Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines. It expects to grow to 19 members by 2012, the statement said.

China Eastern is the last of China's top three carriers to join a global industry alliance. The nation's biggest carrier, China Southern Airlines, is already a member of SkyTeam while Air China belongs to the Star Alliance. -- AFP

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_682250.html

[hkskyline]

Source : http://pic.feeyo.com/posts/538/5385158.html

[simplyrammy]

Who would be next to join in Asia?

- Malaysia Airlines
- Garuda Indonesia
- Philippine Airlines
- Royal Brunei
- Myanmar Airways Int'll
- Jet Airways
- Skymark
- AirAsia? (D7, AK, FD)

I don't think after GA joined Skyteam there would be any more new members from South East Asia or East Asia, considering after 2012 there would be China Eastern, China Southern, China Airlines and Korean Air from the Far East. While VN (Vietnam Airlines) and GA (Garuda Indonesia) would secure a good Skyteam existence in South East Asia.

I do hope that 9W will join Skyteam, since Sky is lacking dominance in the Indian subcontinental.

SV (Saudi Arabian Airlines) and ME (Middle East Airlines) will be quite interesting to see in the next couple of years as Sky doesn't really have a strong market here. But I wished that instead of SV, WY (Oman Air) could join instead.

[Sizter85]

China Airlines to sign onto SkyTeam next month
By David Flynn
published 11 Aug, 2011

http://www.ausbt.com.au/china-airlin...ted-articleend

The SkyTeam alliance continues to grow its footprint in the Asia-Pacific market, with recent recruit China Eastern to be joined by Taipei-based China Airlines next month.

This will bring the tally of SkyTeam airlines seen in Australian skies to six, says Rafael Despradel, Australian Sales & Marketing Manager for SkyTeam founding member Korean Air (alongside Korean Air currently sit China Eastern, China Southern, Delta and Vietnam Airlines).

"China Airlines is scheduled for September" Despradel told Australian Business Traveller, "and in 2012 with the addition of Aerolineas Argentinas and Garuda Indonesia, the number of carriers operating in Australia will increase to eight."

SkyTeam is also the lookout for the opportunity to etsbalish shared facilities, Despradel says, in keeping with the dedicated SkyTeam Terminal 4 at Heathrow Airport and Prague Airport's joint ticketiing counter which opened in July this year.

"This simplifies connections and any customer service representative can assist customers, as well as providing the airlines with cost-sharing" Despradel explains.

"SkyTeam is focused on creating converegence in airport opeprations. It's mostly about synchronous operations within an airport and to give customers that seamless experience."

[simplyrammy]

Delta to invest $65m in Aeromexico; form alliance and MRO JV

Delta Air Lines is to invest $65 million in Aeromexico, as the two SkyTeam airlines reached a tentative agreement for a long-term exclusive commercial alliance and a new maintenance, repair and overhaul joint venture.

Delta will make the investment through the purchase of ordinary shares in Grupo Aeromexico, made up of treasury stock that was set aside as part of Aeromexico's initial public offering in April. Delta will also get a seat on Aeromexico's board of directors.

The tentative deal, which was signed as a memorandum of understanding, is subject to approval from Mexican regulators.

The two airlines, which already co-operate together on MRO work, will establish a new MRO joint venture facility in Mexico. Scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2013, the facility will build on existing repair work for the two airlines and will also offer services to third-party carriers.

Prior to this, Aeromexico was already doing MRO work for Delta, and has been the exclusive provider for Delta's entire Boeing MD-80 fleet.

As part of the commercial alliance, the two airlines will codeshare across both of their networks, including all Delta and Aeromexico flights between the USA and Mexico as well as on both carriers' domestic flights and to other key international destinations.

The two airlines will also have a coordinated sales team to offer joint contracting to corporate customers, they said.

Delta and Aeromexico, which are already codesharing, have an existing agreement that gives each other's customers reciprocal access to airport lounges and frequent flyer miles.

The carriers said future outcomes of the alliance could include co-locating airport facilities for easier connections and check-in.

"Aeromexico has been a strong partner for Delta in Mexico and Latin America, and this reinforces our relationship," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. "By forming an exclusive long-term commercial partnership, we will leverage the strengths of our two networks to provide expanded customer benefits and build the foundation for a joint venture to better serve the US and Mexico marketplace."

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles...e-and-mro.html

[YU-AMC]

aNY NEW skyteam members from Europe?

[simplyrammy]

There was a rumor about Virgin Atlantic Airways joining Skyteam, but no official announcement yet.

[YU-AMC]

I think SA has a strong presence in the Balkans. So my money is on Jat Airways from Serbia. They could pair up with Tarom quite nicely.

[Fern~Fern*]

Air India in SkyTeam????

Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/111082...y_14411945.jsp

[deasine]

Not surprising after their Star Alliance fiasco. It's rather embarrassing to be rejected by such a large alliance only to be invited into the alliance for membership. In the article, I personally doubt OneWorld really cares about AirIndia's invitation that much now that they got Kingfisher.

[Sky Harbor]

I'm still hoping that SkyTeam will get Jet over Air India.

[simplyrammy]

Hopefully not! I actually prefer if Jet Airways is the one who would be joining SkyTeam, or even Srilankan Airlines.

[YU-AMC]

I think JET Airways is much nicer airliner over Sri Lankan. What about JAT Airways from Serbia.. Would they fit in Skyteam? The Balkan region is dominated by SA. Jat+Tarom could team up nicely. Tarom is already part of ST.

[simplyrammy]

Yes I agree with Jet Airways, but if they decide not to join the club then Srilankan Airlines would be a way better second choice than Air India.

I aslo agree with the JAT+TAROM for the Balkans. I think the two of them plus Aeroflot and maybe Czech would create a strong ST presence in Central and Eastern Europe.

ST is a bit quiet around the Scandinavian region aswell. I hope Finnair would join ST to cover the area.

I questioned the decision in letting Saudi Arabian Airlines (SV) though. Middle East Airline (ME) is a good one to cover the Western parts of the Middle East, but for the Eastern Region, I would prefer having Oman Air (WY) than SV. It would add more class if WY joins instead of SV. After all, they did win the best business class from Skytrax.

Same opinion goes for the decision of having China Southern instead of trying to get Hainan Airlines to join ST.

[YU-AMC]

Good overview. Btw I think the situation in the Balkans is alarming. The airports in general also offer from SA monopoly. Let me just point out a few. If you fly into Belgrade, Serbia from Canada, you can easly find a ticket for $1000 in the summer. That's due to good competition. Now take a look at this. If You decide to fly to Sarajevo, which is SA monopoly cashcow, You wont be able to get anything cheaper then $2000. What makes it even more crazy is that SJJ is closer towards the Western EU.... Let alone that you get much better service when you fly Sky Team airlines that serve Belgrade.

Originally Posted by simplyrammy

Yes I agree with Jet Airways, but if they decide not to join the club then Srilankan Airlines would be a way better second choice than Air India.

I aslo agree with the JAT+TAROM for the Balkans. I think the two of them plus Aeroflot and maybe Czech would create a strong ST presence in Central and Eastern Europe.

ST is a bit quiet around the Scandinavian region aswell. I hope Finnair would join ST to cover the area.

I questioned the decision in letting Saudi Arabian Airlines (SV) though. Middle East Airline (ME) is a good one to cover the Western parts of the Middle East, but for the Eastern Region, I would prefer having Oman Air (WY) than SV. It would add more class if WY joins instead of SV. After all, they did win the best business class from Skytrax.

Same opinion goes for the decision of having China Southern instead of trying to get Hainan Airlines to join ST.

[simplyrammy]

Originally Posted by YU-AMC

Good overview. Btw I think the situation in the Balkans is alarming. The airports in general also offer from SA monopoly. Let me just point out a few. If you fly into Belgrade, Serbia from Canada, you can easly find a ticket for $1000 in the summer. That's due to good competition. Now take a look at this. If You decide to fly to Sarajevo, which is SA monopoly cashcow, You wont be able to get anything cheaper then $2000. What makes it even more crazy is that SJJ is closer towards the Western EU.... Let alone that you get much better service when you fly Sky Team airlines that serve Belgrade.

I was thinking along a similar line as well and if you specifically talk about SJJ then yeah, it's a full-on SA fest down there. Jat would be a good candidate for future ST addition as the airline already has 4-5 interline agreements with ST carriers. If ST wants to create a strong presence and break the SA monopoly in Balkans, they should not only recruit Jat, but also airlines such as Montenegro Airlines and Ukraine International for that matter.