The SkyTeam airline alliance turns 15 this year since it was founded in New York City in 2000. It was launched by four founding members including AeroMéxico, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air. To date, there are 20 global airlines in this alliance. The other 15 members are Aeroflot, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Europa, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Czech Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
SkyTeam has more member airlines than oneworld which has 15 members to date. Star Alliance remains the largest airline alliance with 27 members.
SkyTeam airline members offer journeys to over 1,050 destinations. Customers can unwind in 636 airport lounges, earn and redeem Frequent Flyer miles. SkyPriority services are offered to SkyTeam Elite Plus customers. Each year SkyTeam flies 665 million customers on more than 16,270 daily flights to 1,057 destinations in 179 countries.
“In 15 years of our operations, we have grown and deepened cooperation between our members, covering over 90% of the most important traffic flows globally. Last year, more than 26 million passengers used at least two or more SkyTeam carriers to complete their journeys,” said Mauro Oretti, SkyTeam’s Vice President Marketing and Commercial Synergies. “Our focus remains on the customer, from seamless airport experience and transfers to integrated frequent flyer benefits; we are more focused than ever on delivering services that meet the expectations of our corporate travellers.”
SkyTeam continues to invest its efforts in providing seamless travel. It’s current customer focused initiatives include:
- SkyPriority – Priority airport services available in over 1,000 destinations for Elite Plus, First and Business Class passengers
- Dedicated fast-track security and immigration clearance for top tier customers throughout 60 global airports
- SkyTransfer delivers seamless and efficient transfers for passengers and their baggage between member airlines
- SkyTeam Exclusive Lounges in Sydney, London Heathrow and Istanbul with Hong Kong opening later this year and Dubai and Beijing in 2016.
- Yoga on the Go – an exclusive to SkyTeam initiative developed to help customers stay fit and healthy on the go
- Multi-carrier award booking tools online and via the carrier’s mobile app. There is no need to call a reservations agent so you have more control of the interline redemption process. Over 50% of SkyTeam members have implemented this new process and you can use your miles to book any flights operated by these airlines.
- The updated SkyTeam App offers more useful features with more useful content to help you during your travels. Search for lounge, flight, airport and SkyPriority.
Photo credit: SkyTeam
