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Executive Overview: Jane's World Airlines

Executive Overview: Jane's World Airlines

By Danny Pratt, JWA Editor

Major Airline Alliance new membership update

Air China and Shanghai Airlines have been invited to become Star alliance members. Turkish Airlines is due to become a full member by April 2008.

Japan Airlines, Malev Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines become members of the oneworld alliance on 1 April 2007 while Aer Lingus leaves on 31 March 2007. Other JAL Group airlines JALways, Japan Asia Airways, JAL Express, J-Air and Japan Transocean Air are joining as affiliate members on 1 April 2007. Also joining as affiliates in 2007 are LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and Dragonair (Hong Kong Dragon Airlines). China Southern Airlines is due to become a member in 2007.

China Southern Airlines is due to join the SkyTeam alliance in 2007 and Air Europa, Copa Airlines and Kenya Airways are set to become the first associate members, followed by Tarom, Middle East Airlines - Airliban and Portugalia.

Taking into account some of the more recent announcements, most of the major passenger airlines or airline groupings have committed themselves to one of the three major airline alliance groupings. Some of the more significant carriers not aligned are:

• in the US, Southwest Airlines, who maintain a codesharing agreement with ATA Airlines;
• in the Middle East, Emirates and Saudi Arabian Airlines. The Star alliance is the only one of the major three airline alliances not to have a (committed) airline member from the region;
• in the UK, Virgin Atlantic Airways, although most of their codesharing agreements are with Star Alliance members and the airline is 49 per cent owned by Star member, Singapore Airlines; and
• in East Asia, China Eastern Airlines and Malaysian Airlines both have existing codesharing agreements with members of all three of the major groupings. The oneworld alliance is the only one of the three not to have a (committed) airline member from China.

Perhaps the most interesting possibility lies with the prospect of a merged Air-India/Indian Airlines and which may see courting by all three groupings.

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© 2007 Jane's Information Group
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