SkyTeam Adds Service To Airline Alliance

A new 4-airline alliance, SkyTeam, got off the ground recently. And besides the usual pieces forged together by partners in an alliance -common reservations, ticketing and check-in services, common frequent-flyer benefits and access to every destination flown by each airline- SkyTeam adds what it considers is missing from other airline alliances: A dedication to customer service and benefits.

“As the first global airline alliance created entirely around our customers, we are dedicated to providing the routes and services that best meet their needs,” say the team’s partner airlines Aeromexico, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air.

“We are already working to expand our current offerings to provide more choices, better service and improved benefits,” the airlines’ CEOs said in a joint statement.

With a phone call to any of the four airlines’ 659 airport and city ticket offices around the world, a customer can obtain information and ticket service for airlines’ 6,402 daily flights to 451 destinations in 98 countries.

As well, at 451 airports around the world, passengers connecting from one partner airline to another will save precious time by checking in only once. All flight information is available by logging onto www.skyteam.com.

Immediate services offered by SkyTeam include reciprocal lounge access at 265 airports, frequent-flyer miles earned when flying any of the partner airlines and exchanged for tickets on any SkyTeam airline, and an expanded network of flights available through each partner airline – their hubs in Latin America, Europe, USA and Asia.

Additional SkyTeam customer benefits will be phased in through the end of 2000. Meanwhile, the four airlines promise warm, friendly in-flight service, a cultural diversity from each distinctive airline, accurate and timely information, and in addition to the language of origin and destination, English will be spoken on all flights.