US Airways

From its humble beginnings in 1939 as All-American Airways -- delivering airmail to Western Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley -- US Airways has grown to become one of America's great success stories.

All-American Airways quickly grew into Allegheny Airlines, US Air and finally US Airways through buyouts and mergers. In September 2005, US Airways merged with America West Airlines to become the fifth largest airline in the United States.

Combining the East Coast prominence of US Airways and West Coast strengths of America West Airlines, the new US Airways operates more than 1,500 mainline flights per day. A network of 10 regional carriers, including two wholly-owned subsidiaries, form US Airways Express and US Airways Shuttle to provide an additional 2,340 daily departures.

All told, US Airways offers more than 3,800 daily departures to 240 destinations in 32 countries. A dedicated team of nearly 35,000 aviation professionals welcome 70 million passengers per year. The US Airways mainline fleet consists of Airbus A330, A321, A320 and A319 aircraft as well as Boeing 767, 757 and 737 aircraft. The Express fleet utilizes more than 450 regional jets and turbo-prop aircraft.

With primary hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Las Vegas plus significant operations in New York (La Guardia), Washington D.C. (Washington National), Pittsburgh and Boston, US Airways has a rich culture and colourful history as one of America's great airlines.

Read More

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines,Turkey’s national flag carrier, was founded in Ankara on 20 May 1933 as “State Airlines Administration,” under the direction of the Ministry of Defence. In 1955, it was restructured into “Turkish Airlines.” 25% of the company was sold via an SPO under a privatisation programme in 2005, and today, 50.9% of the company shares are public, while the rest remain state-owned.

In 2007, Turkish Airlines became one of the fastest-growing airlines among European carriers in terms of capacity and traffic growth. It was also named the number one carrier for fewest pieces of lost luggage within the period. Additionally, Turkish Airlines has been ranked as a four-star airline by Skytrax. With its fleet of 102 aircraft, last year THY carried 19.65 million passengers across a network comprised of 107 international and 32 domestic destinations.

Complementing its passenger services, Turkish Cargo provides fast, reliable and high-quality air cargo service, meeting customer demands with the vision of becoming the most preferred air cargo carrier wherever it flies. Of the almost 70 airlines operating in the Turkish market, Turkish Cargo holds 50% of the total air cargo market.

Turkish Airlines continues to offer more services and destinations to its passengers by joining the Star Alliance team.

Read More

SWISS

Swiss International Air Lines is closely linked with Switzerland in more than name only. Classic Swiss values such as quality, reliability and hospitality make flying with SWISS a distinctive travel experience.

Founded as Switzerland’s national airline in 2002 as the successor to Crossair, SWISS became a member of the Star Alliance network in 2006. Within this framework, SWISS remains committed to its mission of providing quality air services linking Switzerland with Europe and the world.

SWISS now serves 76 destinations around the world from its Zurich hub and from Basel and Geneva international airports. It operates a fleet of technically advanced aircraft with which it carries some 12.2 million passengers annually. Airbus A330s and A340s are used on intercontinental routes, with the Airbus A320 family and Avro RJ100 aircraft handling short-haul and regional flights.

SWISS understands the needs of customers across the travel spectrum. For those travelling between continents, SWISS offers the luxury and exclusivity of SWISS First, an exceptionally high standard of comfort and calm in SWISS Business or the friendly service of SWISS Economy. On short flights within Europe, SWISS offers complete flexibility from full-service in SWISS Business to a more streamlined product in SWISS Economy. Whichever option is selected, passengers can count on enjoying the personal service on which the more than 6,800 SWISS employees pride themselves. From the moment they book their flight until they step off the aircraft, the focus is on their needs.

The effort involved in striving for quality really pays off when an airline is recognised by its passengers and the industry it is part of. SWISS has collected a number of awards in various categories since its inception, testimony to its commitment to making air travel a pleasurable experience for everyone who boards a SWISS aircraft.

Read More

TAP Portugal

TAP Portugal is the Portuguese leading airline, member of Star Alliance since March 14, 2005, the same day on which the company also celebrated its 60^th anniversary. Its Lisbon hub is a key European gateway at the crossroads of the African, North & South American continents, where TAP stands out as the leading carrier in operation to Brazil, currently with 67 frequencies a week.

TAP’s current network comprises 58 domestic and international destinations in 26 countries world-wide, with an even greater range of cities beyond its own system-wide network served by code-share operations with a number of partner airlines all over the world.

Thus, TAP offers customers an extended and highly flexible choice while providing them with the most convenient scheduled flights and easy connectivity onto further distant destinations.

Along with PGA, acquired in 2007, TAP currently offers over 1,850 weekly flights in average, on a modern fleet of 53 Airbus aircraft, to which add some more 16 aircraft servicing PGA. In the whole, the Company’s current fleet now comprises 69 aircraft.

Quality service to customers is the company’s top priority and as such TAP continuously strives to upgrade and improve its product and services tailored to meet travellers’ expectations.

Retaining the Portuguese character of the Company’s brand and quality service as the basic concept and its differentiating mark has been the main driver of TAP strategy in most recent years

Read More

Spanair

Spanair was born inspired by the philosophy of providing the best quality in air transport service to all its passengers. After 20 years, the company is very proud to have consolidated itself as the first alternative in Spanish air transport.

The company’s priorities are to offer the best levels of safety, punctuality, comfort and excellence in service. With 327 daily flights (42 charter and 285 scheduled), a fleet comprising 58 aircraft and 3,524 employees, Spanair is a dynamic company that relies on experience and constant growth.

When Spanair began its operations in 1988, it transported 454.624* passengers, with sales of 36 million Euros. In 2007 some 11.2 million passengers flew with the company and consolidated revenues for the Spanair Group, reached 1.171 million Euros.

In 1999, Spanair signed an agreement with the European AIRBUS to renew and increase the fleet with 45 aircraft from the A320 family. It was decided to name these aircraft after some of the Living Spanish Universal Figures including celebrities such as Camilo José Cela (Author), Plácido Domingo (Tenor), Juan de Avalos (Sculptor) and the “Marques de Samaranch” The honoree President of the International Olympic committee).

Punctuality is a priority for Spanair, as well as for its passengers. For this reason, since February 2001, it is the only Spanish airline offering a punctuality guarantee commitment on its domestic routes, in line with the idea of ensuring the highest quality service to all its passengers both in-flight and on the ground. The Punctuality Guarantee system rewards Business Avant travellers with an Avant electronic voucher that can be exchanged for another flight travelling in any class that the passenger chooses and on any Spanair domestic route within the Spanish Peninsula or the Balearic Islands. To receive a free ticket that is valid for any flight to or from the Canary Islands, two Avant electronic vouchers will be required. An electronic voucher will also be given to passengers who travel Economy class that entitles them to a 25% discount based on the online or published fare and valid for the next time they buy any domestic flight operated by the airline. These conditions apply if the aircraft doors close more than 15 minutes after the scheduled departure time due to reasons attributable to the airline.

As well as this, since the 10th of March 2008 Spanair launched its Spanairx4 product, which gives customers flying its domestic routes the option of choosing between four different flight classes: Business, Avant, Economy Plus and Economy. The company is thereby offering its passengers a time-saving product, which enhances flexibility and adds to the advantages offered by the four classes.

Spanair was awarded the ALPHA Excellence in Marketing, which honors the company's initiative towards their passengers and improvement of standards in quality of service. Spanair was also awarded with an ISO 9001:2000 certified Corporate Quality Program and became the first Spanish airline to receive an IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) certification.

Read More

EgyptAir

EgyptAir is the world-famous, national airline of Egypt, based in the cosmopolitan city of Cairo.

Over 75 years, EgyptAir has experienced significant growth. It was the first airline in the Middle East and Africa and the seventh in the world to join IATA and become a treasured brand.

When EgyptAir started operation on 7^th May 1932, its fleet comprised just 2 aircraft carrying 4 people between Cairo and Alexandria. Over more than seven decades in service, the airline has been the pioneer within the region: In 1960 it was the first in the Middle East and Africa to use the Comet C-4 jets; nine years later it was the first to fly Boeing 707s.

Currently, EgyptAir's fleet comprises 50 aircraft serving 69 destinations in 44 Countries with over 1200 weekly flights. In 2006/2007 EgyptAir, carried more than 6.5 million passengers fulfilling the needs of both business and leisure travellers.

EgyptAir is wholly state-owned, self financed without any government subsidy, and characterized by its loyal staff who aspire to the highest standards of customer care.

The airline has recorded a substantial profit in past years. This is also fortified by huge assets of more than US$ 3.8 billion.

For the fiscal year ending 31st July 2007, EgyptAir achieved a record total revenue of US$ 1,143 billion.Total group revenue increased by an impressive 14 %, compared with the previous year.

One of the potentials of EgyptAir’s future success stories is the team spirit which is drives its team to ensure that the best possible service is being given to its customers, partners and stakeholders.

In 2004, EgyptAir demonstrated the scale of its commitment to the highest standards of safety by being the first IOSA certified airline in the Middle East and Africa. Moreover, the confidence in its capabilities to deliver competitive customer service to its customers and affiliates encourages them to plan doubling their fleet in the coming five years.

EgyptAir is a major contributor to achieving the goal of converting Cairo international airport into a hub connecting traffic flows and serving global air travel.

In the third quarter of 2008 EgyptAir passengers from and to Cairo will enjoy going through the state-of-the-art Terminal 3 Building which will revolutionize the overall travel experience of its customers.

Facts & Figures

• Number of aircraft: 50
• Aircraft types: B777, A340, A330, A321, A320, B735, B738, Embrear 170, a300-600
• Hubs: Cairo
• Number of employees: 7,300
• Passengers per year: 7.8 million
• Sales revenue: US$ 1.48 bn
• Frequent flyer programme: EgyptAir plus
• Number of destinations: 69
• Network strengths: Middle East, Africa, Europe, Far East, North America
• Date of entry: July 2008

Read More

Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada’s largest full-service airline and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services in the Canadian market, the Canada-U.S. transborder market and in the international market to and from Canada. Together with its regional affiliate Jazz, Air Canada serves over 29 million customers annually and provides direct passenger service to over 174 destinations on five continents. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance™, providing the world's most comprehensive air transportation network.

Air Canada has an extensive global network, with hubs in four major Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary), providing scheduled passenger jet service directly to 67 Canadian cities, 53 destinations in the United States and 56 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada and its regional affiliate Jazz operate 1,354 scheduled flights each day on average. Through its strategic and commercial arrangements with Star Alliance™ , Air Canada offers service to over 855 destinations in 155 countries and provides top tier frequent flyer benefits.

Air Canada was ranked ‘Best Airline in North America’ in the world’s largest survey of air travelers conducted by the independent UK-based research firm Skytrax between August 2006 and June 2007. Air Transport World magazine awarded Air Canada the prestigious Airline Industry Achievement Award in 2007 for Market Leadership. Air Canada was voted ‘Best Airline in North America’ and ‘Best Airline in Canada’ by readers of the U.S. magazine, Global Traveler, and was voted ‘Best Business Class to Canada’ by readers of the U.S magazine, Business Traveler. EnRoute magazine received the award for Best Travel Magazine at the 2007 North American Travel Journalists’ Association Awards.

Air Canada's predecessor, Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) inaugurated its first flight on September 1, 1937. By 1964, TCA had grown to become Canada's national airline; it changed its name to Air Canada. The airline became fully privatized in 1989. In 2000, Air Canada acquired Canadian Airlines International. Today, as it celebrates its 70th anniversary, Air Canada is the 14th largest commercial airline in the world, with approximately 23,000 full-time equivalent employees. Air Canada shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol “AC-B.TO”.

In 2007, Air Canada added 11 new non-stop international routes, including the launch of Vancouver-Sydney on December 14th using one of Air Canada’s eight brand-new Boeing 777 aircraft.

Facts & Figures

• Number of aircraft: 335
• Aircraft types: B777-300, B777-200, B767-200, Boeing 767-300, A340-300, A330-300, A321-200, A320-200, A319-100, Embraer 190 and Embraer 175
• Hubs: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary
• Number of employees: 27,619
• Passengers per year: Over 29,000,000
• Sales revenue: US$ 7.394 billion (as of 2006)
• Frequent flyer programme: Aeroplan
• Number of destinations: about 174
• Network strengths: Canada, U.S. and the Caribbean
• Date of entry: May 1997

Read More

Asiana Airlines

Every journey begins with the first step. Asiana, took that first step in 1988 when it was introduced as the second flag carrier in Korea. On the occasion of its 15th Anniversary in 2003, Asiana took its next major step in joining the Star Alliance network.

For more than a decade, Asiana's main goal, has been to offer its passengers the highest safety and service standards. With the aim of guiding every thought and action of its employees, Asiana adopted the term "Uncompromising Safety" as the main theme of its mission statement. In keeping with this target of uncompromising safety, Asiana maintains the youngest fleet worldwide and, as the first airline in the world, was granted ISO 9002 certification on aircraft maintenance.

Asiana's dedicated in-flight and ground service makes you feel at home while in the air. This was rewarded with the ATW Passenger Service Award for 2001. Also, a Customer Satisfaction Survey carried out over a few years by several renowned research companies, declared Asiana to be the most satisfactory airline in 2001.

With its young fleet of 69 aircraft, Asiana today serves 82 cities in 21 countries, including 18 destinations within Korea. As the largest connection between mainland China and the rest of the world, Asiana focuses not only on playing a significant role in covering all major Asian destinations, but is also expanding its global network coverage. In 2002, Asiana carried more than 12 million passengers with 283 scheduled daily flights. Asiana has 8,391 employees, comprising 799 pilots, 2,317 flight attendants and 3,880 ground staff.

Facts & Figures

• Number of aircraft: 69
• Aircraft types: A320-200, A321, A330-300, B767-300 (B767-300ER), B737-400, B737-500, B777-200ER, B747-400(747-400 COMBI)
• Hubs: Seoul Incheon
• Number of employees: 8,391
• Passengers per year: 11.83 million
• Sales revenue: US$ 3.48 billion
• Frequent flyer programme: Asiana Club
• Number of destinations: 82
• Network strengths: Korea, China, (South-/East-) Asia
• Date of entry: March 1, 2003

Read More

Air China

Air China Limited is abbreviated as "Air China" and its predecessor, the old Air China, was founded in 1988. On September 30th, 2004, Air China Limited was founded in Beijing, with 19,972 employees, total registered assets of 6.5 billion RMB and the paid-up capital of 9.433 billion RMB. On December 15th, 2004, Air China had successfully made its listed stocks appear in Hong Kong (stock code 0753) and London (trading code AIRC).

The enterprise logo of Air China is an artistic Phoenix, the Chinese version of Air China written by Mr. Deng Xiaoping and the English translation "AIR CHINA". The enterprise mission is "meet the requirements of customers, create mutual values".

Air China is the only airline company which flies with the national flag. The headquarter of Air China is located in Beijing, and it also has several branch companies such as Southwest, Zhejiang, Chongqing, Inner Mongolia, Tianjin, Guizhou, Tibet and a Shanghai and Huanan base. Air China owns 220 Boeing and Airbus planes and flies to 27 countries and districts, among which there are 36 international cities and 70 domestic cities. There are 4,160 scheduled flights per week.

Air China has a strong domestic and international route and sales network. In recent years it has strengthened several regional hubs such as the Southwest with the centre of Chengdu, Eastern China with the centre of Shanghai, Southern China with the centre of Guangzhou. In order to strengthen the market sales and make the sales channel more flexible, at present Air China has made electronic tickets and online sales businesses available in many domestic cities, which can offer customers convenient and fast ticket purchasing service.

Air China owns an extensive client group with a high quality. Over 71% of the guests who take Air China flights are business and commercial passengers. The Frequent Passengers Club of Air China has active and faithful members who have reached 3.01 million people as of the end of 2005. In August 2004, Air China became the sole and formal airline partner of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Facts & Figures

• Number of aircraft: 220
• Aircraft types: B747, B777, B767, B737, A340, A330, A320, A319
• Hubs: Beijing, Chengdu,Shanghai
• Number of employees: 19,972
• Passengers per year: 34.84 million
• Sales revenue(CNY): US$ 7.3 billion
• Frequent flyer programme: PhoenixMiles (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Basic)
• Number of destinations: 121 (43 international & 71 domestic)
• Network strengths: China
• Date of entry: December 2007

Read More

Air New Zealand

Since the earliest days, the people of the South Pacific have been great travellers. Air New Zealand has continued that tradition, pioneering routes that link its Pacific region to the rest of the world.

Founded in 1940 as Tasman Empire Airways Limited, Air New Zealand is New Zealand's national airline. Air New Zealand directly serves 49 cities in 16 countries, including 26 destinations within New Zealand.

Air New Zealand's commitment to delivering excellent customer service and, one which embodies the confidence, unique style and friendliness of New Zealand, continues to be recognised through many prestigious awards. Recent awards include the “Best Passenger Service Award” in the prestigious 2008 Air Transport World magazine awards, the "Best Airline to the South Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand" in December 2007 by Business Traveler Magazine in the United States and named Australasia's Leading Business Class Airline at the 14th Annual World Travel Awards 2007.

In the last few years, Air New Zealand has implemented changes to its domestic, trans-Tasman & Pacific operations to improve services to both business and leisure travellers. Air New Zealand has introduced a new Premium Economy cabin, an exclusive class of travel that sits between Business Premier and Economy. Acquisition of the new Boeing 777-200ER aircraft and the re-fit of its current Boeing 747-400s to incorporate a state-of-the-art on-demand in-flight entertainment system, with premium New Zealand food and wines being served onboard. Additional orders have also been placed for the new Boeing 777-300ER and the next generation Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft which will support Air New Zealand’s expanding route network, as well as making it one of the youngest fleets in the region - all part of creating an inspiring journey for customers.

Facts & Figures

• Number of aircraft: 96 (18 more on order)
• Aircraft types: B747-400, 777-200ER, B767-300ER, Airbus 320, B737-300, ATR 72-500, Q300, Beech1900D
• Hubs: Auckland,Los Angeles
• Number of employees: 10,829
• Passengers per year: 11.7 million
• Sales revenue: NZD$4.297 billion
• Frequent flyer programme: Airpoints (Gold Elite, Gold, Silver & Jade)
• Number of destinations: 49
• Network strengths: New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Rim
• Date of entry: March 1999

Information provided by member airline.

Read More