New Delhi, July 11 (IANS): State-run Air India Friday became 27th member of Star Alliance. The move will provide customers access to lounges of member airlines the world over and single-ticket travel across airlines and other such facilities.
“From today, we open up a completely different world for our passengers, who can now travel to over 1,300 destinations right across the network and enjoy world-class service, better connectivity and seamless travel wherever they go,” said Air India chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan.
Air India now offers all Star Alliance customer benefits to the more than 600 million passengers who travel on the network every year and Air India’s customers enjoy the same benefits when they travel on any of the other 26 member airlines across the network.
“This is an important day for us. We have said for many years that we needed a strong home carrier in the Indian market and by welcoming Air India to our Star Alliance family, we have achieved this goal,” Star Alliance chief executive Mark Schwab said in a statement.
Air India adds a total of 400 daily flights and over 40 new destinations in India to the Alliance network. The biggest growth will come from its home market which has up to now been served by 13 Star Alliance members flying to 10 destinations and holding a 13 percent market share.
As a result of the addition of Air India, the Alliance’s market share in India has risen to 30 percent.
Globally, passengers further benefit from a wider choice on routes connecting North America, Europe, Asia and Australia via the Indian Subcontinent.
In total the Star Alliance network counts 27 member airlines, offering more than 18,500 daily flights serving 1,316 destinations in 192 countries.