PDF-File - Star Alliance Employees Portal

STAR ALLIANCEcontentsJust for employees2Star Alliance carriers deliverrelief supplies to Haiti4Integrated Alliance terminal for HND8Haneda poised for international expansion10Through check-in scrutinised to improvecustomer experience12ANA Diamond member tells us what hethinks about Star Alliance14Airlines honoured for their contributionsto the Alliance16ANA, THAI launch Automated DocumentCheck17WorldTracer kiosks tested in Copenhagen18Bits and bites from the member carriers20A snapshot of Star Alliance members23

5network 02|10ContinentalAir CanadaUnitedAir CanadaUnitedContinentalUnited

6network 02|10more directly to the American Red Cross,Airline Ambassadors, Clinton Bush HaitiRelief Fund or Operation USA. United willcontribute up to five million miles to supportthe bonus offer. Those who want to donatemiles rather than cash can do so throughwww.united.com.US Airways is urging employees to donate tothe American Red Cross, which the airlinewill match up to $25,000 US in addition to apreviously announced donation by the airline.Employees and customers are also urged todonate Dividend Miles to the Red Crossthrough the www.usairways.com/donatemiles website. US doesn’t fly toHaiti, but does have flights to the DominicanRepublic. The airline is in contact with theU.S. State Department should US Airwaysflights be needed.were trucked overland to Port-au-Prince.The shipment included a drinking watertreatment plant, water analysis laboratories,generators, medicine, food, tools and emergencyaccommodation equipment suppliedby German aid organisations.South African is gathering relief supplies,and is working with other Star Alliance carriersto transport material to Haiti. Employeeshave been asked to make contributions anyway they can – money, blankets or clothing –that will be airlifted along with donated medicalsupplies.TAP carried about five tons of cargo and twomembers from the Portuguese national CivilProtection Authority to Caracas, Venezuelawhere the cargo was collected by C130 aircraftand flown to Haiti.Elsewhere in the network, several othermember carriers that don’t fly to the islandhelped by gathering relief supplies and coordinatingdelivery with other member carriers.THAI is sending a 747-300F freighter fromBangkok to Santo Domingo Airport in theDominican Republic via South Korea, Alaskaand Miami. Onboard is 100 tonnes of rice.ANA is transporting of relief goods and reliefagency staff to Haiti between Jan. 18 andFeb. 28. Shipping will be provided on fiveroutes, from Narita to Chicago, WashingtonD.C., New York (JFK), Los Angeles and SanFrancisco.Lufthansa Cargo provided an MD-11 freighterto carry some 75 tonnes of relief supplies toSanto Domingo in the Dominican Republicon January 25. From there, the supplies

7network 02|10Containers loaded by Air Canada employee Nicolas Champagne who accompanied the flight to Haiti.Air Canada employees Sylvain Michaud, James Daniel, Martin Menard and Patrick Mailhot load wateronto the aircraft.

8network 02|10IntegratedAlliance terminalfor HND

9Tokyo International Airport (HND) is set to expand from its domestic andcharter roots to become a second international airport for Tokyo. Today, ANA,Air China, Asiana and Shanghai Airlines fly out of HND with THAI and SingaporeAirlines confirmed to also operate there, and other member carriers negotiatingslots. Whatever the final airline roster looks like, Star Alliance will play aleading role in the next chapter of Haneda’s story.network 02|10Situated 14 km from the heart of Tokyo,Haneda has operated quietly on the globalstage since 1978 when the bulk of Tokyo’sinternational traffic was shifted to Narita.Since then, ANA and JAL have strengthenedtheir domestic hubs at Haneda tomake it the fourth busiest airport in theworld (in terms of passenger traffic).Three years ago, the Japanese governmentbegan liberalising the capacity limitations ofthe past and engaged in talks with the governmentsof China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand,Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, the Netherlands,Germany, France, the U.K. and theUSA towards granting a small number ofarrival and departure slots. At the sametime, an infrastructure development planwas undertaken towards building a newinternational terminal (Terminal 3) andfourth runway by October 2010. The Tokyorail/monorail network is also being extendedto stop in the new terminal.Situated in a high property price market,Terminal 3 will have no more than fourcheck-in islands and 10 contact gates.Star Alliance is working with ANA to developthe next generation of Move under oneRoof (MuoR) – the Integrated Alliance Terminal– to overcome the space constraintto meet the needs of the member carriersto deliver a seamless travel experience fortheir passengers.Two seminars were held at HND for ANAmanagement and frontline staff in Novemberfocusing on the evolution of the facilityintegration concept. This collaborationbuilds on ANA’s experience with the highlysuccessful MuoR NRT project since 2006and will incorporate the best practices fromPEK, PVG, LHR and the other collocationsaccomplished to date.As illustrated most recently by the successof the integrated Alliance check-in zonein LHR T1, it is only through a commonAlliance approach that members can offerthe best and most cost effective airportproduct to passengers. The achievementof an Integrated Star Alliance Terminal atHND will set the benchmark for futurecollocations.

10network 02|10Haneda poisedfor international expansionBy Tom BallantyneThe growth of international airline traffic through Tokyo has been hampered foryears by slot constraints at the city’s Narita International Airport. That’s about tochange. Not only is Narita on the eve of a significant rise in aircraft movements,but the city’s second commercial airport, Tokyo-Haneda, once a purely domesticfacility, will later this year become a full-scale international hub.The development promises to revolutioniseTokyo’s status as an Asian hub and have aprofound effect on airline networks, allowingmany carriers to operate a dual hub structurein one of the region’s most importantbusiness centres.Billed locally as the “Tokyo Big Bang”, theairport expansions involve:• a 10 per cent increase in movements to220,000 a year at premier internationalgateway Narita from March, the result ofextending the airport’s Runway B.• and, with the opening of a fourth runway atHaneda in October, an approximate 13 percent capacity increase during daytimehours there, from 292,000 movements to331,000 a year, with 30,000 movementsfor international operations. And, at a laterstage up to 407,000 movements.The attraction of Haneda for internationalairlines is that it is only 30 minutes from centralTokyo, compared to the more than anhour it currently takes to travel to or fromNarita (although a new Rapid Railway Systemopening later this year will connect Naritawith central Tokyo in only 36 minutes).But whatever expansion is occurring atNarita, it is the emergence of Haneda as asecond Tokyo gateway for international trafficthat is most significant. Already handlingover 66 million passengers annually, makingit Asia’s busiest airport, Haneda caters to asmall amount of international traffic, mainlycharter services to short-haul destinationssuch as Korea and China.Until now the Japanese government hascarefully maintained a policy of designatingNarita as the international gateway, andHaneda as the principal domestic hub.

11network 02|10Expansion – a fourth runway and a newinternational terminal – has opened thedoor to radical policy change. The governmentinitially planned to allow more internationaltraffic but still limit it to short-hauldestinations. Then it decided to allowlonger-haul flights but with their operationsrestricted to night services, arriving ordeparting between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. toany international destination.That may change even further. Japan’sTransport Minister Seiji Maehara is now contemplatingdaytime flights, which would turnHaneda into a 24-hour hub for internationalflights.The move will dramatically alter theprospects for dozens of international airlines,including alliance groups such asStar Alliance, to gain access to a major huba convenient distance away from centralTokyo. Prime business traffic, critical to airlineprofitability, is expected to find servicesinto Haneda particularly attractive.Tom Ballantyne is a freelance aviation writerin Sydney, Australia.

12network 02|10Through check-inscrutinised to improvecustomer experienceThrough check-in for both customers and bags isone area that the Alliance will focus on improvingthis year. A survey of more than 33,500 Star Alliancefrequent flyer members has returned data that theAlliance will use to begin the process of serviceimprovements.The survey results show that twothirdsof FFP members are “very satisfied”or “satisfied” with their flights, butthere are areas where satisfactiondips, and these are areas on which theAlliance plans to focus more attention.Through check-in is one such area.On average, 70 per cent of passengerssaid they received their onwardboarding passes, while 87 per centsaid their bags were checked throughto their final destinations. While thenumbers are high, there is room forimprovement.check-in, and while all of them can,there are issues with processes thatthe task force has identified that createdelivery roadblocks.”“Ialmostmissedmyconnectingflightbecausemyluggagewasnotthroughchecked.”“We put a task force in place last yearto help us understand why throughcheck-in does not always work,”said Anita Elste, Manager, Products &Services. “It’s one of the conditions ofmembership in the Alliance that carriersmust be able to offer through– passenger commentFor instance, Elste said that Webcheck-in is one area where processesneed improving. “A customer will check

13network 02|10in on an airline website that is thedownline carrier in the itinerary.When the passenger arrives at thedeparture airport and tries to checkin,the through check-in request mayfail, since the passenger is alreadychecked-in on that segment via theWeb. We are determining what thebest Alliance solution is and then willmake recommendations that shouldeliminate some of these inconsistencies,”Elste said.One recommendation is to createcarrier-specific “gateway tables” thathelp eliminate the mis-communicationthat can occur between an airline’sand a ground handler’s computersystems. How well this and other suggestionswork will be determinedonce airlines report their monthly statistics,and further customer surveysare done.“Mybagwasnotcheckedthrough,sowhileIwaitedforitImissedmyconnectingflight.Itookatrainandtaxiandamclaimingthoseexpenses.”– passenger comment

14network 02|10ANA Diamond membertells us what he thinksabout Star AllianceOne of the best ways to tell if Star Alliance is delivering the best possible serviceis to ask those who fly the most. In ANA’s case, that would be Diamond Servicemembers who typically accumulate 100,000 ANA Premium Points over the courseof a year, of which 50,000 miles are on ANA group flights. Diamond Servicemembers automatically qualify for Star Alliance Gold membership. We spoke withANA Diamond Service member Jun Arakawa.What attracts you to ANA, and by extensionto Star Alliance?What makes Star Alliance better comparedto oneworld or SkyTeam?I appreciate the high quality of the servicesand the hospitality of the staff. The Gold/Diamondstatus is also obviously a motivationfor me to fly with ANA to retain the status.What routes do you typically travel andwhat is your experience with the differentairlines in Star Alliance?I think the global network is the most importantdifference, but also the high convenienceand usability of “Round the WorldFare”, and “Circle Fare”, as well as the commoncheck-in and lounge services.Can you tell us one or two of your experiencesusing ANA and Star Alliance?I usually fly domestically between Tokyo andOsaka, Fukuoka, Kita-Kyushu and Sapporo(New Chitose). Internationally, it’s usuallyfrom Narita to Washington D.C., London andFrankfurt. I haven’t found any major differenceson other Star Alliance flights.What do you see as the benefit of flyingwith a Star Alliance carrier?It is hard to tell you just one or two personalexperiences. When it comes to airline services,the most important factors for me arestability and consistency. I really would liketo enjoy high quality services whenever Iuse ANA and Star Alliance. In that sense,stable high quality services, and not one ortwo remarkable experiences should behighlighted.Consistently high quality services throughoutStar Alliance member airlines are major benefitsfor me. Those services have reallymade me comfortable and relaxed.Star Alliance develops new products andservices for customers of the member airlines,such as lounges, common check-in,upgrade awards and the like.

15network 02|10Please tell us your thoughts about theproducts. Do they work well for you?I have been quite enjoying those services, inparticular common check-in and lounges.Star Alliance continues to grow by addingnew airlines to the family. Is growth abenefit or a hindrance from your point ofview? Should the Alliance continue to addmore members, focus on improving itsproducts and services, or both?For my own business benefits, the currentnetwork size is appropriate since your(Star Alliance) network has already coveredall continents and major airports, and I havebeen enjoying the benefit of the network. Inthis context, I personally prefer more improvedservices and products to more expandednetwork.There are two small improvement requestsfor ANA specifically, and not for Star Alliance.For domestic flights, priority boarding issometimes meaningless due to the fact thatevery passenger could get his/her boardingwithout any difficulty, even under a priorityboarding call. And for both domestic and internationalflights, there still seems to beroom for improvement in your lounge services,except for your lounge at Narita. Actually,ANA Narita lounges are reallyoutstanding. Just for example, too manypassengers are sometimes in your loungessuch as in Tokyo or Washington, D.C. Inthose cases, I have to choose to go out.Is there a product or service that youwould like to see Star Alliance develop orimprove?Jun Arakawa,ANA Diamond Servicemember

16network 02|10Airlines honoured for theircontributions to the AllianceWinners of the 2009 Star AllianceCEO Awards, given out inBrussels in December by CEOJaan Albrecht. Left to right:Wolfgang Reuthner, Lufthansa;Sayed Ayoub, EGYPTAIR;Rudi van Wyk, South AfricanAirways; Alberto Borges, TAP.Star Alliance CEO Awards werehanded out in Brussels in Decemberto recognise leadership andexcellence in contributing to theStar Alliance mission and itsproducts and services in 2009.Nominations came from theAlliance Management Board,Sounding Boards and through theStar Alliance offices in Frankfurt.The CEO Awards went to:• Wolfgang Reuthner of Lufthansa,who was acknowledged by theteam that developed the Book & Flytool onwww.staralliance.com;• Sayed Ayoub from EGYPTAIR, Rudivan Wyk of South African Airwaysand Alberto Borges from TAP Portugalrepresenting three teams fortheir contributions towards the developmentof the Star AllianceCommon IT Mobile Platform.

17ANA, THAI launchAutomated Document Checknetwork 02|10Star Alliance’s Automated DocumentCheck (ADC) is now operational at ANA,the second carrier to use the new product.ADC is in limited production use byTHAI at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.check-in. And last September it took implementationa step further by making it mandatoryfor everyone checking in for flights to useAutomated Document Check software beforethey can receive a boarding pass.Singapore Airlines was the first in the Alliance touse ADC and it has paid off in a dramatic reductionin fines and associated costs for the airline.Eleven member carriers were involved in theproduct’s development. “They jumped onboard with the idea because there is a realneed to find a way to automate the decisionsinvolved in determining what travel documentsa passenger needs,” said Lee Hock Lye, VP,Products & Services. “Until now, airport agentshad to memorize document requirements foreach country to be sure that passengers’ documentswere valid.”If an agent errs and allows a passenger to flywithout proper documents, immigration finesare levied against the airline, and the passengeris forced to return home.With ADC, travel warnings and conditions associatedwith the rules of the country are presentedin an easy-to-understand format that is then accessedby a carrier’s host system and individuallytailored for passengers. This is done via a databasecontaining travel rules for 150 countries.Singapore started using the system at ChangiAirport, but has extended its use to WebAt Singapore, fines have decreased as muchas 94 per cent year-over-year, and customersusing Web check-in no longer need to stand inline at the airport to have their travel documentsvalidated by an agent.While two carriers are using the system (and athird in limited production use), Asiana, bmi andUnited are eyeing the product for possible implementation.“Automated Document Check is another steptowards creating a seamless travel experiencefor customers,” said Mike Chew, Director,Products & Services. “Once the system checksand confirms documents are in order, there isno need to check them again when the passengergets to the airport. This helps speedprocesses, which benefits the passenger andthe airline.” It also means that immigration finescan be reduced by an estimated 90 per cent.As other airlines implement the product, transferringfrom one Star Alliance member to anotherbecomes much faster. Check-in anddocument checking is done once rather thanat each transfer point. That means that travellingon an itinerary covering multiple countriesbecomes much easier.

18network 02|10WorldTracer kioskstested in CopenhagenTwo kiosks using SITA’s WorldTracer software are up and running atCopenhagen Airport as a test to improve service to customers of sevenparticipating airlines whose bags didn’t arrive with them. Normally, a baggageagent at the lost and found counter works with a passenger to place informationinto the WorldTracer programme. Allowing the customer to enter theinformation on a kiosk speeds up the process.“This is another world first for Star Alliance,”said Jay Dickson, Product Manager, Products& Services. “All of our BaggageService Facilities use SITA’s WorldTracersoftware, but this is the first time customerscan file their information directlyinto a kiosk.”The kiosk trial is in line with the InternationalAir Transport Association’s (IATA)Fast Travel Programme, which is intendedto give more choice and control to passengerswhile saving as much as $1.6 billionUS for the industry. Bag recovery isone of the six initiatives under the IATAprogramme.The kiosk project was developed by SITAfor the Alliance to save developmentcosts for the carriers. Star Alliance has directinput into the product development.In return, Alliance members have firstright of refusal and favourable pricingwhile the technology partner is free tosell the technology on the open market.“Within a few minutes of having the machinesrunning, a top-tier customer fromSweden became the first to use it,” saidTom Fichter, Project Manager, CommonBaggage Service Facilities. “He told us thekiosk worked well and made the processmuch faster. It appears that our targetgroup, the high-value international travelleris really attracted to this concept.”The kiosks will be tested for threemonths after which a decision will bemade whether to expand the kiosk programmeto other stations.

19network 02|10Two WorldTracer baggage kiosks,developed by Star Alliance and SITA,are being tested at Copenhagen Airport,in cooperation with airport ownerCopenhagen Airports A/S and ScandinavianGround Services.Roger Persson of Sweden was the firstpassenger to use the kiosk to reporthis misplaced bag. Guiding himthrough the process is SAS BaggageService Agent Christopher Norris.

20network 02|10Bits and bites from the member carriersAir CanadaAdria AirwaysAir Canada airlifted relief supplies to Haitifrom Montreal, and brought back Canadiansstranded after the earthquake. Ithas also announced an inflight donationsprogramme for quake victims, and willhelp children through its Kids Horizonsprogramme once rebuilding begins.(For more, see page 4).Air New ZealandAir New Zealand will use one of thecountry’s top fashion designers to helpcreate the airline’s new uniform, to be introducednext year to more than 5,000uniformed staff.Blue1Croatia AirlinesStar Alliance’s three regional carriers –Adria, Blue1 and Croatia – became full alliancemembers on January 1. All threehave been regional members since2004. Last fall, Star Alliance announceda change in its working structure tostreamline its operation and membershipstructure, which eliminated the regionalcarrier designation.Austrian AirlinesAir New Zealand will introduce a lie-flateconomy seat when it takes delivery ofits first new 777-300 ER in November.The Skycouch is a row of three seatsthat will unfold to create a lie-flat spacefor the kids to play, or for adults to relaxand sleep.Austrian Airlines is extending its cooperationwith bmi, as bmi incorporates Viennainto its route network. Austrian willfly three of the five daily flights while bmiwill operate two.bmibmi has relaunched its short-haul producton all UK and Ireland flights to andfrom London Heathrow. The roll-out ofthe new product sees the introduction ofa single economy cabin, with improvedservice for customers travelling onFlexible Economy fares.

21Brussels AirlinesBrussels Airlines and Spanair have codesharingon several popular routes toSpain via Barcelona or Madrid. The firstphase allows travel to Alicante (CostaBlanca), Ibiza and Mallorca, the northernSpanish port La Coruna (Galicia) andTenerife on the Canaries.Scandinavian AirlinesSAS will sell 18 MD-80 aircraft to AllegiantTravel, the parent company of U.S.-based Allegiant Air. The aircraft will bedelivered during the first half of the year.Singapore Airlinesnetwork 02|10ContinentalMembers of Continental’s OnePassfrequent flyer programme can donatemiles to earthquake relief efforts in Haitithrough the airline’swww.continental.com website. Continentalhas flown relief workers to neighbouringDominican Republic. (For more,see page 4).Starting in March, Singapore Airlines’customers travelling between Singaporeand Zurich will fly on the A380. The dailyA380 flights will replace the existing 12weekly frequencies, which are operatedwith Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Operationsare subject to the airport being certifiedfor A380 flights.SWISSLufthansaReaders of the travel magazine, BusinessTraveller Deutschland, have againranked Lufthansabest of class in twocategories in 2009 –“Best BusinessClass on Germandomestic and Europeanflights”, and“Best Airline Websitefor businesstravellers”.SWISS has won the Business TravellerAward for “Best Business Class to Northand SouthAmerica”. Thereaders of Germany’sBusinessTravellermagazine alsovoted SWISS“Best Airline forEurope”, forthe fourth timein a row. SWISS also won for “Best Directand Connecting Flights to Northand South America”.>>

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A snapshot of Star Alliance members26 member airlinesTotal revenue ($US) $169.7 billion*Annual passengers603.5 millionDaily departures 19,739Number of employees more than 460,000Countries served 175Airports served 1,077Fleet 3,995Lounges 980*All figures as of November, 200923Star Alliance Member Carriers Fleet Number of Major hubsize employees airportsAdria Airways (JP) 12 706 LjubljanaAir Canada (AC) 335 24,700 Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, CalgaryAir China (CA) 243 20,211 Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghainetwork 02|10Air New Zealand (NZ) 100 10,500 Auckland, Los Angeles, Hong KongANA (NH) 214 34,410 Tokyo, Osaka, NagoyaAsiana Airlines (OZ) 71 8,134 Seoul IncheonAustrian (OS) 91 7,200 ViennaBlue1 (KF) 12 450 Helsinkibmi (BD) 54 4,470 London HeathrowBrussels Airlines (SN) 49 3,000 BrusselsContinental (CO) 604 42,210 Newark, Houston, Cleveland, GuamCroatia Airlines (OU) 12 1,131 ZagrebEGYPTAIR (MS) 50 7,300 CairoLOT Polish Airlines (LO) 49 3,720 WarsawLufthansa (LH) 534 108,123 Frankfurt, MunichScandinavian Airlines (SK) 210 15,000 Copenhagen, Oslo, StockholmShanghai Airlines (FM) 60 5,680 ShanghaiSingapore Airlines (SQ) 109 14,142 Singapore ChangiSouth African Airways (SA) 55 8,000 JohannesburgSpanair (JK) 45 3,036 Madrid, BarcelonaSWISS (LX) 77 7,000 Zurich, Geneva, BaselTAP Portugal (TP) 72 6,900 Lisbon, PortoThai Airways Intl (TG) 88 26,897 Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat YaiTurkish Airlines (TK) 131 12,397 Istanbul, AnkaraUnited (UA) 362 47,000 Chicago, Denver, San Francisco,Los Angeles, Washington D.C.US Airways (US) 356 36,500 Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington D.C.,New York, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Boston,PittsburghSoon to joinAegean Airlines (A3) 31 2,300 AthensAir India (AI) 146 33,000 Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, ChennaiTAM (JJ) 132 24,000 Sao Paulo

THE WAY THE EARTH CONNECTSSTAR ALLIANCEnetworkProduced monthly for the employees ofStar Alliance member carriers.Star Alliance Services GmbH,Frankfurt Airport Centre,Main LobbyD-60546 Frankfurt/MainVice-President,Corporate OfficeChristian KlickDirector, Internal CommunicationsGarry Bridgewater (+49 69 96375 104)garry.bridgewater@staralliance.comProduction Coordinator/EditingDr. Thomas Quinn,FrankfurtLayoutRolf Kuhl, marketingtools,Cologne