EANS-News  556  0 Kommentare Air Berlin to join oneworld alliance

Strategic management decisions/Air Berlin and oneworld

Berlin (euro adhoc) - Air Berlin is to join oneworld®, adding
Europe´s fifth largest airline and Germany´s second biggest carrier
to the world´s leading quality airline alliance.

Air Berlin group member Austria´s NIKI will become an affiliate
member of the alliance.

A memorandum of understanding between Air Berlin and oneworld was
completed in the airline´s Berlin home city last night, with a formal
alliance membership agreement to be signed soon.

Air Berlin is expected to start flying as part of oneworld in early
2012 - just weeks before the opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg
International Airport, which is being built as a major new hub for
Europe.

As a major player in the European air travel market, Air Berlin
served in 2009 a total of 160 destinations in some 40 countries,
operating almost 600 daily departures. It carried 28 million
passengers, generating revenues of EUR3.2 billion (US$4.5 billion).
As of July 2010, Air Berlin operates a fleet of 165 aircraft,
including Austria´s NIKI, serving 168 destinations.

When it becomes part of oneworld, its customers will gain access to
an unrivalled global network. It will add almost 75 gateways to the
oneworld map, expand the alliance´s coverage to almost 900
destinations in nearly 150 countries, served by a combined fleet of
2,500 aircraft operating some 9,500 flights a day and carrying 340
million passengers a year.

Members of Air Berlin´s topbonus frequent flyer programme will be
able to earn and redeem rewards on any of oneworld´s 13 other
top-class carriers, with top tier members able to use any of the
group´s 550 plus airport lounges, and its network will be covered by
oneworld´s full range of alliance fares. Frequent flyer cardholders
of oneworld´s established airlines will be able to earn and redeem
rewards when flying Air Berlin.

As a starting point in its oneworld implementation, Air Berlin will
develop one-on-one co-operative agreements with key established
members of the alliance American Airlines and Finnair, to take effect
this coming winter season. (See separate news releases.) Bilateral
agreements with British Airways and Iberia are planned to follow.

British Airways will support Air Berlin through its oneworld
implementation programme as its alliance sponsor.

The addition of Air Berlin as a member elect is the latest