LAST night travel agents and airlines gathered in Sydney for a special Star Alliance celebration, commemorating 20 years since the organisation was formed.
Star Alliance country steering committee chair Tim Clyde-Smith from South African Airways thanked the industry for its longstanding support, which has seen the Alliance grow from its initial five members to its current complement of 28.
Major achievements over the last two decades have included “transforming the airport experience,” he said, providing improved interlining and loyalty benefits for pax.
And the revolution continues, with Star Alliance firmly focused on harnessing digital technology to give travellers more control of their journey, based on IT Hub infrastructure – a global backbone that member airlines can plug into to improve connectivity.
The system enables travellers to claim missing miles via their own favoured carrier’s website, and is also improving the visibility of baggage as it is transferred between Star Alliance carriers.
The pioneering capabilities of the system can be harnessed and enhanced by individual carriers to deliver incremental improvements to their operations, Clyde-Smith said.
He also foreshadowed significant changes to the Star Alliance’s Round the World airfare product range to make it more attractive, with details to be unveiled in the new year.
The event included a giveaway of two 1:100 Star Alliance branded Boeing 787s, with Susan Atike from Air Tickets chosen as one of the lucky winners.
She’s pictured above with Star Alliance regions director market development, Richard Carret, who flew in from Frankfurt for the event, and Tim Clyde-Smith.
Lots more pics from the night at facebook.com/traveldaily.
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Source: traveldaily