‘Freight will benefit indirectly from Star Alliance’

KEVIN MAYHEW LAST WEEK’S announcement that Star Alliance – the world’s biggest alliance of airlines – had embraced SAA as its 18th member and entry point into the African market was a milestone for the carrier. And while freight will not benefit directly from the move, there might be indirect benefits in the cost savings and greater efficiencies and adherence to schedules that are a pre-requisite for Star Alliance membership, said Star Alliance CEO, Jaan Albrecht. Star Alliance was established in 1997 to offer customers worldwide a more troublefree travel experience with seamless technology platforms, extension of loyalty programmes and a host of other simplified and less expensive international regional travel options to better suit the expanding world travel market. These include synchronised arrival and departure times. “We have looked at synergies between the airlines for cargo, but still find it vastly different to passenger travel where the situations and pressures are the same the world over for all the airlines. We find it very difficult to marry the freight objectives of different airlines as it is very complicated,” said Albrecht. * CEO Khaya Ngqula said SAA planned to launch its own low cost airline by the end of this year. It will have its own brand and its own management and will operate on domestic routes only.