Air India joins Star Alliance

[SouthDesi]

From July 11, Air India will provide seamless transfers and wider choice of flights following its membership of Star Alliance, consisting of 26 international carriers.

The decision to admit Air India was taken at a meeting of the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB) in London on Monday. “Air India users will have a wider reach because Alliance members operate 21,900 flights daily to 195 countries,’’ noted Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju at a news conference here on Tuesday, which was also attended by Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Lavasa and Air India Chairman and Managing Director Rohit Nandan.

Mr. Raju expects Air India's revenue to increase by four to five per cent.

The formal induction will take place next month, most probably on July 11, with the unveiling of the Star Alliance logo and its livery on Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner and an Airbus A-320. India is among the first clutch of countries to have acquired the Dreamliner.

Star Alliance members together have 4,338 planes that fly over 64 crore passengers every year. Air India travellers will also be able to utilise their frequent flyer miles on nearly the entire Alliance network.

The membership ends a seven year quest that began with its acceptance as a potential member in 2007. It suffered a hiccup with the suspension of the process in 2011 because of the ongoing merger between Air India and Indian Airlines.

Air India joins Star Alliance - The Hindu

 

[Bombaywalla]

Star Alliance is pleased to announce that Air India will join as our 27th member airline from 11th July Delhi time.
Air India will add 400 daily flights and 35 new destinations in India to our network and means we are the first alliance to have a member airline in the Indian sub-continent. Please join us in welcoming Air India to the alliance.

cc: Star Alliance

 

[Koovie]

Finally, I hope this will further help AI to improve their quality standards.

 

[Bombaywalla]

Following EVA Air, Air India joined the Star Alliance on July 11, 2014. It is the first Indian airline company to join an international airline alliance. Now with 27 members in its family, Star Alliance offers 18,500-plus flights to 1,316 destinations in 192 countries every day.

 

[Bombaywalla]

An AI A320 aircraft painted in Star Alliance livery at Delhi IGI Airport ...

cc: pbs

 

[Koovie]

Great to see that AI`s standards have finally met international standards

 

[Bombaywalla]

An Air India A320 in Star Alliance livery at BOM


cc: Vivek Manvi

 

[harpoon]

When will AI start making some money? It is an eternal money pit for GoI.

 

[Tshering22]

When will AI start making some money? It is an eternal money pit for GoI.

Not really. They have been turning around and trying to cut down on losses. If you see their annual reporting, they have actually reduced their losses (maybe not in absolute terms). Also, their choice of crew, management and their recent politeness is a pleasant surprise.

Considering that they are now expected to be a part of the largest airline alliance on earth, this means that their quality will be boosted up.

Air India is, if you see, one of the most capable airlines in the world. It is just that years of rusting and unaccountability has cause them to become laggard and take everything for granted.

The good thing is, now I can book my ticket to anywhere on Air India and enjoy a good Indian meal on board, at least on one leg of the flight.

The meals become a terrible experience once my traveling sessions start for work. Andes, Alps, Urals, Altai, Taiga, Tundra, Tropics, Deserts etc (except for polar expeditions which are differently arranged).