India's Kingfisher Airlines to be part of oneworld from 10 February
Monday, 19 December 2011: Kingfisher Airlines will become part of oneworld® with effect from Friday 10 February 2012, addingIndia's leading carrier to the premier global airline alliance.
It will be the first carrier from the subcontinent to join
any of the global airline groups - and the first of three
airlines to join oneworld in its biggest membership
expansion drive for five years, with airberlin set to
follow it on board the alliance shortly afterwards and
Malaysia Airlines later in the year.
Kingfisher Airlines received its green light to board
oneworld this week after successfully completing a thorough
review of its readiness conducted by British Airways, which
is sponsoring its entry into the alliance, with the
oneworld central team.
So from 10 February 2012, it will be offering oneworld's
full range of services - and substantially expanding the
alliance's network throughout India, one of the fastest
growing regions of the world for air travel demand.
For Kingfisher Airlines, joining oneworld will strengthen
its competitive offering and its financial position,
enabling it to offer customers an unrivalled alliance
global network served by partners including some of the
best and biggest airlines in the world.
Its addition will extend oneworld's global coverage to
nearly 800 destinations in almost 150 countries, served by
a total of almost 8,500 departures a day operated by a
combined fleet of more than 2,250 aircraft, carrying 305
million passengers a year, with annual revenues of US$94
billion. With the addition soon of airberlin and
later this year Malaysia Airlines, the oneworld network
will expand to more than 850 destinations.
oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby said: "Kingfisher Airlines will
expand oneworld's network substantially in a key region of
growing travel demand, with a carrier that matches our
demanding requirements, while enabling Kingfisher Airlines
to offer its customers a truly global network on quality
partners. We are looking forward to welcoming them to
the oneworld alliance in February."
Kingfisher Airlines Chairman Vijay Mallya said: "Kingfisher
Airlines takes great pride in its track record for quality
and innovation. By becoming part of oneworld in
February, we will be flying as part of the world's leading
quality airline alliance - and the first carrier from the
subcontinent to be accepted into any of the global airline
groups."
"Becoming part of oneworld will be one of the most
significant steps in Kingfisher Airlines' history. It will
enable us to offer our customers a truly global network
served by partners who include some of the best known and
most admired airlines in the world, while our King Club
frequent flyers will have more opportunities to earn and
redeem mileage rewards and enjoy all their other benefits.
It will also strengthen us financially, through revenues
from passengers transferring to our network from our
oneworld partners and the cost reduction opportunities the
alliance offers."
When Kingfisher Airlines joins, members of its King Club
frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem
mileage awards on all oneworld partners - American
Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair,
Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malév Hungarian
Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and almost
20 affiliated airlines.
King Club King Platinum cardholders will have oneworld
Emerald status with its King Club Gold members enjoying
oneworld Sapphire status, gaining them access to more than
550 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's
airlines. King Club Silver cardholders will have
oneworld Ruby status.
King Club Platinum, Gold and Silver cardholders will soon
be sent new membership cards, bearing the oneworld logo, to
ensure they receive their alliance benefits from 10
February.
Also from 10 February, the 120 million members of the
established oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes
will be able to earn and redeem awards and tier status
points and receive all other oneworld benefits on
Kingfisher Airlines.
Its network - currently serving 54 destinations and nine
countries - will from then be covered by oneworld's full
and extensive range of alliance fares and sales
products.
It will add more than 40 destinations to the alliance's
network, all of them in its India home, which is the
world's second most populous market and forecast to be the
world's second biggest economy within two decades.
Its middle class population is expected to grow tenfold by
2025 - to nearly 600 million.
Currently seven of oneworld's established airlines -
American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific,
Finnair, Japan Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian - serve
five Indian gateways, in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai
and Hyderabad.
Kingfisher Airlines was invited to join oneworld in June
2010 after gaining approval from India's Ministry of Civil
Aviation to become part of the alliance.
Its alliance implementation programme has represented one
of the most extensive projects in its history, with working
groups covering some 35 streams of activity. Projects
are nearing completion to bring Kingfisher Airlines'
various internal processes and procedures into line with
the alliance's requirements, and extensive employee
training and communications programmes are now underway at
Kingfisher Airlines and the alliance's existing members, to
ensure they are ready to provide oneworld's customer
services and benefits across the expanded alliance from 10
February.
Meantime, it has implemented frequent flyer links with
established oneworld partners American Airlines, British
Airways, Finnair and S7 ahead of joining the alliance and
signed code-sharing agreements with British Airways.
Note
Frequent flyer reciprocity between Kingfisher Airlines and
LAN will be implemented shortly after Kingfisher Airlines
joins oneworld because of LAN's impending migration of its
main information technology platform.
About Kingfisher Airlines
Since its launch in 2005, Kingfisher Airlines has
established itself as India's leading air carrier in terms
of domestic passenger carried, daily flights (with more
than 260 daily departures on average currently), customer
service quality and innovation.
It is India's only five star airline, as rated by
Skytrax, the independent airline quality research
organisation. Besides being the first airline in
India to offer in-flight entertainment at every seat in its
full-service class cabins, Kingfisher Airlines offers Live
TV with 16 channels. It has received numerous awards for
innovation and customer responsiveness - most recently all
three prizes available to carriers from India and Central
Asia in the Skytrax Airline of the Year 2011 awards.
The airline launched its first international routes in September 2008 and now serves oneworld hubs Bangkok, Hong Kong, London Heathrow and Singapore. Internationally, it also currently serves Colombo, Dubai, Dhaka and Kathmandu. In total, it flies to 54 destinations worldwide - 46 of them in India - in nine countries, with its main hubs at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.
It carried 12 million guests in its financial year to end 31 March 2011. Its fleet currently comprises 64 modern aircraft. It employs 7,500 staff. During its latest financial year, to end March 2011, it generated revenues totalling US$ 1.4 billion. Kingfisher Airlines is part of the UB Group, one of India's largest conglomerates with diverse interests and a global presence.
About oneworld
oneworld is the world's premier global airline alliance. It brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian and S7 Airlines, and around 20 affiliates including American Eagle, Dragonair, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru. airberlin, India's Kingfisher Airlines and Malaysia Airlines are on track to join in 2012. Mexicana is an inactive member. Between them, these airlines:
· Serve more than 850 airports in nearly 150 countries, with more than 10,000 daily departures.
· Offer more than 550 airport lounges for premium customers.
· Carry almost a million passengers a day on a combined fleet of more than 2,500 aircraft.
· Generate more than US$ 100 billion annual revenues in total.
oneworld enables its members to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges. oneworld also offers more alliance fares than any of its competitors.
oneworld was named the Best Airline Alliance by Global Traveler in itsGT Tested Reader Survey 2011 Awardsfor the second year runningand the World's Leading Airline Alliance in the 2010 World Travel Awards, retaining that title for the eighth consecutive year.
For further information, please contact:
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