Air India Ltd has joined the Star Alliance group of carriers, a move that allows the national carrier to share routes with other airlines to more than 1,200 destinations covering 195 countries.
The membership of Air India into Star Alliance will result in several benefits for the airline and its passengers, many of whom can also earn and use frequent flyer miles on the entire alliance network. The member airlines of Star Alliance together own a total of 4,338 aircraft and operate nearly 18,000 flights daily.
Air India now becomes the 27th member of the airline group. Air India will formally complete the process by mid-July, a spokesperson said. Air India was originally accepted as a future member of the network in 2007 but the integration was halted to allow Air India to focus on its merger with Indian Airlines.
Induction into Star Alliance could also help boost revenues at the loss-making state-run airline. Calling it a win-win situation for Air India, Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the national carrier's revenue could go up by 5 per cent. Star Alliance membership will help Air India to compete with Gulf carriers like Emirates, which have increased their share of long-distance flights into and out of India.
Here's what it means for you:
Code Share: It is essentially an agreement between two airlines to use each other's existing route. For the flyer, this makes connections simpler by allowing single bookings across multiple planes. As a member of the Star Alliance, Air India will be able to code share with 26 other airlines.
For example, if you want to travel from Delhi to Sao Paulo to watch the football World Cup and there is no direct flight. Air India, as a part of the Star Alliance, can give you a ticket to Sao Paulo, through an alliance partner.
Frequent Flyer Miles and Lounge Access: The miles you collect on each route can be exchanged for upgrades/ free travel cross the other airlines' network. Travelling on all these 27 airlines and their routes will help you collect flying miles on one card. Besides, you can also gain access to lounges of other airlines at various airports.
Seamless Transfers: Your luggage transfer will be taken care of between the airlines and you don't have to worry about it.
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