Star Alliance

You could use United Miles.

You could use a lot of Star Alliance carriers because it wasn't like the United flight.

The deal was specific to United cardholders and United members.

Right.

If you have a premium city card like the Strata Premier or Strata Elite, points transfer at a one-to-one ratio.

Copa Connect Miles is a Star Alliance program with some genuinely interesting sweet spots.

Think Emirates Redemptions with no fuel surcharges, a free stopover, and two open jaws on round-trip awards.

This is a real addition to the city ecosystem, and worth knowing about if you're building toward a more complex itinerary.

ITA Airways needed to restructure its alliance relationships and manage a transition between airline alliances.

TAP, however, is already a member of Star Alliance, just like Lufthansa.

That could simplify several aspects of the process, but it does not mean everything will happen automatically.

An airline alliance is not the same as corporate integration.

Good to be with you.

Glad to have another Star Alliance guy back in the booth here.

I

know, I did fly Delta down here, but that's a one-off situation.

He says, question for On Air.

Is it conceivable if Heathrow doesn't get a third runway that UK airports could divide between alliances so as to not restrict connections, hub, operations, or slots? For example, Heathrow would be One World and Sky Team, Gatwick, Star Alliance, Luton and Stansted, Low Cost, Leisure, Non-Alliance, and Cargo.

How ridiculous or reasonable would this be? Oh, good question, James.

Really nice.

You don't want to fly from Luton, but you're still flying leisure.

meet Stansted no you can't you have to have a portfolio you have to have a varied portfolio across airports in terms of airlines, I mean, as a portfolio, in order to ensure that you're offering choice, and it is, you know, it's not, you can't tie an alliance to geography.

At the same time, when you look at it on paper, you think, okay, you know, knowing that Gatwick was the star alliance hub, you could definitely, forget the other two, forget Luton and Stansted, I mean, who remembers them, but you could definitely look at the two London airports of Heathrow and Gatwick, and I know Gatwick is not in London, but you You know, there would be scope if Star Alliance just stood up and said, we are going to have a big Star Alliance hub at Gatwick.

They'd still have to have some presence at Heathrow, but they could definitely, you know... revolutionize Gatwick by associate, by finally giving it purpose, right? This airport that wants to be Heathrow, but it's just more Stansted than it realizes.

Both Air France, KLM and the Lufthansa group placed bids.

According to Reuters, Lufthansa Group was rumored to win the bid to purchase 44.9% of the airline, which is already a member of Star Alliance, a rumor that was confirmed today, actually, this morning, Drew, after a cabinet meeting in Lisbon.

Lufthansa's bid was chosen over Air France KLM due to its all-cash offer.

Air France KLM's bid was a mix of cash and shares, as well as its stronger financial position.

Amazing.

Frankfurt Airport is the most productive geographic location to target and Lufthansa deploys its 747s on routes from Frankfurt to high-yield destinations and Star Alliance key routes, with Terminal 1 serving as the primary operating base for most of these flights.

Simplifying notes that the type can be seen there multiple times per day.

Well, Lufthansa's relationship with the 747 stretches back to 1970 when it placed its first order with inauguration from Frankfurt to JFK.