Here comes Jat
According to Jat Airways’ CEO, the national carrier of Serbia will become a member of the SkyTeam Alliance after successful talks were held last week at the alliance’s headquarters in Amsterdam. Without any preconditions Jat Airways is expected to become a Skyteam “associate airline” by the end of October 2009. SkyTeam’s “associate airlines” division is the equivalent of Star Alliance’s regional member airlines. If the promise is fulfilled Jat will become the third associate SkyTeam airline, replacing Copa Airlines from Panama which will leave the alliance on October 24. The other two associate members are Air Europa from Spain and Kenya Airways. Together with the full alliance members there are a total of 14 airlines as a part of SkyTeam although Copa, Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines will be leaving by the end of the year with Vietnam Airlines joining in 2010. Jat Airways’ membership will be sponsored by Air France-KLM. Jat’s CEO has said that the airline will benefit from the alliance as it will allow passengers to arrive to their destination sooner and will allow Jat to become part of a global airline network. SkyTeam is the second largest airline alliance after Star. Once Jat becomes a SkyTeam member it will also become the third EX-YU airline to be part of a world wide alliance, after Croatia Airlines and Adria Arways. This news should be approached with caution as there has still been no official word from SkyTeam regarding Jat’s membership.
Star Alliance’s regional member airlines are now full members: http://www.staralliance.com/en/about/airlines/
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for the official comment from SkyTeam before I believe this one! Though it does seem slightly more probable than new planes for JAT...
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ReplyDeletePoor KLM :(
ReplyDeleteThey have to put up with AirFrance, Alitalia, Delta, CZA, AeroMexico and now JAT.
^
ReplyDeleteWhy was my post removed?
I will repeat:
No decision has been made about joining SkyTeam and the article is incorrect. Fact.
@Anonymous3: The article is quoting what Jat’s CEO said so I don’t see how it is incorrect. If the CEO is lying that’s a different story and we will see in only a month if he is lying. Also, your original post differed from what you wrote the second time around and it was therefore removed.
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ReplyDeleteEX-YU:
And you believe everything you read?
Sorry to disappoint you - but my original comment stands. No decision made. Yet.
B.S. - they've been talking about SkyTeam since, like, forever. A few years ago they were even crapping their pants how they will be a full member of SkyTeam - associate status is for wimps!
ReplyDeleteCome on... they are in no shape to join anyone. Plus, the only frequent flyer cooperation they have is with Lufthansa. This SkyTeam thing is so not going to happen, and for so many different reasons. Jat's new CEO, whose business plans look like children's drawings, is one of them.
i will believe that JAT has entered into the alliance when it actually happens. theyve said too many things in the past for them to be believable anymore.
ReplyDeletei hope they do enter the skyteam alliance, it would be a good thing for them, just i hope that is the beginning of changes to the carrier.
@ anonymous
i would of thought cooperating with LH on their frequent flier program to be a wise move in attracting more passengers to choose to fly with JAT and assist in fill up seats in JAT aircraft rather than LH's.
For JAT to join skyteam i would imagine they would have to cease such an arrangement (do correct me if im wrong) with LH, but i could then see JAT being a partner of the Flying Blue program. I heard that JAT was to introduce a frequent flier program called Flying Dots to replace the LetVise program.
Of more importance to Jat is the fact that Jat Tehnika have announced they will go on strike this Friday, which will ground many of their flights...
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