SkyTeam

SkyTeam is an airline alliance. Founded in June 2000, SkyTeam was the last of the three major airline alliances to be formed, the first two being Star Alliance and Oneworld. Headquartered at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands. As of March 2014, SkyTeam flies to more than 1,000 destinations in 178 countries and operates some 15,700 daily flights with a combined fleet of over 4,400 aircraft, including associate carriers.

SkyTeam has two premium levels, Elite and Elite Plus, based on a customer's tier status in a member carrier's frequent-flyer program. Each of the member and associate airlines recognises the elite statuses, with a few exceptions. The statuses have no specific requirements of their own; membership is based solely on the frequent-flyer programs of individual member airlines.
Benefits can consist of:

• An extended network, often realised through codeshare agreements. Many alliances started as only codeshare networks.

Cost reduction from sharing of:

• sales offices
• maintenance facilities
• operational facilities, e.g. catering or computer systems
• operational staff, e.g. ground handling personnel, at check-in and boarding desks
• investments and purchases, e.g. in order to negotiate extra volume discounts

Traveler benefits can include:

• lower prices due to lowered operational costs for a given route
• more departure times to choose from on a given route
• more destinations within easy reach
• shorter travel times as a result of optimised transfers
• a wider range of airport lounges shared with alliance members
• fast track access on all alliance members if having frequent flyer status
• faster mileage rewards by earning miles for a single account on several different carriers
• round-the-world tickets, enabling travelers to fly over the world for a relatively low price
Airline alliances may also create disadvantages for the traveler, such as higher prices when competition is erased on a certain route and less frequent flights.

Contact Information

Headquarters

SkyTeam Airline Alliance Management
Schiphol Boulevard 367
Tower B, 8th Floor
1118 BJ Schiphol
The Netherlands

Website: www.skyteam.com

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