SkyTeam Members Expand Travel Offerings for 2005 Summer Season
April 25 2005 - 1:05PM
PR Newswire (US)
SkyTeam Members Expand Travel Offerings for 2005 Summer Season New
Summer Destinations Provide Broader Service in Support of
Forecasted Increase in International Travel NEW YORK, April 25
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SkyTeam, the global airline alliance
partnering Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines,
Continental, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air and Northwest, today
said its members are anticipating passenger growth in 2005 and
launching new flight options this summer season, which runs from
April to October. Passengers traveling with SkyTeam will have
access to a combined total of 533 additional flights per week and
16 new alliance destinations, as compared with last summer. In
February, the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
predicted a 5.9 percent growth in passenger volume for the airline
industry this year. Foreseeing similar trends within their
passenger networks, SkyTeam members are strategically increasing
the number of destinations they serve, as well as boosting flight
frequencies on well-traveled routes, further strengthening the
alliance's global route network. According to IATA, international
passenger traffic is expected to grow six percent yearly through
2008. In terms of SkyTeam's network, the alliance will add eight
new international destinations this summer, including St. Croix;
Tikal-Flores, Guatemala; Chennai, India; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;
Khartoum, Sudan; Minsk, Belarus; Skopje, Macedonia; and Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina. "SkyTeam members are increasing service to
accommodate the growing needs of travelers," said Dominique Patry,
chairman of the SkyTeam Steering Committee and vice president
alliances and international affairs at Air France. "Whether flying
for business or pleasure, domestically or internationally, SkyTeam
passengers benefit from the expanded choices and flexibility
alliance members are offering. We monitor travel trends and
forecasts closely to continually meet the needs of our current and
potential customers." New SkyTeam destinations This summer, SkyTeam
will serve 16 new destinations on four continents: * In Asia, Delta
Air Lines will begin service to Chennai, India, with Air France
codesharing on some of the flights. Chennai, formerly known as
Madras, is the gateway of southern India and is a developing center
of business and industry for the Asia-Pacific region. * In Europe,
Alitalia will begin daily service from Milan to Sarajevo, while CSA
Czech Airlines plans to introduce five weekly flights to the new
destination. CSA Czech Airlines is also planning for new service to
Skopje, Macedonia and Minsk, Belarus. Continental will begin
service to Belfast, Northern Ireland this summer. * KLM is adding
the destinations of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Khartoum, Sudan in
Africa. * In the U.S. and Latin America, Continental Airlines will
serve Del Rio, Texas and Tikal-Flores, Guatemala. The North
Carolina cities of Kinston and Hickory will join the list of U.S.
destinations served by Delta Air Lines Connection carrier Atlantic
Southeast Airlines. In March, Delta began service to St. Croix in
the U.S. Virgin Islands. Northwest Airlines will bring to the
SkyTeam network the U.S. destinations of Latrobe, Pennsylvania;
Ithaca, New York; and Rockford, Illinois; also adding
Charlottetown, Canada to its network of destinations served. Added
frequencies SkyTeam passengers can look for the addition of 533
weekly flights. * Air France will add 87 weekly flights. *
Alitalia's schedule will offer 92 more flights per week. * CSA
Czech Airlines will increase its schedule by 63 flights per week. *
Delta Air Lines will increase weekly flights by 84. * KLM is
planning for a weekly increase of 46 flights. * In addition, Korean
Air will increase service offerings by 19 weekly flights. *
Northwest passengers can expect an additional 142 flights each
week. "SkyTeam is committed to offering passengers a continually
expanding international network. By strategically adding new
destinations and increasing service offerings between many cities
on several continents, the alliance presents more connectivity than
ever before," said Patry. "The global community is more
interconnected than ever and the SkyTeam alliance offers a
necessary accommodation for this growth." New routes launched by
alliance member airlines In addition to new destinations served and
the increase in frequency of popular weekly flights, SkyTeam
carriers will offer 79 new routes this summer. * Air France plans
the launch of four new routes this summer between its Paris hub and
destinations in Asia, Europe and the United States. The airline
serves Belgrade, the capital of Serbia and Montenegro and is adding
a new daily service to the SkyTeam hub in Detroit, Michigan. *
Alitalia will begin seasonal routes from Rome to Boston and
Toronto. Twice daily service is planned to Krakow, Poland from
Milan. * Continental will add 15 new routes including service to
Beijing, making Continental the only U.S. carrier offering daily
nonstop service from New York to the People's Republic of China and
the world's fastest growing economy. Other routes will be offered
from New York to Stockholm, Berlin, Hamburg and Bristol. * CSA
Czech Airlines will add six routes this summer, including service
between Rome and Riga, Latvia, a gateway city to large Eastern
European markets and one of the fastest growing economies in the
European Union. * Delta Air Lines will increase both domestic and
international service offerings by 24, including twice-weekly
flights to Montego Bay from Cincinnati and new daily service
between Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Nassau. Other new Delta routes
include Atlanta to Boise, Cozumel, Vancouver and Moscow; service
from New York to Berlin and Santiago, Dominican Republic; and new
flights from Salt Lake City to Fairbanks, Alaska, and Cabo San
Lucas, Mexico. * KLM will serve three new routes. Twice daily
weekday service to London City from Rotterdam began earlier in the
season. Another new route will fly passengers to Tallinn, Estonia.
* New Korean Air routes will serve Bali, Taipei and Seattle. The
airline is also reinstating service to St. Petersburg and Amsterdam
this summer season. * Northwest Airlines will offer 19 new routes,
including a series of new routes originating in Detroit,
Indianapolis and Minneapolis. Destinations served will include
Charlottesville, Virginia; Bermuda; Seattle; St. Louis; and
Lexington, Kentucky. Other new routes include service between
Washington, D.C. and Des Moines, Iowa; Grand Rapids and Lansing,
Michigan; and Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to global
connectivity, SkyTeam offers passengers the opportunity to earn
frequent flyer miles when flying new and existing routes on any of
the nine member airlines. Traveling within the alliance network,
passengers have access to more than 390 airport lounges in cities
around the globe. About SkyTeam SkyTeam is the global airline
alliance partnering Aeromexico, Air France (NYSE:AKH) (Euronext
Paris: AF) (Euronext Amsterdam: AFA), Alitalia, Continental
Airlines (NYSE:CAL), CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines
(NYSE:DAL), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air and Northwest
Airlines (NYSE:NWB). Through one of the world's most extensive hub
networks, SkyTeam offers its 341 million annual passengers a
worldwide system of more than 14,000 daily flights covering all
major destinations. Visit SkyTeam on the Web at
http://www.skyteam.com/ . DATASOURCE: SkyTeam CONTACT: in the U.S.,
SkyTeam Communications, +1-646-935-4161 Web site:
http://www.skyteam.com/
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