Press Release 2005

Opening of new Star Connection Centre in Munich
 
Star Alliance, the airline network for Earth™, has opened a dedicated flight connection centre at Munich Airport in order to further improve the quality of connections at one of the alliance’s key hubs. At this "behind–the-scenes" control room, a team of employees ensures that every effort is made to transfer both passengers and baggage from one Star Alliance carrier to another for connections that might be at risk. The arrival and departure times of member carriers’ flights are constantly monitored so that potential misconnections can be flagged at the earliest possible stage. If needed, corrective action can be instigated, such as sending a staff member to meet the incoming aircraft and guiding the connecting passengers through the terminal or even ensuring a direct bus transfer from airplane to airplane.

“At Star Alliance we are committed to providing the best travel experience to our customers. However, there are times when an unexpected delay can cause an inconvenience beyond an airline’s control,“ said Lee Hock Lye, Vice-President, Products & Services, Star Alliance. “That’s where the Star Connection Centre team comes into play. By creating dedicated connection centres at major hub airports for our member carriers, we are fulfilling one of our basic customer promises – to get passengers and their baggage to their final destinations as quickly and efficiently as possible.“

Air Canada, Austrian, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Spanair, TAP, THAI, United and US Airways along with Regional Member Carriers Adria Airways and Croatia Airlines offer more than 600 daily flights in and out of Munich to more than 100 destinations. On average, 1,500 passengers per day transfer between two different Star Alliance carriers at Munich Airport. With all members collocated in the same terminal, connecting through Munich is convenient and efficient.

Munich is the 6th Star Alliance Connection Centre in the 16-carrier network, along with Chicago, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington Dulles. In addition to improved customer service, the Star Alliance connection centres yield annual savings of more than five million euro per year to the carriers.

About Star Alliance:
Star Alliance was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer customers global reach and a smooth travel experience. Star Alliance has been voted Best Airline Alliance by Skytrax in 2003 and 2005. The members are Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Spanair, TAP Portugal, THAI, United, US Airways and VARIG Brazilian Airlines. South African Airways and SWISS will be integrated during the course of the next 12 months. Overall, the member carriers offer more than 15,000 daily flights to 795 destinations in 139 countries.

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