Press Release 2006

Frankfurt, May 17th, 2006

Star Alliance Upgrade Awards available on three additional carriers
Asiana Airlines, TAP Portugal and THAI, now also offer alliance mileage upgrade option

Star Alliance, the airline network for Earth™, has expanded its Upgrade Awards product to include flights operated by Asiana Airlines, TAP Portugal and Thai Airways International. Originally launched in 2005, the Star Alliance network is the first global airline alliance to offer such a redemption option, which is now available to the Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP) members of ANA (ANA Mileage Club), Asiana Airlines (Asiana Club), Austrian (Miles & More), LOT Polish Airlines (Miles & More), Lufthansa (Miles & More), Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer), TAP Portugal (Victoria) and THAI (Royal Orchid Plus). Further Star Alliance member carriers will begin to offer this product during 2006.

Star Alliance Upgrade Awards enables customers to redeem miles or points from their FFP account to upgrade by one class, either from Economy Class to Business Class or from Business Class to First Class*, on scheduled flights operated by the participating member carriers.

"We have seen an ever increasing number of FFP members making use of this redemption option since its launch in September 2005," said Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance. "With three additional member carriers now offering Star Alliance Upgrade Awards, we have an even more attractive and unrivalled product in the market."

Star Alliance Upgrade Awards requires a confirmed booking prior to travel through the existing FFP redemption channels, in general, either a call centre or a website (depending on carrier’s offer). The upgrade is processed electronically through the computer reservations system, eliminating the need to issue paper certificates to the customers. Both conventional paper tickets, as well as electronic tickets, can be upgraded under this new scheme. As with most FFP redemption products, capacity restrictions apply and upgrades from certain types of fares are not permissible.
Since its inception in 1997, emphasis has been placed by the Star Alliance network on adding value to each member carrier’s FFP by offering alliance-wide benefits to the customers. For instance, Star Alliance was the first airline alliance to offer harmonised benefits for both Gold and Silver card holders across the network.
These benefits include:

Priority Check-In
Star Alliance Gold members can make use of separate check-in desks.

Priority Waitlist
Star Alliance Gold and Star Alliance Silver members receive priority waitlisting if the desired flight is already fully booked.

Priority Airport Standby
Star Alliance Gold and Star Alliance Silver members receive priority standby listing if they arrive at the airport without any reservation for a specific flight (subject to local regulations).

Lounge Access
Star Alliance Gold members have access to more than 620 lounges at airports around the world.

Priority Baggage Tags
Star Alliance Gold members are entitled to priority baggage service across the network.

Increased Baggage Allowance
Star Alliance Gold customers are entitled to one additional piece of checked baggage (piece concept) or an additional 20 kilos (weight concept).

Moreover, Star Alliance is currently the only alliance which has enabled the FFP call centres of the member carriers to book and ticket award travel on all other Star Alliance carriers, thereby offering the customer’s mileage redemption and ticketing through one point of contact.

* Note: not all participating carriers offer First Class
Note: Upgrade Awards are currently not available between Singapore Airlines and Asiana Airlines as well as between Singapore Airlines and TAP.

About Star Alliance

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach and a smooth travel experience. Star Alliance was 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, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, THAI, United, US Airways and VARIG Brazilian Airlines. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 15,500 daily flights to 842 destinations in 152 countries.