Press Releases 2006

SWISS becomes the 10^th participating carrier in Star Alliance Upgrade Awards

Swiss International Air Lines is now the 10^th Star Alliance member airline to offer Star Alliance Upgrade Awards, a unique redemption option which enables customers to redeem miles or points from their Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP) accounts for one-class upgrades on scheduled flights operated by the participating Star Alliance member carriers.

Star Alliance, the airline network for Earth™, is the first global airline alliance to offer such a product, which is now available to the (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), SWISS (Miles & More), TAP Portugal (Victoria), THAI (Royal Orchid Plus) and United (Mileage Plus). More Star Alliance member carriers will begin to offer this product in the future.

“With SWISS now participating in Star Alliance Upgrade Awards, we have again improved our customer proposition in one of our newest home markets – Switzerland”, said Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance.

“With Star Alliance Upgrade Awards, SWISS is pleased to once more offer our customers an additional benefit within the world’s leading airline alliance “, commented SWISS Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Christoph Beckmann.

Star Alliance Upgrade Awards requires a confirmed booking prior to travel which can then be upgraded through the existing FFP redemption channels, in general, either through calling reservations or visiting a website (depending on carrier’s offer). The upgrade is processed electronically, 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. Upgrades are permitted for one class of travel, either from Economy Class to Business Class or from Business Class to First Class*. Additionally, on United flights offering First and Economy Class only, upgrades from Economy to First are possible. As with most FFP redemption products, capacity restrictions apply and upgrades from certain types of fares are not permitted.

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, which 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.

PriorityAirport 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 660 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 that provides customers with one point of contact to book and ticket award travel on all other Star Alliance carriers.

* Note: not all participating carriers offer First Class

Note: Star Alliance Upgrade Awards are currently not available between Singapore Airlines and Asiana Airlines, TAP and United.

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 Business Traveller Magazine in 2003 and 2006 and 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. Air China, Shanghai Airlines and Turkish Airlines have been accepted as future members and are expected to join Star Alliance during the course of the next one to two years. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 16,000 daily flights to 841 destinations in 157 countries.

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