Press Release 2005

Star Alliance and Aeroports de Paris sign MoU Outlining co-location at CDG1

Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance and Pierre Graff, President of Aéroports de Paris signed an agreement on the principles of a partnership between the alliance and the airport.

The convention shows the will of both parties to work together for the development of the quality of service offered to the passengers of the Star Alliance member carriers at Paris Charles-De-Gaulle.

This agreement goes along with the strategy adopted by Aéroports de Paris for more than a year. The top priority is to place the passengers and the airlines at the centre of its strategy of development. As Pierre Graff, President of Aéroports de Paris, emphasises: «The passengers will have a say in the choice of the services to be offered in the future »

To reach their objectives, Aéroports de Paris and Star Alliance have elaborated a common method for quality evaluation. On one hand, passengers will be regularly surveyed to evaluate comfort, flow, reception….
On the other hand, the two partners will follow a number of quantity indicators:
• Rate of pier-served parking stands
• Availability of gangways
• Availability of passenger transport systems
• Rate of check-in counters availability
• Rate of baggage systems availability
• Availability of baggage reconciliation and tracing systems

A committee will analyse the results of this evaluation on a regular basis in order to adapt the offer of services to the agreed objectives.

In parallel, since April 2004, Aéroports de Paris has been refurbishing Terminal 1 of Paris CDG to reach a level of quality comparable to terminals E and F of Terminal 2 (level B of IATA standards). The works will be carried out in four phases and will be completed during the fourth quarter of 2008. Each phase will affect one fourth of the terminal.

Three main objectives have served as a basis for this project:

• Organisation of spacious and comfortable reception and circulation areas for passengers
• Optimisation of passenger and baggage transit flow
• Increase of retail surfaces and variety of boutiques on offer

The refurbishment of terminal 1 will allow the Star Alliance network to also implement its global “Move-under-one-Roof strategy” at Paris CDG. In future, all Star Alliance member carriers operating into CDG will be located in terminal 1.
The entire transfer process will be completed by end of 2008. Member carriers ANA, bmi, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International, United, US Airways and VARIG Brazilian Airlines as well as future member South African Airways already operate from terminal 1. Regional member carrier Adria Airways will move from terminal 2 to terminal 1 as of March 27th, 2005, with LOT Polish Airlines and regional member carrier Croatia Airlines set to transfer from terminal 2 to terminal 1 possibly within the next 12 months. Air Canada and Austrian are to move once the renovation is completed in 2008.

“Considering that our member carriers operate both long- and short-haul flights out of Paris, from all available options, co-locating in Terminal 1 is the most viable option from an alliance perspective”, said Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance

After full refurbishment, the member carriers will be able to share both check-in and ticketing facilities. This will ensure better customer service, while at the same time provide cost-benefits to the carriers. Along the same lines, a joint ADP-Star Alliance project will see the first world-wide Star Alliance branded self-service check-in units being installed at CDG 1 as of spring 2005. These will allow passengers from several of the Star Alliance member carriers to obtain their boarding pass, using one single machine. Moreover, by autumn 2006, Star Alliance will also open a joint lounge for First and Business Class customers, as well as for Star Alliance Gold Card holders. This will bring the total number of lounges available to Star Alliance Gold Card holders at Paris-CDG to seven.

“In 2008 we will offer our customers travelling through CDG1 facilities and services which will at least be on an equal footing with other alliances serving Paris-CDG”, said Jaan Albrecht, Star Alliance CEO. “This is of utmost importance to us, since the Star Alliance member carriers operate some 85 daily flights to 38 destinations in 23 countries from CDG Airport, making it the largest single Star Alliance destination outside a member’s home market."

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. The members are Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Spanair, Thai Airways International, United, US Airways and VARIG Brazilian Airlines. TAP Portugal is set to become the 16th member during the first quarter of 2005, with South African Airways scheduled to join the alliance within the next 12 months. Overall, the member carriers offer more than 14,000 daily flights to 772 destinations in 133 countries.

About Aéroports de Paris
Aéroports de Paris designs, creates and manages more than 14 airports, the largest European network of 6.600 hectares and a turnover of 1.712 M€  and a staff of 8.200 people.  These airports represent a pool of 105.000 direct jobs.

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