Press Release 2000

Star Alliance carriers move under one roof in Rio

Star Alliance™ - the airline network for Earth - continued its efforts to provide its customers with seamless travel today at Rio de Janeiro International Airport Galeão - Antonio Carlos Jobim when VARIG Brazilian Airlines and United Airlines moved out of their separate quarters in terminal 1 into joint facilities at terminal 2, with Star Alliance partner Lufthansa German Airlines to follow shortly.

The three carriers will be co-located in the check-in area and share new lounge facilities in the terminal. Their aircraft will be parked close together making transfers easy and convenient for passengers, including those of Star Alliance partners codesharing with VARIG, United and Lufthansa to and from Rio.

The First and Business Class lounges shared by the three partners at Rio's international airport offer passengers a quiet retreat where they can enjoy refreshments and snacks, read or relax in the piano bar, or take a shower. There is also a work area complete with fax and copying machines as well as internet access and sockets for notebooks. Pressing and shoe-shining service is also available for those who would like to freshen up after a long flight. The First Class lounge encompasses an area of 300 square meters. The Business Class lounge occupies 841 square meters, including a reception area and the piano bar. In addition, the Star Alliance partners offer a 200-square meter VIP lounge for domestic passengers.

"The integration of Star Alliance carriers in Rio is another example of what we are working to achieve at the main hubs of our global network," said Per Stendebakken, Star Alliance Vice President and head of product and service development within the alliance. "The benefits are obvious: the airline facilities become more visible and are easier for the passengers to find, walking distances are shortened and resources can be spent more effectively. By moving together at airports we create a single point of contact for our passengers. It also helps improving our customers' travel experience by speeding up the transfer of passengers and their baggage," Stendebakken said

In addition to its main hubs, Star Alliance has identified a number of other strategic airports around the world where the "move-under-one-roof" concept will be deployed. It has already been implemented at airports such as Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Shanghai and Beijing. Projects to facilitate transfer are underway at London-Heathrow, as well as in Miami, Los Angeles and at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.

Star Alliance was established in May 1997. It brings together some of the world's leading airlines in a partnership designed to provide customers the benefits of global reach and seamless travel. Current members of Star Alliance are ANA - All Nippon Airways, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Ansett Australia, Lufthansa German Airlines, SAS - Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International, United Airlines and VARIG Brazilian Airlines. The Austrian Airlines Group will become a member in March, to be followed by Singapore Airlines in April and, somewhat later, Mexicana Airlines and British Midland Airways.

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