Press Release 2006

Star Alliance launches online interactive tool for US-based travel agents and corporate travel planners/bookers

Using an innovative online interactive educational tool, Star Alliance, the airline network for Earth™, has launched its “Explore the World with Star Alliance” campaign today www.explorestaralliance.com, targeted exclusively at travel agents and corporate travel planners/bookers in the US.

“Travel agents and corporate travel planners/bookers have always been strong supporters of Star Alliance carriers and we would like to invite them to learn more about our global product offerings through this interactive tool,” said Nanci Cheberenchick, Director Sales & Market Development Americas, Star Alliance. “This is an entertaining and interesting way to discover useful facts about our 16 member airlines, routings and destinations around the world.”

This campaign, which will be supported with activities in key markets in the US, will continue till March 31st when 21 travel agents and corporate travel planners/bookers with the highest scores will win round-trip air tickets for themselves and a companion on Star Alliance carriers.

Players earn points by “traveling” through each Star Alliance hub in a round-the-world trip and answer randomly selected questions on each individual member airline as well as questions on integrated Star Alliance products & services.  Additional points can be earned through registering up to ten ticket numbers from tickets issued between January and March 2006 in the US on flights flown on any of the member airlines. Each ticket number will earn 100 points.

To score even more points, players have to answer the questions as quickly as possible as the points one can win drop with each passing second.

The highest scores along with the travel agents’ and corporate travel planners’/bookers’ names will be displayed on a scoreboard where players can view their standing among the other top players. With a database of nearly 600 questions in three categories namely; ‘Places and Faces’, ‘Facts and Stats’ and ‘Odds and Ends’, players can return to challenge themselves with new questions in multiple games.

Test your Star Alliance knowledge and learn more by visiting www.explorestaralliance.com

About Star Alliance:
United and US Airways, Star Alliance’s members in the United States offer customers a greater choice of connections and destinations, within and beyond the country and provide the convenience of single-ticket travel.

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 first half of 2006. Overall, the member carriers offer more than 15,000 daily flights to 790 destinations in 138 countries.

To download supporting documents, use one of the links below or use the right hand button on the mouse.