STAR ALLIANCE APPOINTS SAPIENT AS NEW DIGITAL WEBSITE AGENCY

FRANKFURT, Germany – March 19^th, 2009 - Star Alliance, the way the Earth connects, has appointed Sapient as its new digital website agency. The appointment follows a selection process which included a short list of three companies and was instigated due to the increased use of online marketing.

Sapient will be responsible for online creative, content generation, the operation and maintenance of www.staralliance.com, as well as online campaigns geared to driving traffic to the site. With the aim of achieving more targeted communication, part of this work will be in conjunction with DDB and MEC, Star Alliance’s appointed marketing agencies.

Sapient previously worked with Star Alliance in 2006 to re-design the alliance’s website.

Christina Fischer, director of E-services at Star Alliance, said: “Sapient’s creative, strategic and technological capabilities are what differentiates them. Their blended approach creates online brand experiences underpinned with solid infrastructure, supporting our commitment to the high value international traveller.”

Stefan Hirsch, director of travel and hospitality at Sapient, said: “Online is an important channel for companies in the travel industry, especially in the current economic climate. Not only is Internet usage growing but its perception as a cost effective distribution and sales channel rings true. By embracing an intelligent online presence further, the Star Alliance network will benefit from understanding the alliance customers better and being able to target the member carriers’ offers more effectively. As a strategic partner, we look forward to contributing to Star Alliance’s online success.”

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 received the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award in 2008 and was voted Best Airline Alliance by Business Traveller Magazine in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and by Skytrax in 2003, 2005 and 2007. The members are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 16,500 daily flights to 912 destinations in 159 countries.

About Sapient:
Sapient, a global services firm, operates two groups—Sapient Interactive and Sapient Consulting—that help clients compete, evolve and grow in an increasingly complex marketplace. Sapient Interactive provides brand and marketing strategy, award-winning creative work, web design and development and emerging media expertise. Sapient Consulting provides business and IT strategy, process and systems design, package implementation and custom development, as well as outsourcing services such as testing, maintenance and support.
Sapient’s passion for client success—evidenced by its ability to foster collaboration, drive innovation and solve challenging problems—is the subject of case studies on leadership and organizational behavior used by MBA students at both Harvard and Yale. Leading clients, including BP, Essent Energie, Hilton International, Janus, Sony Electronics and Verizon, rely on the company’s unique approach to drive growth and market momentum. Headquartered in Boston, Sapient operates across North America, Europe and India. For more information, please visit www.sapient.com.