Press Releases 2007

Star Alliance Launches Visit Southern Africa Campaign

Star Alliance, the airline network for Earth™, has launched a Visit Southern Africa campaign to promote travel to Southern Africa and underscore the wide choice of flight connections to the African continent provided by the Star Alliance member carriers to US and Canadian travelers.

“With this campaign we want to highlight how easy and convenient it is to plan your next trip to Africa, long considered a dream destination by many. The extensive Star Alliance network will allow passengers to be captivated by the natural beauty of the sand dunes of Namibia, enjoy the beautiful beaches of Mozambique, get splashed at Victoria Falls in Zambia and see spectacular wildlife in South Africa, all in one trip,” said Nanci Cheberenchick, Director Sales & Market Development Americas, Star Alliance.

Star Alliance member carrier South African Airways (SAA) offers customers the choice between a daily non-stop flight from Washington Dulles Airport to Johannesburg and a daily one-stop flight between New York's John F. Kennedy Airport and Johannesburg via Dakar. From Johannesburg, SAA has onward connections throughout Southern Africa to cities like Cape Town, Durban, Harare, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Mauritius, Port Elizabeth, Victoria Falls and Windhoek.

A further five Star Alliance member airlines serve destinations in Southern Africa: Lufthansa, SWISS and TAP provide flights from their respective North American gateway airports via their hubs in Frankfurt, Zurich and Lisbon, while Singapore Airlines and THAI fly to South Africa through their respective hubs in Singapore and Bangkok. Additionally Air Canada, United and US Airways serve hub airports in Europe, for example London and Paris, from which SAA has onward connections to South Africa.

Once in Africa, customers can reach any combination of the 25 Sub-Saharan destinations served by SAA by using the Star Alliance African Airpass. This ticket, which is based on a special fare of US$ 0.15* per mile flown, can be purchased in conjunction with any intercontinental return ticket to an African destination issued by a Star Alliance member.

“The Star Alliance African Airpass is just one more way that Star Alliance provides great value to travelers by allowing them to construct an itinerary of choice that meets their needs and at a reasonable price,” commented Cheberenchick.

Another travel option allowing customers to visit Southern Africa is the Star Alliance round-the-world fare, one of the 11 different Star Alliance fare products. From as little as US$ 3950* for travel from the US or CAD$ 3949* for travel from Canada customers can fly around the world once, using the network provided by the Star Alliance member carriers.

As part of this campaign, Star Alliance is partnering with both National Geographic Magazine and National Geographic Channel to showcase the breathtaking landscape and exciting travel destinations in Southern Africa. National Geographic Channel has produced two vignettes which will be aired from March to June on the National Geographic Channel. The magazine will feature Star Alliance advertorials while the website www.southernafricanskies.com will provide links to tourist information on Southern Africa and how to get there flying Star Alliance member carriers.

The member carriers will also be highlighting the Visit Southern Africa campaign through advertisements in their in-flight magazines as well as through travel promotions on their individual websites. Further information can also be found on the Star Alliance website: www.staralliance.com/southernafrica

From the United States, 16 Star Alliance member carriers - Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, THAI, United, US Airways - offer more than 3200 weekly international flights to reach 70 international destinations in 48 countries.

* note: fares exclude taxes and charges which vary according to routing and exchange rates.

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 and US Airways. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Air China, Shanghai Airlines and Turkish Airlines have all been accepted as future members and are expected to join Star Alliance soon. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 16,000 daily flights to 855 destinations in 155 countries.

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