SkyTeam adds fourth Chinese airline

XIAMEN Airlines joined SkyTeam as its 19^th member and fourth Chinese carrier yesterday, strengthening the alliance's position in China.

China’s sixth largest carrier, Xiamen Airlines, is headquartered in coastal Xiamen in Fujian province and contributes three new hubs to SkyTeam – Xiamen, Fuzhou and Hangzhou.

The airline’s current network spans over 50 cities including Macau, Hong Kong and Taipei, as well as cities in South-east and North-east Asia. It also has plans to launch flights to Europe, North America and Australasia by 2014, after the introduction of its Boeing 787.

Michael Wisbrun, SkyTeam’s managing director said: “Greater China remains a priority region for our alliance. Xiamen Airlines will join our members China Southern, China Eastern and China Airlines in developing customer-focused initiatives for the region.”

Xiamen Airlines has already begun rolling out SkyPriority and SkyTeam priority airport services for SkyTeam Elite Plus, First and Business Class passengers worldwide. With immediate effect, Xiamen Airline passengers can earn and redeem miles on services operated by all SkyTeam member airlines, while SkyTeam passengers can also earn and redeem miles when flying on Xiamen Airlines-operated flights.

Sourced: TTG asia