On 13 December 2017, the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB) met in Beijing. The meeting was attended by Star Alliance carriers from 28 countries and regions who gathered to celebrate Air China’s 10th anniversary as a member of Star. During the meeting, Air China, Star Alliance and Beijing Capital International Airport entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the co-location of member airlines. The parties agreed to work together to transform Beijing Capital International Airport into a world-class hub and overhaul the passenger experience.
Star Alliance was established in 1997, and is the world’s first airline alliance. Over the past twenty years, Star Alliance has grown rapidly from its 5 founding members to its current membership of 28. This allows Star to operate routes to 1,330 destinations in 192 countries, while enjoying access to more than 1,000 lounges worldwide. By sharing the route networks and lounges of member airlines and co-locating these in the same terminals buildings, Star is able to offer seamless travel and smooth flight connections to passengers around the world.
In 2007, Air China formally became a Star Alliance member, opening up a new chapter in its development. This spurred the integration of Air China, and by extension, China’s civil aviation sector, with the global economy. Over the past ten years, Air China has collaborated closely with Star Alliance and its members to achieve win-win outcomes. By pooling route choices and ground services, member airlines are able to provide a better service for passengers, while cutting costs and improving efficiency.
During the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB) meeting, Zhao Xiaohang, vice president of Air China commented, “As we celebrate our 10th anniversary as a Star Alliance member, I am honoured to have been involved in this initiative at Beijing Capital International Airport to secure the long-term development of Star Alliance. Going forward, Air China, Star Alliance and Beijing Capital International Airport will continue to deepen their cooperation as we go into the next decade.”
According to Christian Draeger from Star Alliance, “Beijing is an important hub airport for Star Alliance. Moreover, the opening of Beijing’s new Daxing Airport presents an opportunity for us to strengthen our commitment to Beijing Capital International Airport. The conclusion of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) lays the foundation we need to provide an outstanding passenger experience and achieve further growth in Beijing.”
Du Qiang from Beijing Capital International Airport added, “This is a win-win outcome for all three sides. With this commitment from Star Alliance, we can obtain the resources needed to overhaul the passenger experience at the airport.”
According to the MOU, all three parties will work together to co-locate Star Alliance carriers in the same terminal building at Beijing Capital International Airport. In addition, it was agreed that more self-service facilities would be added to improve the passenger experience, including curbside check-in, self-service baggage drop-off and self-tagging kiosks. By sharing airport facilities, streamlining transfers and improving connections between member airlines, Star Alliance will be able to offer even greater convenience to passengers.
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