Conference & Meetings World Supplements Airline Supplement | Page 5

Airline Supplement

Alliance of science?
N

Above:
Teamwork:
airline allainces
create better
conference bids

ovember 2015’s
ICCA Congress in
Buenos Aires brought
representatives of the three
main airline alliances to one
podium for an enlightening
session on how planners
and destination marketing
organisations could work
more effectively with airlines
and their alliances to design
the best group deals.
Oneworld, Star Alliance
and SkyTeam had their
representatives on the panel
in a rare show of force.
All but one of the world's 20
biggest full-service network
airlines are now signed up to
one of the alliances. Session
moderator Paul Ouimet,
executive vice-president of
InterVISTAS Consulting, told the
audience 61% of passengers
now used a global alliance
partner, 18% a low cost carrier
and 21% a non-aligned
carrier.
It would seem there are
several reasons for the growth
of global airline alliances:
• More people want to fly
to more places more easily
and for greater value – but
government restrictions and
business economics make it
impossible for any one airline
to serve all these markets by

itself. Allying with like-minded
partner airlines enables
carriers to provide customers
with global travel solutions.
• In the drive to reduce
costs, airlines can achieve
substantial efficiencies
through working together.
• Alliances help boost airlines'
revenues and provide
opportunities to maintain
more routes and frequencies,
by transferring passengers
between members' networks.
Alliances claim to offer
access to global n ]