 | SkyTeam HeadlinesSkyTeam Welcomes KLM Application for MembershipPARIS, Sept. 30, 2003 - The Governing Board of SkyTeam today welcomed KLM's decision to apply for SkyTeam membership, in the scope of a project announced by Air France and KLM to create a new, leading European airline group, through a share exchange between both airlines. "With the addition of KLM, customers will enjoy unparalleled access to the world's most favorite and heavily traveled routes," said Jean-Cyril Spinetta, chairman and CEO of Air France, on behalf of the Governing Board. "KLM's Schiphol will be an integral part of SkyTeam's extensive hub strategy, adding a new powerful European hub to a network that already includes Atlanta, Mexico City, Milan, Paris-CDG, Prague, Rome and Seoul. This will allow us to offer our customers a wider range of convenient connections and a larger choice of destinations." The SkyTeam alliance network will provide passengers with the opportunity to receive benefits from their preferred airline while traveling on any of the SkyTeam carriers. The enlarged alliance will offer a broad network for customers to connect via a multi-hub system to hundreds of cities around the world, will increase ease of ticketing, check-in and baggage handling, will allow customers to receive frequent flyer benefits on all carriers, and will make travel on any of the airlines a seamless experience. No official date has been set for KLM to officially join SkyTeam. However, the alliance anticipates customers to start receiving benefits linked to the arrival of this new member airline within the next six to nine months. SkyTeam is the global airline alliance partnering Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air. Through one of the world's most extensive hub networks, SkyTeam offers its 212 million annual passengers a worldwide system of approximately 7,700 daily flights covering all major destinations. In 2002, Global Finance magazine named SkyTeam the best airline in their list of the "Best Global Companies." Visit SkyTeam on the Web at www.skyteam.com. |   |
