Press Release

TokyoMay 26, 2009: Russia’s leading domestic airline S7 Airlines is to join oneworld^®, the world’s leading quality airline alliance of which Japan Airlines (JAL) is a proud member.

 

After being unanimously elected on board by the grouping’s existing ten member airlines, which include some of the best and biggest names in the industry, including JAL, S7 will become part of oneworld, offering the alliance’s full range of services, benefits and fares during 2010 and linking oneworld to one of the most extensive networks covering Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

 

S7 is Russia’s leading airline in terms of domestic passenger carryings, customer service quality and innovation, and which serves 72 destinations worldwide. Their addition to the alliance will add 54 cities to the oneworld map - 35 of them in Russia, and bring eight countries onto the alliance’s network - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. With oneworld the only alliance with member airlines based on every continent, S7 will expand the alliance’s network to nearly 750 destinations in almost 150 countries, served by a combined fleet of 2,300 aircraft operating almost 8,500 flights a day, carrying more than 330 million passengers a year.

 

S7 also prides itself as being the first carrier in Russia to convert to an all Western-built Airbus and Boeing fleet and the first to adopt full electronic ticketing and on-line reservations and sales.

 

While it begins its 18-month alliance implementation programme with the support of British Airways as its oneworld sponsor, it will take its first step by adding its network to the Global Explorer round-the-world fare offered by all oneworld member airlines and selected carriers that are not part of the alliance, from June 1, 2009.                                                                       

 

In the course of its implementation, S7 will adapt key internal processes into line with oneworld requirements;,link its IT systems to those of its oneworld partners and carry out an extensive employee training and communications programmes to ensure that S7 employees worldwide are ready to provide oneworld’s hallmark customer services and benefits from day one.

 

An exact date will be confirmed for it to join during 2010, once all its pre-joining requirements are sufficiently progressed.

 

Haruka Nishimatsu, Chief Executive of JAL welcomes S7’s entry into oneworld: “JAL is very happy to welcome onboard another quality airline to the oneworld family of which we have been a part of since 2007. JAL currently offers three weekly flights between Tokyo Narita and Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport, the main hub for S7 who have existing bilateral links with us and many of our partner airlines such as American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, and Royal Jordanian. With its extensive domestic network in Russia, I am looking forward to a strengthened oneworld alliance and together with all member airlines, to offering our customers unwavering commitment to safety and enhanced customer service through quality standards and an expanded network.”

 

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch added: “S7 fills one of oneworld’s few remaining membership ‘white spaces’ with a carrier that matches our alliance’s demanding quality requirements.  It will expand oneworld’s presence substantially in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, while enabling S7 to offer its customers a truly global network on quality partners.  We are delighted to welcome them to the oneworld alliance.”

 

S7 Chief Executive Vladimir Obyedkov said: “S7 Airlines is delighted to be joining the world’s leading quality global airline alliance.   Becoming part of oneworld is one of the most significant steps in S7’s history.   It will enable us to offer our customers a truly global network served by partners who include some of the best known and most admired airlines in the world, while our frequent flyers will have more opportunities to earn and redeem mileage rewards and enjoy all their other benefits.  It will also strengthen us financially, through revenues from passengers transferring to our network from our oneworld partners and the cost reduction opportunities the alliance offers.”

 

・Pictures

A selection of print quality images of S7 and its logo can be downloaded from

www.oneworld.com/ow/news-and-information/gallery/list?categoryID=4&subCategoryID=11

A selection of print quality images and logos for oneworld and its existing member airlines can be downloaded from

www.oneworld.com/ow/news-and-information/corporate-image-gallery

 

・About S7 Airlines

For more about S7 Airlines, please log on to S7’s website at:

http://www.s7.ru/en/index.html (English)

http://www.s7.ru/ru/index.html (Russian)

http://www.s7.ru/de/index.html (German)

 

・About oneworld                                                                                                                                                                                                       

oneworld brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian, and around 20 affiliates including American Eagle, Dragonair, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru.  Mexicana and its affiliate Click Mexicana will join the alliance in 2009. 

 

The alliance enables its members to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own.  These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges. oneworld also offers more alliance fares than any of its competitors.

 

oneworld was voted the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the sixth year running in the latest (2008) World Travel Awards.   It is the only winner of this award since it was introduced in 2003.

 

About Global Explorer

Besides the networks of all existing oneworld member airlines and member elect Mexicana, the Global Explorer round-the-world fare also includes a number of airlines with no other oneworld links - Aer Lingus, Air Pacific, Alaska Airlines and its Horizon Airlines sister, and Gulf Air.  Flights carrying the Qantas code but operated by Air Niugini, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Vanuatu, Air Vietnam, Aircalin and South African Airways are included too. 

 

It offers simple, flexible, and great value round-the-world travel for trips of up to one year long.  Four versions are available, covering differing lengths of journeys. 

For more details, see http://www.oneworld.com/ow/air-travel-options/round-the-world-fares/global-explorer

 

It is one of two round-the-world fares offered by oneworld.  Its other round-the-world fare is oneworld Explorer.  This includes travel on the alliance’s existing member airlines and affiliates only.  Uniquely, prices are based on the number of continents visited, rather than on the distance flown.  It is the only round-the-world fare that can be bought on-line.

 

Contact Information:

oneworld	Michael Blunt, VP Corp Comms	+44 7711 997487 / mblunt@oneworld.com
S7 Airlines	Kirill Alyavdin, Chief of Press Service	+7 495 926 4770 / +7 985 762 4156 / k.alyavdin@s7.ru
JAL	Szehunn Yap	+81 3 5460 3109 / sze_hunn.yap@jal.com
American Airlines	Corporate Communications	+1 817 967 1577 / corp.comm@aa.com
British Airways	Press Office	+44 20 8738 5100 / Media.relations@ba.com
CathayPacific	Corporate Communications	+852 2747 8282
Finnair	Corporate Communications	+358 981 84970
Iberia	Communications	+34 91 587 7462 / prensaintl@Iberia.es
LAN	Corporate Communications	+562 565 3975
Malév	Adam Hegedus, Corporate Comms	+36 1 235 3331 / +36 20 555 4150 / nemeth.kriszta@malev.hu
Qantas	Corporate Communications	+61 2 9691 3473 / qantasmedia@qantas.com.au
Royal Jordanian	Hussein Dabbas	+962 6 520 2500 / hussein.dabbas@rj.com

END

 2009-05 S7 Joins OW_JAL Release.pdf