Brazil’s TAM Airlines to join Star Alliance

TAM Airlines, the biggest airline of Brazil, has announced that it has been invited to join the Star Alliance, the largest global alliance in commercial aviation.

TAM Airlines, based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, operates scheduled services from Sao Paulo to destinations within Brazil, as well as international flights to Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

The Star Alliance, established in 1997, has now 21 of the world’s largest airlines as members as well as 3 regional companies that jointly operate over 18,100 flights daily to 975 destinations in 162 countries. The members are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, Egyptair, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways. Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines form the regional members of the Star Alliance global network. TAM, Air-India (India) Continental Airlines (the United States) have been announced as future members.

Captain David Barioni Neto, chief executive officer of TAM Airlines, said in a statement: “This is a very important step forward for TAM since through our alliance membership, we will gain further international brand recognition. Joining Star Alliance will further bolster our ongoing quest for service excellence, technical and operational excellence and excellence in management, which are the three pillars of our strategy.”

He added: “The Chief Executive Board (CEB) of Star Alliance unanimously voted to accept TAM – South America’s largest airline and a leader in the domestic and international market among Brazilian companies – as a future member of the alliance.”

TAM Airlines already has codeshare agreements with Lufthansa, the national flag carrier of Germany, TAP, the national airline of Portugal, and the United States-based United Airlines – which are all members of the Star Alliance.

TAM has just signed a codeshare agreement Air Canada, Canada’s largest airline and the country’s flag carrier and also a member of the Star Alliance.

According to the statement from TAM, the carrier’s process of integration would start soon. “Experts from TAM, United Airlines, TAM’s mentor in the Star Alliance, as well as from the Star Alliance will team up to ensure that the Brazilian company meets the requirements for association. These include, for example, compatibility with StarNet – the Star Alliance’s IT backbone – common guidelines for dealing with passengers and the accumulation and redemption of loyalty programme points.”

Once TAM Airlines becomes a full-fledged member of the Star Alliance, it will share products and services in about 1,000 airports and around 170 countries in which the alliance operates. The sharing of products and services includes baggage check-in to the final destination, easier connections, and the convenience of over 800 VIP lounges.

The TAM Airlines statement explained: “Clients of TAM will also benefit from the Star Alliance members’ frequent flier programmes, which will make accumulating points easier, provide more redemption options and give priority to service and boarding. TAM passengers are set to experience a whole new world of Star Alliance customer benefits, while the alliance customers can look forward to both an ideal network in Brazil and in Latin America and excellent service on board and on the ground.”