Airlines

Shenzhen joins Star Alliance

Shenzhen Airlines is the latest carrier to join the Star Alliance network. At a ceremony held at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance, welcomed the airline into the family on behalf on the Alliance’s Chief Executive Board (CEB). “Shenzhen Airlines is China’s fifth largest carrier and strengthens the Star Alliance presence in China and across Asia. Our customers now benefit from improved access throughout the economically important Pearl River Delta and across southern China. Shenzhen Airlines at the same time gains access to a global network with enhanced benefits for its passengers; truly a win-win situation,”said Schwab. Air Canada is a founding member of the Star Alliance. For the summer of 2013 it is increasing its service to Asia adding a new non-stop route between Toronto and Seoul and adding seven weekly departures to Beijing from Toronto and Vancouver, and upgrading its Calgary-Tokyo Narita route to provide daily service. With the additional flights, Air Canada will operate 11 daily departures to Asia. Adding Shenzhen Airlines to the network is part of Star Alliance’s strategy of improving access to current and future growth markets, thus providing the international traveller with more destinations and flights. The airline adds some 400 daily flights to 70 destinations to the Star Alliance network. Among these are five new destinations in China: Juzhou (Zhejiang Province), Linyi, Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang, and Zhoushan.