Star Alliance Boosts Market Share With 3 New Membe

[Fly]

Star Alliance Gets 3 New Members

 

[JFK777]

South African is the real crown jewel. It the biggest airline for 3000 miles in every direction and setting up its own network of local airlines in east and west Africa. With its new Airbus fleet SAA is finally being all it can be. The interesting rewoeking of the SAA routemap is coming. It will once again fly to Singapore, home of Star member Singapore Airlines, and stop flying to Atlanta. SAA's US cities will change, New York will remain but Miami and Washington could be added.

 

[Just Plane Crazy]

South African is the real crown jewel. It the biggest airline for 3000 miles in every direction and setting up its own network of local airlines in east and west Africa. With its new Airbus fleet SAA is finally being all it can be. The interesting rewoeking of the SAA routemap is coming. It will once again fly to Singapore, home of Star member Singapore Airlines, and stop flying to Atlanta. SAA's US cities will change, New York will remain but Miami and Washington could be added.

I am not so sure about Miami, since neither U nor UA has any real presence there. I think that SA will add ORD and maybe in the future LAX (with a stopover) to its network.

STAR is truly the only alliance out of the US to offer Non-Stop service to all continents. U and UA will gain some additional passengers and revenue with this constellation. The loser’s are going to be SkyTeam and OneWorld.

 

[Cosmo]

I am not so sure about Miami, since neither U nor UA has any real presence there. I think that SA will add ORD and maybe in the future LAX (with a stopover) to its network.

When it enters the Star Alliance, SAA will keep its JFK operation (for the local NYC traffic) but drop its ATL service and then start flights to IAD and possibly MIA. In addition to connections at United's IAD hub, the local O&D market from Washington to southern Africa, which could reasonably connect at JNB, is much larger than that from ORD. As for MIA, there is a large South African expatriot community there which might support 2 or 3 flights a week.

 

[JFK777]

In 1990 SAA started once weekly service to Miami from Capetown nonstop( 7700 miles). By the time Miami was changed to Atlanta the service was daily, a huge increase. The market existed with barely no feed to fill a 747-400 daily.

MIAMI is a good city for SAA for one reason. NONSTOP service from & to South Africa both ways. If service to say Washington-Dulles is offered then the route should be CPT-MIA-IAD-CPT or JNB. I know everyone will have to do customs in Miami, but for some passengers this may bring a better point for connections.
I feel ONEWORLD would have been better for SAA.

 

[whlinder]

All the press releases for this tout Blue1 as the Alliance's first "regional" member. They must not realize that US Airways was the first. 😀

 

[Just Plane Crazy]

In 1990 SAA started once weekly service to Miami from Capetown nonstop( 7700 miles). By the time Miami was changed to Atlanta the service was daily, a huge increase. The market existed with barely no feed to fill a 747-400 daily.

MIAMI is a good city for SAA for one reason. NONSTOP service from & to South Africa both ways. If service to say Washington-Dulles is offered then the route should be CPT-MIA-IAD-CPT or JNB. I know everyone will have to do customs in Miami, but for some passengers this may bring a better point for connections.
I feel ONEWORLD would have been better for SAA.

SAA has a very long and deep relationship to LH. LH and SA are code sharing for at least +15 years. LH is most of the heavy maintenance for SA in the 90’s. It was only a matter of time for SA to join. SA tried to work together in the US with AA (OneWorld) and DL (SkyTeam) and LH was not too happy about it.

IMHO I don’t think that SA would be better off with OneWorld. They have a better network with STAR. Non-Stop’s to and from South Africa and to connect. In Europe they can connect with LH, SK, AU, TP, LO, KF, BM, JK, in the Americas they can connect to VG, US, UA, AC and in Asia/Pacific they can connect with SQ, TG, NH, OZ, AZ,

And in the future, why not have UA or US serve CPT nonstop from the US?

 

[JFK777]

ONEWORLD would be good for SAA for one primary reason: SOUTH AFRICA's ties to the English world and its present route system. SAA flies to HKG, Sydney and Perth in Australia, LHR & the USA. All these destination are destinations with strong ONEWORLD airlines based in each country.

SAA ties with LH are strong too, Star provides good alliance partners in Asia( SIA, it doesn't get any better) but replaces a mediocre at best DL arrangement for an unknown arrangement with UA or US. UA & US have so many problems they can only help in limited ways. Maybe SAA can presuade UA to use some of their "surplus" 744's for new service to South Africa. IF SAA flew two routes to the USA and UA had a third that would be progress. JFK , IAD & MIA woould make a great trio. I'm looking forward for the airline that inherited "Pan AM's" mantle to going to Jo'berg again as Pan Am once did.