ITRADE
Apr 16, 03, 1:08 pm
US Airways joins Star Alliance
16 April 2003
FRANKFURT - US Airways, the seventh-largest American airline, is to join the Star Alliance code-sharing consortium, according to published remarks Wednesday by Lufthansa's future chief executive, Wolfgang Mayrhuber.
He told the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the 16 existing members of the alliance were likely to vote at a May 30 meeting in New York on admitting US Airways. Another US airline, United, is already in the grouping.
"We can well imagine US Airways in the Star Alliance," said an airline spokeswoman cautiously, when approached for comment on Wednesday. "It's entirely possible that the topic will be discussed at the May 30 meeting. But no decision has been taken yet."
Mayrhuber told the newspaper he saw no problem in the alliance having two U.S. members because they had different regional focuses.
"This would extend the network and improve the Star Alliance coverage of the United States," the spokeswoman said.
US Airways, which is dominant in the eastern United States, ended two weeks ago a period where it was under protection from creditors.
Last August it became the first US airline to open insolvency proceedings in the slump following the September 11 terror attacks. United, the world's second-largest airline, is still operating under protection.
DPA
16 April 2003
FRANKFURT - US Airways, the seventh-largest American airline, is to join the Star Alliance code-sharing consortium, according to published remarks Wednesday by Lufthansa's future chief executive, Wolfgang Mayrhuber.
He told the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the 16 existing members of the alliance were likely to vote at a May 30 meeting in New York on admitting US Airways. Another US airline, United, is already in the grouping.
"We can well imagine US Airways in the Star Alliance," said an airline spokeswoman cautiously, when approached for comment on Wednesday. "It's entirely possible that the topic will be discussed at the May 30 meeting. But no decision has been taken yet."
Mayrhuber told the newspaper he saw no problem in the alliance having two U.S. members because they had different regional focuses.
"This would extend the network and improve the Star Alliance coverage of the United States," the spokeswoman said.
US Airways, which is dominant in the eastern United States, ended two weeks ago a period where it was under protection from creditors.
Last August it became the first US airline to open insolvency proceedings in the slump following the September 11 terror attacks. United, the world's second-largest airline, is still operating under protection.
DPA