Saudi Arabian Airlines to join Skyteam?
 

Came across this article today and was surprised to see what was written: http://arabnews.com/economy/article215610.ece

Any opinions on how Saudia will positively impact ST?

Positively impact? That's a tough one. For sure AF's sommeliers have nothing to fear from SV.

Ugh, can we please go back to the fat chicks? at least they don't wear burkas and stone women for being glanced at by men, while executing anyone who dares consume an AB (and I don't even drink).

why would ST would want them to join.

I hate everything about that KINGDOM, and I would not give them any business anyway.

PS, Is this April yet ?

This is one addition to SkyTeam that won't encourage me to use SkyTeam more, although maybe Saudia will end up with a more generous "loyalty" program than what the current SkyTeam lynchpins of DL-AF-KL offer. As much as I can help it, I won't be transiting RUH on this airline.

Why is everyone so opposed to this?

After all, business is business, any personal subjetive preconceptions are typically left out in business. And, when has having an additional airline with more routes available (esp. for award flights) hurt anyone?

ST still has ways to go, and if it keeps on the recent trend of adding some ~2 new airlines a year, it can leapfrog ahead of OW (well, it already is) and *A. And, then all ST airline members, such as DL SM members, ultimately benefit. (Unless, of course, it results in higher fixed pricing through JVs...which also could be the case.)

Now personally, Qatar Airways would have been a nicer match (really great airline, great Y product with lots of amenties, free 4/5* hotel with transportation back and forth, food, etc. provided for optional ~20 hour vs ~4 hour as was scheduled, that was changed to for free as well (free change to discount Y tickets, at least by the agents at KTM)). Now that's the way to fly! The best value I ever got, flying in discount price Y from LHR to KTM via DOH. The Sofitel with the included meals alone would have cost almost as much as much as the RT flight tickets. But, it looks like Qatar Airways is already on the way to likely joint *A in the future. So, DL has to take second bests not yet claimed by *A, such as Saudi Airlines.

While it doesn't help the JFK-ORD mileage runner and as objectionable as some aspects of Saudi society might be, it is a benefit to ST:

- it is one of the main presences in a region where the other majors like Emirates and Etihad have said they will stay out of the 3 alliances;
- it is a wealthy airline in a growth travel market
- it doesn't hurt ST business with oil companies when for example I think it is Shell that has a global exclusive contract with ST.

Protection Racket?
 

If Saudia joins the ST, will the head sheikhs there call off the Wahabist goofballs who want to engage in suicide bombing on Saudia's ST partners?

I know that Saudia flys out of IAD; scary, scary country and scary, scary outfit to be in business with.

Fortunately, the ST includes Korean Air, otherwise, the brain trust running the ST might be in the running to court Air Koryo.

Gotta say I agree^

If they join SkyTeam, those not interested in flying the carrier need not do so. To have a beef with SkyTeam or DL simply for having Saudia in the alliance is a bit much as far as I'm concerned.

This isn't the omni folks :cool:

The Europe-South Asia and the North America-South Asia markets are both very large and both VERY under served by SkyTeam.

Saudi Arabian airlines will help.

Right now, assuming the price is about the same...would my relatives in North America ever choose Saudi Arabian over Emirates, Etihad, or Qatar? NO!

BUT would they choose it if they could get SkyMiles? Perhaps...

Right now some choose Turkish to be able to get *A miles... My own mother often flies Emirates because she would get Continental miles...I haven't the heart to tell her that CO and Emirates have ended their agreement...

Doesn't Europe-South Asia have more SkyTeam service than it does Oneworld service, what with AF, KL, SU and AZ serving that market? Doesn't Saudi Arabia's flag carrier serve more cities in South Asia than all of the current European SkyTeam carriers combined?


As the US lost control of Saddam Hussein and his opponents in the form of Team Osama bin Laden & Co, so the Saudi royals and their hanger-ons have lost control of Team OBL & Co too.

How exciting! I wonder if they will code share on JFK/ATL-TLV?

it greatly disturbs me to see the flag carrier of a nation that sponsors flagrant human rights abuses and has murky governmental connections to terrorist organization is seriously being considered by Delta and their SkyTeam Partners. I hope Delta is strongly resisting this new "direction" from Paris.

For the "If you don't like them, don't fly them" crowd - Keep in mind that Delta Air Lines will have to invest in infrastructure to support the addition of Saudia, as well as SkyTeam marketing costs, etc. While a small amount, your trips on ASA between SYR and LUB could end up being used to fund the export of Saudi extremism and anti-American views around the world.

And I wonder if they'll be marketing a "72 Virgins" one-way holiday package so single men on that route?

Then by the same "logic," Saudia may think, if it joins ST, will US invade their country based on a fictitious claim of "WMD" (really only, of course, wanting to get to its oil)? Just ridiculous...:rolleyes: (And as if US hasn't done more than its fair share of human rights abuses - just "not on US soil," so then it "doesn't count" and can be all forgotten about and ignored. :rolleyes:)

The world does not work in a way where one party is somehow given "a God given right" to impose its views and way of life (which is subjective and a matter of choice) on others.

And as for Air Koryo, why not? It doesn't add a great route network, but still, then when flying to North Korea, one can earn SkyMiles the whole way and can buy it as one ticket, vs. flying to PEK or VVO and then fly on Air Koryo on a separate ticket (or, get it all as award ticket, vs. part award and part pay). Sure, 99.9% of SkyTeam pax may not do so, but for the 0.1% that does, it'll be a great benefit.
But, of course realistically, this is not going to happen..

ST still has ways to go if it wants to get up to par, and ultimately beat, *A, and it can only do so if it is run as a business, not as an ideological outfit that is in the business of "exporting freedom (i.e., war)." No real business can survive with that goal (well, other than Halliburton and such US defense contractors).

Some other airlines would be nice to see added to ST soon:

* MH as a full fledged member. Likely to come, but keeps getting delayed. Will help obviously with the route network in and around SE Asia, Australia, form Asia to Africa, South America, etc. (Far greater network than the only SE Asia ST member VN.)

* HY. Announced and is to come, just not sure when. HY is working closely with KE and being sponsored by KE. Will add ST presence in Central Asia (with access from US/JFK, EU, and Asia), where currently it has zilch. (A fairly decent route network, though few and far inbetween flights and few dailies, but stil better than nothing. Also more connecting flight options from Asia to Europe.)

* Heh, even a small airline like MIAT Mongolian Airways wouldn't hurt. Now access to ULN is hard on award tickets, really only via KE (few times weekly works out connections wise), but apparently difficulties in ticketing it. Airlines like this have much less broad appeal, but still for the ~0.1% of ST members that fly on their routes, help. And, every little bit helps.

* ST now has no presence in Northern Europe, it's all divvied up to *A and OW. Adding BT as an ST member in EU would help immensely on that and bring aboard a number of Northern EU residents into SkyTeam, adding far more direct routing from Northern Europe to Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia than SkyTeam currently offers (it adds a few hours backtracking to AMS or CDG), and of course the underserved Western/Northern Europe <-> Central Asia routing, BT's current strong point, as well as the other permutations (various small airports in, say, Finland to anywhere in EU, Central Asia, Middle East, North Africa, for example). And, add a lot of unserved destinatons by ST to ST (cities with funky names like Lappeenranta, Kittilä, Ålesund, etc.), while from the few airports that are actually served by ST in Northern EU, much faster routes ___ - RIX - say, AMN, TLV, IST, DUB, SSH, ALA, TAS, etc. than backtracking to CDG, AMS or FCO on ST.

* WJ in Canada...but too late for that, so ST will leave Canada just up to *A and OW now.

* Something more than just Kenya Airlines in Africa (though with Saudia joining SkyTeam, that helps for getting to, just not for getting around within, Africa).

* And definitely something more than just Aerolignas Argentina in South America.

ST still has ways to go. Bringing a new airline into the alliance should be always applauded. After all, each individual has freedom of choice - if you don't want to fly an airline, then don't (then all the more award seats on that new airline for the rest of us...e.g. while some may choose to overpay mid or high mileage level in BE to JNB on DL from ATL, I and I am sure others would fly on Saudia instead if there is low availability via RUH).