VS to join Star?

Old Jul 19, 2011, 4:49 pm
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VS to join Star?

VS (Virgin Atlantic) has a couple of Star partners including BMI, Continental, Singapore Air, south African Airways, ANA and Air New Zeland. Singapore Airlines actualy owns 49% of VS. What is the likelihood VS would formally join Star?
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Old Jul 19, 2011, 6:12 pm
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Originally Posted by BA_Jfan
VS (Virgin Atlantic) has a couple of Star partners including BMI, Continental, Singapore Air, south African Airways, ANA and Air New Zeland. Singapore Airlines actualy owns 49% of VS. What is the likelihood VS would formally join Star?
Er, about none. The bearded jumper (Branson) has shown no inclination to join *A or any alliance before despite wooing, so I wouldn't hold your breath. The fact that VS has partnerships with SAA, ANA etc has nothing to do with much of anything.
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Old Jul 23, 2011, 2:35 pm
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VS has engaged in talks about joining *A some years ago. I understand UA made it very clear that it would veto it (presumably out of fears that VS would cannibalise UA's premium business between the US and London).

It would only be in VS's interests to join *A now and it has shown recent interest in doing so. It simply suffers from not being able to take advantage of much transit traffic at its hub at LHR as a result. Of course VS now codeshares with UA because UA inherited the CO codeshares, so who knows what the UA view of it is now?
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Old Sep 20, 2011, 4:42 am
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According to this report, it looks like VS might be close to joing Star.

Virgin founder Richard Branson tells Forbes. There is likely to be an announcement of an alliance coming very soon
Branson declined to say which alliance Virgin would join, but it is unlikely to be OneWorld, the group that includes Virgin arch-competitor British Airways. That leaves Star Alliance, anchored by United Continental Holdings and Lufthansa, or SkyTeam, anchored by Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM, as possibilities. Of those two, Virgin Atlantics operations are more closely aligned with Star Alliance: the airline is 49% owned by Star Alliance carrier Singapore Airlines, has expressed interest in buying BMI from Lufthansa, and includes nine Star Alliance members among its partners.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonbrune...chard-branson/
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Old Sep 20, 2011, 7:46 pm
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Originally Posted by dj_jay_smith
According to this report, it looks like VS might be close to joing Star.





http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonbrune...chard-branson/
Wow, that would be awesome news if true! What's *G going to do with BD, though? VS so many more options out of LHR than BD! Can LH actually block its entrance given that it owns BD?

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Old Sep 20, 2011, 9:47 pm
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Originally Posted by LAX
Can LH actually block its entrance given that it owns BD?
Any of the five original members can veto any new members.
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Old Sep 20, 2011, 10:24 pm
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Question Well...

This should make for interesting speculation!!!
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Old Sep 21, 2011, 12:21 am
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
Any of the five original members can veto any new members.
Just found out that VS is interested in taking BD off LH's hands, so I guess that won't be an issue!

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Old Sep 21, 2011, 1:10 am
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
Any of the five original members can veto any new members.

I have been told before that new members have to unanimously approved, if that is correct then any member can (in theory) veto a new member.

Of course you would have to be pretty brave as a minor player in the alliance to veto someone who the big boys all wanted on board.
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Old Sep 25, 2011, 6:48 am
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
Any of the five original members can veto any new members.
Shouldn't that be the six ? The five original members (UA, LH, AC, SK and TG) plus SQ ? I believe SQ joined later and demanded "founder rights"...
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Old Sep 25, 2011, 6:51 am
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Originally Posted by LAX
Wow, that would be awesome news if true! What's *G going to do with BD, though? VS so many more options out of LHR than BD! Can LH actually block its entrance given that it owns BD?
LH bought BD whilst already in *A. It is still unknown what LH will do with BD, but it might come to an agreement with VS, who knows...

I do see that VS could turn BD into a great feeder into their LHR operation. Would love to see a *A AMS-LON flight resume as well. It helped me out in irrops once before...
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Old Sep 25, 2011, 7:19 am
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Originally Posted by jupper
Shouldn't that be the six ? The five original members (UA, LH, AC, SK and TG) plus SQ ? I believe SQ joined later and demanded "founder rights"...
I once heard NZ announce themselves as the 6th Star on the alliance network. After all NZ is the longest standing member after the 5 founders. And NZ CEO Rob Fyfe is Star Alliance Chairman.
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Old Sep 26, 2011, 10:21 pm
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<not relevant. deleted.>

Last edited by mahasamatman; Sep 26, 2011 at 10:26 pm
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