How can you use your airline alliances to get ahead?

1 Choose the right alliance

There are three major global airline alliances: Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and Oneworld. Each one has its own strengths, weaknesses, and membership criteria. Depending on your airline's size, market, and goals, you may find one alliance more suitable than the others. For example, if you are a small or regional airline that wants to access new markets and customers, you may prefer an alliance that has a strong presence and network in those regions. If you are a large or global airline that wants to increase your efficiency and profitability, you may prefer an alliance that has a high level of integration and coordination among its members.

2 Leverage your alliance's brand

One of the main benefits of joining an alliance is that you can leverage its brand recognition and reputation to attract and retain customers. Your alliance's brand can signal quality, reliability, and value to potential and existing passengers, especially in markets where you have low or no presence. To make the most of this benefit, you should align your marketing and communication strategies with your alliance's standards and guidelines, and highlight your alliance's logo and name on your website, tickets, aircraft, and lounges. You should also participate in your alliance's frequent flyer program and offer consistent and seamless service across all member airlines.

3 Collaborate with your alliance partners

Another benefit of joining an alliance is that you can collaborate with your alliance partners on various aspects of your operations, such as network planning, revenue management, cost reduction, and innovation. By collaborating with your partners, you can optimize your routes and schedules, share your resources and assets, access new technologies and best practices, and create synergies and economies of scale. However, collaboration also requires trust, transparency, and compromise among the partners, as well as compliance with the alliance's rules and regulations. You should therefore establish clear and frequent communication channels with your partners, and respect their interests and needs.

4 Monitor your alliance's performance

Finally, to use your alliance to get ahead, you need to monitor its performance and evaluate its impact on your airline's performance. You should track and measure key indicators such as passenger traffic, revenue, market share, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency. You should also compare your performance with that of your partners and competitors, and identify areas of improvement and opportunity. You should also be aware of the challenges and risks that your alliance may face, such as regulatory changes, market fluctuations, or partner conflicts, and be prepared to adapt and respond accordingly.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?