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On June 22, 1999, Air France and Delta Air Lines signed an exclusive long-term strategic agreement that laid the foundations for a major global alliance.
On June 22, 2000, the CEOs of Aeroméxico, Air France, Delta Air Lines, and Korean Air met in New York to announce the formation of SkyTeamTM, the first global airline alliance created around the customer. At this time, the alliance offered passengers 6,402 daily flights to 451 destinations in 98 countries, including more non-stop destinations between the U.S. and Europe than any other airline grouping.
SkyTeam launched its first global branding campaign on June 23 across Europe, the United States, Latin America and Asia. Created by EuroRSCG/BETC, the campaign featured the tagline, "Caring More About You," and introduced air travelers to an alliance dedicated to providing a consistent level of performance, quality and detailed attention to customer service.
In September, SkyTeam extended its focus to cargo services and announced the creation of the world's largest airline cargo alliance, SkyTeam CargoTM. The partnership aligned Aeromexpress, Air France Cargo, Delta Air Logistics and Korean Air Cargo to provide shippers seamless cargo coordination and delivery throughout SkyTeam's global network.
In October, SkyTeam announced its intent to add CSA Czech Airlines to the alliance, increasing the number of members to five and adding 21 destinations in 14 countries to the SkyTeam network. CSA Czech Airlines was slated to become an official member in early 2001, following a system evaluation and integration process. CSA Czech Airlines enabled SkyTeam and SkyTeam Cargo to offer customers an additional European stronghold with increased access to travel and shipping destinations in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe.
As an added customer benefit, SkyTeam announced in October that all SkyTeam flights throughout the alliance's extensive worldwide route system would be smoke free.
In March, SkyTeam opened Korean Air's new hub at Incheon International Airport in Seoul, providing passengers with unequaled access to Asia and the world and further advancing the alliance's growth potential within its hub network.
Also in March, CSA Czech Airlines was officially welcomed as SkyTeam's fifth member.
On July 27, Alitalia joined the alliance. With Alitalia, SkyTeam passengers gained access to 869 additional daily flights to 21 new destinations in six additional countries served by Alitalia's fleet of 166 modern aircraft.
On August 15, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines and Delta filed a joint application for antitrust immunity with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to allow the four carriers to expand their current marketing agreements and develop a coordinated approach to sales and marketing programs.
In November, SkyTeam Cargo members Air France, Delta and Korean Air launched the U.S. Cargo Sales Joint Venture to provide a centralized source for booking and service, with 14 branches in locations throughout the United States including regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
On January 17, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) approved the European and U.S. members' application for trans-Atlantic antitrust immunity (ATI).
On March 14, SkyTeam's Asian and U.S. members, Korean Air, Delta Air Lines and European SkyTeam members jointly filed an application for trans-Pacific antitrust immunity.
On April 10, SkyTeam announced a marketing agreement with Coca-Cola, the first of its kind directly between a global airline alliance and a beverage company. The SkyTeam-Coke partnership is supported by individual beverage agreements between SkyTeam's member airlines (Aeroméxico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air) and their local Coca-Cola bottlers.
On April 11, SkyTeam launched its "Caring Hands" advertising campaign with print placements appearing in business and consumer print publications around the globe daily and major business publications in SkyTeam's key markets.
June 22 marked the alliance's second anniversary. The alliance celebrated significant network growth in its first two years, increasing from:
- 4 to 6 members
- 451 to 512 destinations
- 98 to 114 countries
- 176.3 to 228 million passengers each year
- 6,400 to 8,000 daily flights
With the U.S. Department of Transportation's approval on June 28, SkyTeam became the first global airline alliance with ATI for routes across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
In July, SkyTeam opened a joint airport ticket facility at Venice Marco Polo Airport - then the newest of approximately 50 additional airport, lounge and city ticket office co-locations opened throughout the alliance's global network. The joint office allows all passengers traveling through the airport with any SkyTeam member airline to be served from one location.
In August, the alliance launched the SkyTeam Europe Pass specifically geared to accommodate leisure travelers visiting European destinations. This customizable ticketing option brings a new level of convenience to SkyTeam passengers visiting multiple destinations within the continent. The SkyTeam Europe Pass provides ease and speed with air travel, discounted prices and the ability to earn additional frequent flyer miles on each leg they fly.
In November, SkyTeam was named to Global Finance magazine's fifth annual ranking of the "Best Global Companies," marking the first time in the magazine's history that its editorial board awarded the title in the "Airlines" category to an airline alliance.
On January 23, SkyTeam announced plans to introduce an Associate Program, opening a second tier of membership to select carriers that meet specific operational and service standards while that extending the alliance's network.
The alliance opened a joint ticket facility at Brussels National Airport on June 10 to better serve SkyTeam customers.
In conjunction with its third anniversary, SkyTeam celebrated two important milestones in June. The alliance's Web site (www.skyteam.com) was upgraded to include additional travel resources, and a new "SkyTeam" terminal opened at Paris' Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport.
On September 30, SkyTeam's Governing Board welcomed KLM's decision to apply for SkyTeam membership, in the scope of a project announced by Air France and KLM to create a new leading European airline group through a share exchange between both airlines.
On January 29, SkyTeam welcomed Aeroflot's bid for membership in the alliance, pending approval from the Russian government and the fulfillment of the SkyTeam quality standards.
On February 12, the European Commission and U.S Department of Justice approved the Air France - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines intended merger. With the merger, KLM and Air France will form the first pan-European airline grouping, leading to KLM entering SkyTeam.
SkyTeam, in Aprilopened a joint sales office and joint check-in desks at Stuttgart Echterdingen Airport's new Terminal 3. SkyTeam members Alitalia, Air France and Delta Air Lines share Stuttgart facilities.
On May 4, Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced the success of the Exchange Offer for KLM common shares by Air France. It was also announced that KLM, along with Continental and Northwest, would be joining SkyTeam in September 2004.
On May 24, SkyTeam signed an agreement with Aeroflot as preliminary step in the new member process. The agreement outlines Aeroflot's intentions to undertake exclusive discussions to become a part of SkyTeam, pending fulfillment of the alliance's joining requirements.
In July, SkyTeam launched an America Pass specifically geared to accommodate leisure travelers visiting North American and Caribbean destinations. This customizable ticketing option brings a new level of convenience to SkyTeam passengers visiting multiple destinations within the region. The SkyTeam America Pass provides ease and speed with air travel, discounted prices and the ability to earn additional frequent flyer miles on each leg they fly.
On August 28, SkyTeam signed an agreement with China Southern as preliminary step in the new member process. The agreement outlines China Southern's intentions to undertake exclusive discussions to become a part of SkyTeam, pending fulfillment of the alliance's joining requirements.
Continental Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Northwest Airlines became full members of the SkyTeam alliance on September 13. Together, the nine-member alliance serves 341 million passengers with 14,320 daily departures to 658 global destinations in more than 130 countries.
On September 15, customers started realizing the benefits of the nine-member alliance.
SkyTeam opened a new co-located facility at Mexico City International Airport (MEX) on February 17 with more room, an enhanced flight information display system and expanded passenger drop-off area.
On April 15, SkyTeam expanded the Round the World fare and Europe Pass offerings to include the route networks of Continental Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Northwest Airlines.
SkyTeam Cargo was recognized as "Best Air Freight Alliance" at the 2005 Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards (AFSCA) ceremony on April 27.
On May 15, Continental Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Northwest Airlines joined the other SkyTeam carriers in offering the America Pass fare.
SkyTeam announced details regarding the Associate Program at the Governing Board meeting held June 9 in Amsterdam. The first carriers selected to take part in the joining process included Air Europa, Copa, Kenya Airways and Tarom.
On October 15, SkyTeam launched the Asia Pass fare specifically geared to accommodate travelers visiting destinations in Asia and the Pacific region, providing passengers discounts and the ability to earn additional frequent flyer miles on each leg they fly.
Northwest Airlines joined the award-winning SkyTeam Cargo alliance on October 20, bringing the cargo alliance membership to eight carriers.
On October 25, Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands became the first company to sign on as a client of SkyTeam's global corporate contract offering, providing the company worldwide access and customized travel solutions through a single agreement with the alliance.
SkyTeam announced a fifth Associate Airline candidate, Middle East Airlines, on January 16.
On January 17, SkyTeam was announced 2005 Best Airline Alliance by Global Traveler magazine, based on the results of an annual readers survey.
Aeroflot officially joined as the alliance’s tenth member on April 14. With the addition of Aeroflot, SkyTeam’s network now offers 373 million passengers nearly 15,000 daily flights to more than 728 destinations worldwide.
On April 25, SkyTeam announced the launch of SkyTeam Global Meetings, a new product designed to streamline the process of arranging travel for large-scale international meetings. With SkyTeam Global Meetings, event organizers are able to coordinate all air travel needs across ten member airlines via one single point of contact, while attendees can receive attractive or discounted airfares and still accrue frequent flyer miles on all SkyTeam carriers.
Also on June 2, SkyTeam announced it will be the official alliance of the 2007 Paris Air Show, after signing International Paris Air Show Le Bourget as the first SkyTeam Global Meetings customer. SkyTeam will provide the event organizers with a streamlined process for arranging travel for the show’s attendees and exhibitors.
Additionally in June, nine SkyTeam carriers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with British Airport Authority (BAA) to co-locate their facilities in Terminal 4 at London Heathrow International Airport (LHR) providing easier connections and more convenience to the nearly 3.5 million SkyTeam passengers who travel through LHR each year. According to the agreement, by 2008 carriers with existing LHR service, including Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Czech Airlines and Korean Air, will join KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which currently serves its passengers in this terminal.
On June 28, China Southern Airlines signed a Global Airline Alliance Agreement (GAAAA) with SkyTeam in Guangzhou. The agreement was a formal step in the alliance’s new member process and indicated that the Chinese carrier was on track for official alliance membership.
In October, four SkyTeam carriers serving Brazil announced the co-location of their services at Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport (GRU). Aeroméxico, Air France, Alitalia and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are operating out of the new facility, located in Terminal 1 Wing A of GRU. The facility is the first SkyTeam-centric co-location network-wide that features participating carriers equally.
For the second consecutive year, SkyTeam was named the 2006 Best Airline Alliance by Global Traveler Magazine on January 23.
On February 2, SkyTeam signed agreements with Air Europa, Copa Airlines and Kenya Airways, indicating the carriers are on track for official Associate Airline status. The agreements are a formal step in the alliance's Associate process and outline the carriers' commitment to meet the standards to be recognized as official Associate Airlines.
On June 4, SkyTeam named Leo van Wijk as its first chairman of the alliance. The announcement was made during SkyTeam's Governing Board meeting in Vancouver.
On September 4, SkyTeam announced the first three members of its Associate Program, Air Europa, Copa Airlines and Kenya Airways. Passengers traveling with the three carriers now receive full SkyTeam benefits, including earning and redeeming miles on flights and airport lounge access.
On November 15, China Southern Airlines became the 11th full member of SkyTeam, making the alliance the first to welcome a carrier from mainland China. With the addition of China Southern Airlines, SkyTeam now serves approximately 428 million annual passengers through a worldwide system of 16,400 daily flights covering 841 destinations in 162 countries
In January, Aeroméxico, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and SkyTeam Associate Copa Airlines announced their co-location at Terminal 2 in Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX)
In February, SkyTeam announced plan to co-locate at London Heathrow International Airport (LHR) and create the first SkyTeam branded lounge.
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