SAS to add 28 destinations in Greece

The Chief Executive Board of Star Alliance, of which SAS Scandinavian Airlines is a founding member, has accepted the membership application of Aegean Airlines, the largest airline in Greece. This means SAS soon can offer its customers 28 new destinations in Greece. SAS currently operates 10 flights a week from both Copenhagen and Stockholm, which will connect smoothly to Aegean’s wide network. Aegean’s destinations include the islands of Corfu, Kefalonia, Kos, Mykonos, Rhodes and Santorini, amongst others.

Aegean Airlines has operated for 10 years and operates a fleet of 31 aircraft covering a total of 47 domestic and international routes on 200 daily flights. Specifically 23 routes in Greece are covered, as well as a further 24 international routes. In 2008, Aegean became the largest Greek airline in terms of passenger numbers.

It is estimated to take around 12 months for Aegean Airlines to integrate into Star Alliance. Once this process is complete, the Star Alliance network will encompass a total of 26 carriers (current 21 and confirmed future members Aegean Airlines, Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines and TAM) and three regional member carriers (Adria Airways, Blue1 and Croatia Airlines), offer a choice of more than 1,000 destinations in 176 countries being served by 21,000 daily flights.

About Star Alliance:
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach and a smooth travel experience. Star Alliance received the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award in 2008 and was voted Best Airline Alliance by Business Traveller Magazine in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and by Skytrax in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009.
The members are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Aegean Airlines, Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers 17,000 daily flights to 916 destinations in 160 countries.

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