Brussels Airlines to join Star Alliance

At their annual Board Meeting, the CEO's of the Star Alliance members airlines have today voted to accept the application of Brussels Airlines to become a future member of the alliance.

Chicago, Illinois – December 11th, 2008 – At their annual Board Meeting, the CEO’s of the
Star Alliance member airlines have today voted to accept the application of Brussels Airlines to
become a future member of the alliance.


Brussels Airlines is the Belgian airline offering the widest choice of flights to and from the
“capital” of Europe. With a fleet of 45 aircraft the airline operates some 300 daily flights to 55
European airports and also serves 16 African destinations.


Glenn Tilton, Chairman, President and CEO of United, in his role as chairman of the meeting
said “Brussels Airlines further strengthens the Star Alliance by offering greater connectivity
throughout Europe and Africa to better serve the international travel needs of all our customers.”


Bernard Gustin, Managing Director of Brussels Airlines, said: “We are very happy with this
invitation from Star Alliance and we look forward to becoming members. Together we will be
able to bring all the advantages of Star Alliance to our customers, at the heart of Europe where
we have our state-of-the-art hub, serving both European and long-haul destinations with
excellence.


For the upcoming integration in Star Alliance, Brussels Airlines will be assisted by its sponsor
Lufthansa. Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche
Lufthansa AG
, said : “Brussels Airlines is known for its reliability and brings into the alliance a
trusted product. The leading Belgian carrier will significantly increase the presence of Star
Alliance at Brussels Airport and will offer the easiest access to a couple of African destinations
new to the network.”


Through its membership in Star Alliance, Brussels Airlines will be able to offer its passengers a
variety of benefits. On the network side for instance, the airline will be able to offer its
passengers seamless travel across the Star Alliance network which will expand to cover 1,074
destinations in 174 countries
*.

Frequent Flyers inscribed in the Brussels Airlines Privilege programme will be able to collect
and redeem miles on all other Star Alliance member carriers.
In order to provide all the alliance benefits, the specialised teams at Brussels Airlines, Star
Alliance and its member carriers will now be working on the integration process, which once
completed, will make Brussels Airlines a part of the Star Alliance network, currently consisting of
21 members.

About Brussels Airlines:


Brussels Airlines is the Belgian airline that offers the widest choice of flights to and from its base in Brussels Airport. The group’s 3000 employees and 45 aircraft operate some 300 punctual flights daily, connecting the Capital of Europe to some 70 premium European and African airports.

On its European routes, operated with AVRO, Airbus A319 and Boeing 737, Brussels Airlines offers the choice of an ultra-flexible product, which offers timesaving and comfort at reasonable prices: b.flex economy +, and a low prices product: b.light economy. On medium- and long-haul flights, the airline operates traditional business or economy class. Long-haul flights to Africa are operated with Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
Brussels Airlines is owned by SN Airholding and is backed up by more than 80 years of aviation experience in Belgium. On 15 September 2008, Lufthansa Group announced an equity investment in the Belgian airline. Subject to EU approval, Lufthansa acquires 45 % of the SN Airholding shares.

 

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 and 2007. 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. Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 16,500 daily flights to 912 destinations in 159 countries.

*Note: Figures based on current Star Alliance network + future members Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental and TAM.

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About Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines is the home carrier of Belgium and one of the four network airlines of the Lufthansa Group. It connects the European capital from Brussels Airport with over 90 destinations, 18 of which are in Sub Saharan Africa. The company employs more than 3,500 people and operates 44 aircraft.

Brussels Airlines aims to emit 50% less CO2 by 2030 compared to 2019 and plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. The airline is participating in the Stargate Project led by Brussels Airport and is therefore part of the testing ground for sustainable aviation at its home base. In addition, the airline signed the Circular Economy agreement of the Antwerp Management School in 2021. The airline was the first to transport Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through the CEPS-pipeline connecting Brussels Airport early 2023. By end 2024, Brussels Airlines will have welcomed five state-of-the-art Airbus A320neo allowing the airline to significantly lower its CO2- and noise-emissions on its medium-haul network.

As an ambassador of its country, Brussels Airlines brings the world to Belgium and the best of Belgium to the world, among others through collaborations with Belgian Star Chefs, Belgian culinary products and the Belgian Icons, specially painted aircraft that honour a Belgian iconic person, team or event to promote Belgian culture worldwide.

More information on brusselsairlines.com 


About Star Alliance

Established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, the Star Alliance network was founded on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition, and seamless service. Since its inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a strong emphasis on enhancing the customer experience throughout the entire Alliance journey.

Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 17,500 daily flights to over 1,150 airports in almost 190 countries.

Star Alliance Press Office: +65 8729 6691; mediarelations@staralliance.com
More information on staralliance.com

Contact

b.house Zone General Aviation - Airport Building 26 1831 Diegem

+32 2 723 89 90

press@brusselsairlines.com

www.brusselsairlines.com