SAS officially joins SkyTeam alliance

Scandinavian airline SAS has officially become the latest member of the SkyTeam alliance.

SAS joined SkyTeam on Sunday (1 September) after leaving the Star Alliance at the end of August. The move came just days after SAS finally exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US as part of its long-running financial restructuring process.

The Stockholm-based airline has made the switch to SkyTeam with existing alliance member Air France-KLM set to take an initial 19.9 per cent shareholding in SAS as part of the company’s restructure.

Anko van der Werff, president and CEO of SAS, promised that the airline’s customers would “experience a smooth transition to SkyTeam” following months of preparation for the switch.

“The partnership will open new opportunities for our passengers, expand our global network and allow us to collaborate closely with like-minded airlines,” added van der Werff.

SAS already has codeshare deals in place with Air France-KLM and similar arrangements with other SkyTeam members will “follow soon”.

Members of SAS’s EuroBonus loyalty scheme can now earn and redeem points with most SkyTeam airlines, while Gold and Diamond members will gain access to SkyPriority’s services and lounges around the world.

SkyTeam’s chairman Andres Conesa said: “We are happy to welcome SAS into the SkyTeam family, a customer-focused airline who shares our vision of delivering a seamless experience across the network.”