Russia's S7 Airlines to Join oneworld Alliance

S7 is Russia's leading airline in terms of domestic passenger carryings, customer service quality and innovation, and which serves 72 destinations worldwide. Their addition to the alliance will add 54 cities to the oneworld map - 35 of them in Russia, and bring eight countries onto the alliance's network - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. With oneworld the only alliance with member airlines based on every continent, S7 will expand the alliance's network to nearly 750 destinations in almost 150 countries, served by a combined fleet of 2,300 aircraft operating almost 8,500 flights a day, carrying more than 330 million passengers a year.

S7 also prides itself as being the first carrier in Russia to convert to an all Western-built Airbus and Boeing fleet and the first to adopt full electronic ticketing and on-line reservations and sales.

While it begins its 18-month alliance implementation programme with the support of British Airways as its oneworld sponsor, it will take its first step by adding its network to the Global Explorer round-the-world fare offered by all oneworld member airlines and selected carriers that are not part of the alliance, from 01-Jun-2009.           

In the course of its implementation, S7 will adapt key internal processes into line with oneworld requirements,link its IT systems to those of its oneworld partners and carry out an extensive employee training and communications programmes to ensure that S7 employees worldwide are ready to provide oneworld's hallmark customer services and benefits from day one.

An exact date will be confirmed for it to join during 2010, once all its pre-joining requirements are sufficiently progressed.

 Chief Executive of JAL Haruka Nishimatsu, announced S7's entry into oneworld: "JAL is very happy to welcome onboard another quality airline to the oneworld family of which we have been a part of since 2007. JAL currently offers three weekly flights between Tokyo Narita and Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport, the main hub for S7 who have existing bilateral links with us and many of our partner airlines such as American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, and Royal Jordanian. With its extensive domestic network in Russia, I am looking forward to a strengthened oneworld alliance and together with all member airlines, to offering our customers unwavering commitment to safety and enhanced customer service through quality standards and an expanded network."

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch stated "S7 fills one of oneworld's few remaining membership ‘white spaces' with a carrier that matches our alliance's demanding quality requirements.  It will expand oneworld's presence substantially in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, while enabling S7 to offer its customers a truly global network on quality partners.  We are delighted to welcome them to the oneworld alliance."  

S7 Chief Executive Vladimir Obyedkov  explained  "S7 Airlines is delighted to be joining the world's leading quality global airline alliance.   Becoming part of oneworld is one of the most significant steps in S7's history.   It will enable us to offer our customers a truly global network served by partners who include some of the best known and most admired airlines in the world, while our frequent flyers will have more opportunities to earn and redeem mileage rewards and enjoy all their other benefits.  It will also strengthen us financially, through revenues from passengers transferring to our network from our oneworld partners and the cost reduction opportunities the alliance offers."


(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 27-May-09