Star Alliance Introduces Enhanced Asia Airpass

Fare Products Streamlined

MONTREAL, Feb. 19, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Star Alliance is launching an enhanced Asia Airpass for travel across the Asian continent, which in addition to the 15 countries and territories already offered, now includes Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Its scope has further been extended to include all Star Alliance destinations in Japan and additional flights to India. Airpasses can be purchased in conjunction with any international return ticket for travel into the area on a Star Alliance member airline.

The announcement comes as Air Canada is making it easier than ever to fly to Asia.   Air Canada has announced it is increasing service to Asia this summer with up to 11 non-stop flights per day from Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary to its Asian gateways: Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul.  Highlights of Air Canada's Asia schedule include an increase of Calgary-Tokyo non-stop flights to daily service (May 1), the launch of new non-stop flights between Toronto and Seoul (June 1), and an increase in flights from Toronto and Vancouver to Beijing to up to 10 and 11 per week, respectively (June 1).

"The new Asia Airpass, with its extended routing possibilities, reflects the growing desire for travellers to explore the full Asian continent on an Airpass journey, a need which was not fully met in the past," said Horst Findeisen, Vice President Commercial and Business Development at Star Alliance.

The Asia Airpass is valid for a minimum of three flights and a maximum of 10, with a choice of over 235 destinations. Further countries that may be visited on an Asia Airpass trip are Cambodia, China including Hong Kong SAR , Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

The enhancement of the Asian Airpass form part of a wider streamlining of the Star Alliance fare products. The revised portfolio offers the following seven fare products:

Africa Airpass
Asia Airpass
China Airpass
Europe Airpass
North America Airpass
Circle Pacific Fare
Round the World Fare

"These fares allow customers to maximise their travel opportunities on Star Alliance member airlines and demonstrate the value of a strong collective regional network", commented Findeisen.

Similar products are available from our member airlines' which can be booked by Star Alliance customers looking for regional travel. For example. ANA offers a Japan Airpass, TAM Airlines offers a Brazil Airpass, Thai has a Thailand Airpass and United offers a Micronesia Airpass.

Airpass
A Star Alliance airpass allows customers to travel across a geographic region making use of flights offered by the various Star Alliance member airlines. The fares are calculated on a per coupon basis and offer better value for money than buying individual airline tickets.

Circle Fare
The Circle Pacific Fare is designed to facilitate travel between destinations across the Pacific Rim using various Star Alliance member carriers. Customers select the destinations offered to create a personalised circular itinerary. The fare is calculated by the total distance travelled and cabin class, whereby passengers have the choice of purchasing First, Business or Economy Class. Travel needs to begin and end in the same country.

Round the World Fare
In addition, Star Alliance will continue to offer its popular Round the World Fare, which enables customers to make use of the entire Star Alliance network to travel around the globe. Compared to single point-to-point tickets the fare is attractively priced, with levels set according to distance and class of travel. Customers can choose between three mileage levels 29,000, 34,000 or 39,000 miles. The fare is available for travel in First, Business or Economy Class. Tickets are valid for one year and permit anywhere between three and 15 stopovers. Additionally, a Round the World special fare is on offer, which is only available for travel in Economy Class, has a maximum mileage of 26,000, needs to be purchased seven days prior to departure and permits three to five stopovers.

Star Alliance Book & Fly
"Star Alliance Book & Fly" is an online booking tool available at www.staralliance.com/en/booking/book-and-fly/ which allows customers to plan their Round the World and Circle Pacific Fare journeys from the comfort of their own home, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Bookings can be made anywhere in the world and tickets are automatically issued electronically. The booking engine is currently available in English, German and Japanese.

More detailed information on fare products is available from www.staralliance.com/en/fares/

About Star Alliance:
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, TACA Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAM Airlines, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. EVA Air has been announced as future member. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,329 airports in 194 countries.

SOURCE: STAR ALLIANCE

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