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SkyTeam has announced new initiatives that include a
new alliance organization, a new managing director, a new fare pass, a
timeline for the opening of its co-located facility at London Heathrow
Terminal 4, and the debut of the first plane with the new alliance
livery.
The alliance released the news in
conjunction with a press briefing in Milan by the SkyTeam Steering
Committee following its quarterly meeting. The SkyTeam alliance
has a large presence in Milan, with service offered by Alitalia,
the only airline to serve all three airports in Milan; Aeroflot;
Air France; Czech Airlines; Delta Air Lines; KLM Royal Dutch
Airlines; and Korean Air.
Centralized Management
Leo van Wijk, chairman of the SkyTeam Governing
Board, announced that SkyTeam is moving toward a centralized
SkyTeam management entity. The new organization will be based in
Amsterdam. Some of the functions that will be handled by the
central organization include: marketing, sales, airport synergies
and transfer product, cargo, advertising and brand, alliance
operations, finance, corporate communications and alliance
administration.
“In SkyTeam, we have always prided ourselves on
our collaborative nature; however, given the changing landscape
and the increased number of alliance members, we decided to adopt
an organizational structure that allows us to navigate market
realities more effectively,” said Mr. van Wijk. “Given the
opportunity for maximizing synergies and providing passengers
seamless benefits, SkyTeam is positioning itself for today, as
well as looking toward the future.”
Mr. van Wijk also revealed that Marie-Joseph
Malé has been appointed the managing director of SkyTeam’s newly
created management and support organization. Mr. Malé, who has
extensive experience with Air France in the Commercial and
International areas, will be responsible for finalizing the
organizational structure of SkyTeam, including the appointment of
a management team.
In liaison with the Governing Board and the
Steering Committee, Mr. Malé’s primary duties will include
refining the organization and procedures for the new central
structure, as well as the interaction between the central
structure and existing SkyTeam experts within each member carrier;
developing a plan to recruit staff; and establishing plans to
support alliance development. The goal is to have the structure
and management team in place by late 2009.
“Since its founding almost nine years ago,
SkyTeam has evolved tremendously – in terms of members, network,
and product and service offerings,” Mr. Malé said. “My main
objective is to maintain the level of collaboration that helped
the alliance achieve so much, but also ensure that the alliance is
nimble and ready to act on future opportunities.”
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