Teresa Chulilla. Star Alliance representative in Spain

To begin with, can you tell us about your career in this realm of tourism?

The latest part of my career is linked to Sabena, where I’d been working for the last four years until the company’s disappearance in Spain last December. Prior to that, I worked for Spanair for a couple of years.

Last May 14, Star Alliance celebrated its fifth anniversary. Could you assess how this group has done its job within the tourist sector in this period of time?

For the last five years, Star Alliance has developed an all-out network of routes with coordinated services for 729 airports in as many as 124 countries, thus providing a global scope no other alliance can really offer.

On the other hand, all frequent-traveler programs are integrated, thus allowing passengers to score their own mileage within the boundaries of our huge mesh. Besides, we’ve got more that 500 VIP halls scattered in airports all over the world.

Another feather in Star Alliance’s hat is the fact that in many terminals, airlines are always located in the same places, a convenience that eases travel arrangements for passengers. We’re also making aircraft taxi in nearby airports in order to cut down on connection time among the different airlines.

We’re equally outfitted with special counters for our first class, business class and Gold passengers. We also provide a service whereby, in most cases, passengers buy tickets to fly straight to their final destination, regardless of how many companies might be involved in the trip. Finally, I’d like to mention another major product of ours: the Convention Plus, designed to meet the needs of convention and conference planners at very special prices.

Do you have in mind some kind of promotional, marketing or communication actions to mark the fifth anniversary of the alliance?

We haven’t conducted any kind of publicity or promotional effort in Spain. To a world level, we’ve carried out some campaigns to add more mileage on certain routes.

What are the main advantages and benefits for those passengers flying an airline that belongs to a merger like, say, Star Alliance?

As we’ve explained before, traveling with Star Alliance makes passengers benefit from such advantages as frequent-traveler cards, score mileage among the alliance’s different member airlines, special fares depending on the kind of booking made, faster connections, special luggage pickup service...

For us, the most important thing of all is to assist passengers in every nook and cranny around the globe as we put the means and the infrastructure of 14 airlines at their beck and call.

And for airlines?

In the case of airlines, it means a major cost-reducing effort. There are joint offices in many parts of the world where joint purchase and marketing are done. That leads to cheaper costs, and as a result, bigger benefits.

What main requirements does a particular airline need to join this alliance?

There are many requirements and they embrace all fields of aviation. Safety comes on the top of the list. High security standards are demanded. It’s equally important for airlines to provide a network of strategic destinations for the alliance. We always try to have companies fly to destinations that are not covered by member airlines.

How are negotiations doing for Spanair, Asiana Airlines and LOT Polish Airlines to be full-fledged members of Star Alliance?

We approved the incorporation of these three new airlines to Star Alliance last June 1 in Shanghai. Works and arrangements for their joining the alliance are now underway, yet no deadline has yet been fixed for these companies to officially join Star Alliance.

What was the impact of the 9/11 events on Star Alliance?

It made an enormous dent (in the alliance) with megabuck losses for all companies, forcing policy overhauls in each and every one of them. It was quite a black eye for the aviation industry across the board, and for us in particular. Recovery has now begun, but not as fast a