An Avianca 767 taxies out while a TACA A320 is serviced at Miami in 2010. Photo: Chuck Slusarczyk Jr. – OPShots.net //
The parents of AviancaTaca and Copa Airlines officially joined the global Star marketing alliance Thursday, marking the latest stage in an ongoing shakeup of partnerships between Latin American and overseas carriers.The three global alliances–Star, SkyTeam and Oneworld–have been sparring over the past 18 months to gain or retain footholds in Latin America, particularly in Brazil, the region’s largest market.While Star has grabbed two new members and SkyTeam has added a pair of its own, Oneworld is set to emerge as the best-placed with current and potential links between American Airlines and LATAM Airlines, to be formed from the merger of Chile’s flagship carrier LAN Airlines SA LFL, LAN.SN and Brazil’s TAM S/A TAM, TAMM4.BR.AviancaTaca’s entry into Star forces TAM to depart the group, a requirement of the merger approval laid down by Chilean regulators. LAN is already a member of Oneworld and is expected to retain its allegiance after the merger, but its Brazilian unit–the two airlines will remain separate operating companies–may join at a later date, according to market analysts. LAN and TAM executives have yet to confirm their future alliance membership.
via AviancaTaca and Copa Airlines join Star Alliance – MarketWatch.
