Which Airlines Founded The SkyTeam Alliance?

SkyTeam is one of the three leading airline alliances in the world, with 19 major carriers making up the organization. As we close in on the 21st anniversary of the official launch of the group, we thought we’d take a look at who the original members were.

Air France was one of the founding members of SkyTeam, but which other airlines were part of the initial crop? Photo: Getty Images

The first steps

The alliance was formed on June 22nd, 2000. However, its roots can be traced to exactly a year before when Air France and Delta Air Lines signed an exclusive long-term strategic agreement.

This pact expanded Delta’s codeshare deal and involved wider marketing links such as access to each other’s frequent flyer initiatives. Moreover, Air France shared that it would earn $150 million in yearly profit gains after three years due to the agreement.

Even back then, it was well speculated that this move would pave the way for what would become a major global association to rival the recently-formed Star Alliance and oneworld.

Star’s launch members in May 1997 were Lufthansa, United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways, and Air Canada. Meanwhile, oneworld’s founders in February 1999 were British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, and Qantas.

Joining forces

Thus, as the first summer of the new millennium got underway, the leaders of Delta and Air France met with the executives of Aeromexico and Korean Air in New York to launch the new alliance. As a result, the project provided its customers with the choice of 6,402 daily services to 451 destinations in 98 nations. SkyTeam highlighted that the offering included more nonstop destinations between Europe and the United States than its competition.

From left, Korean Air president Yi-Taek Shim, Delta Air Lines chairman Leo Mullin, Air France chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta, and Aeromexico chairman Alfonso Pasquel announcing the SkyTeam alliance on June 22nd, 2000. Photo: Getty Images

In the fall of that year, there was a scale-up with the alliance to represent the airline’s cargo operations. So, Aeromexpress, Air France Cargo, Delta Air Logistics, and Korean Air Cargo were the founding members of SkyTeam Cargo. This program enabled the smoother movement of goods between the airlines’ networks.

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The next stages

The next two full members to join would be Czech Airlines and Alitalia, both gaining membership in 2001. It would take another three years for another airline to enter the fold, with KLM joining in 2004. Notably, this addition was due to the Dutch carrier’s merger with Air France.

SkyTeam has always been proud of its transatlantic connections. Photo: Getty Images

SkyTeam has gone on to offer an alliance that serves up to 676 million customers each year. It also offers up to over 15,400 daily flights to more than 1,000 destinations. Airline alliances have become a mainstay in the aviation industry, but it was a short period of a few years at the end of the 1990s that spawned three of the major global powerhouses.

What are your thoughts about SkyTeam? How do you feel it compares with other alliances across the globe? Let us know what you think of the organization in the comment section.

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