Star Alliance "starting to target niches"; seeking Russian member; gaining marketshare

Star Alliance CEO, Jaan Albrecht, stated the alliance is "starting to target niches" as it seeks to expand into "micro-world" regions with its regional expansion strategy (Bangkok Post, 15-Dec-2009). The alliance added that it is continuing to pursue membership from a Russian airline to eliminate the last remaining "white spot" in its global network, with the alliance stating it could announce a Russian member by the end of 2010. Mr Albrecht added that the integration of TAM, Air India and Aegean into the alliance would increase its market share from approximately 28% to 29.5%, higher than Skyteam and oneworld, both with market shares of 18-19%, according to Mr Albrecht.

Star Alliance: "We are starting to target niches ... areas that offer a lot of potential and opportunities and which our members would like us to cover," Jaan Albrecht, CEO. Source: Bangkok Post, 15-Dec-2009