Star Alliance Launches Visit Southern Africa Campaign

CHICAGO, March 21 /PRNewswire/ — Star Alliance, the airline network for Earth(TM), has launched a Visit Southern Africa campaign to promote travel to Southern Africa and underscore the wide choice of flight connections to the African continent provided by the Star Alliance member carriers to US and Canadian travelers.

“With this campaign we want to highlight how easy and convenient it is to plan your next trip to Africa, long considered a dream destination by many. The extensive Star Alliance network will allow passengers to be captivated by the natural beauty of the sand dunes of Namibia, enjoy the beautiful beaches of Mozambique, get splashed at Victoria Falls in Zambia and see spectacular wildlife in South Africa, all in one trip,” said Nanci Cheberenchick, Director Sales & Market Development Americas, Star Alliance.

Star Alliance member carrier South African Airways (SAA) offers customers the choice between a daily non-stop flight from Washington Dulles Airport to Johannesburg and a daily one-stop flight between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Johannesburg via Dakar. From Johannesburg, SAA has onward connections throughout Southern Africa to cities like Cape Town, Durban, Harare, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Mauritius, Port Elizabeth, Victoria Falls and Windhoek.

A further five Star Alliance member airlines serve destinations in Southern Africa: Lufthansa, SWISS and TAP provide flights from their respective North American gateway airports via their hubs in Frankfurt, Zurich and Lisbon, while Singapore Airlines and THAI fly to South Africa through their respective hubs in Singapore and Bangkok. Additionally Air Canada, United and US Airways serve hub airports in Europe, for example London and Paris, from which SAA has onward connections to South Africa.

Once in Africa, customers can reach any combination of the 25 Sub-Saharan destinations served by SAA by using the Star Alliance African Airpass. This ticket, which is based on a special fare of US$ 0.15* per mile flown, can be purchased in conjunction with any intercontinental return ticket to an African destination issued by a Star Alliance member.

“The Star Alliance African Airpass is just one more way that Star Alliance provides great value to travelers by allowing them to construct an itinerary of choice that meets their needs and at a reasonable price,” commented Cheberenchick.

Another travel option allowing customers to visit Southern Africa is the Star Alliance round-the-world fare, one of the 11 different Star Alliance fare products. From as little as US$ 3950* for travel from the US or CAD$ 3949* for travel from Canada customers can fly around the world once, using the network provided by the Star Alliance member carriers.

As part of this campaign, Star Alliance is partnering with both National Geographic Magazine and National Geographic Channel to showcase the breathtaking landscape and exciting travel destinations in Southern Africa. National Geographic Channel has produced two vignettes which will be aired from March to June on the National Geographic Channel. The magazine will feature Star Alliance advertorials while the website http://www.southernafricanskies.com/ will provide links to tourist information on Southern Africa and how to get there flying Star Alliance member carriers.

The member carriers will also be highlighting the Visit Southern Africa campaign through advertisements in their in-flight magazines as well as through travel promotions on their individual websites. Further information can also be found on the Star Alliance website: http://www.staralliance.com/southernafrica

From the United States, 16 Star Alliance member carriers — Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, THAI, United, US Airways — offer more than 3200 weekly international flights to reach 70 international destinations in 48 countries.

* note: fares exclude taxes and charges which vary according to routing and exchange rates.

About Star Alliance

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach and a smooth travel experience. Star Alliance was voted Best Airline Alliance by Business Traveller Magazine in 2003 and 2006 and by Skytrax in 2003 and 2005. The members are Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, THAI, United and US Airways. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Air China, Shanghai Airlines and Turkish Airlines have all been accepted as future members and are expected to join Star Alliance soon. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 16,000 daily flights to 855 destinations in 155 countries.

   For further information please contact:   Star Alliance Press Office   Tel: +49 69 96375 183   Fax: +49 69 96375 683   Email: mediarelations@staralliance.com   http://www.staralliance.com/             Flight Schedule Star Alliance Carriers: Southern Africa    LUFTHANSA    Frankfurt – Johannesburg    Daily      Boeing 747-400    nonstop   Johannesburg – Frankfurt    Daily      Boeing 747-400    nonstop    SINGAPORE AIRLINES    Singapore – Cape Town       Mo/We/Fr   Boeing 777-200    nonstop   Cape Town – Singapore       Mo/We/Fr   Boeing 777-200    nonstop    Singapore – Johannesburg    Daily      Boeing 777-200    nonstop   Johannesburg – Singapore    Daily      Boeing 777-200    nonstop    SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS    Frankfurt – Cape Town       Daily      Airbus A340-600   nonstop   Capt Town – Frankfurt       Daily      Airbus A340-600   nonstop    Frankfurt – Johannesburg    Daily      Airbus A340-600   nonstop   Johannesburg – Frankfurt    Daily      Airbus A340-600   nonstop    London – Cape Town          Daily      Airbus A340-600   nonstop   Cape Town – London          Daily      Airbus A340-600   nonstop    London – Johannesburg       2 x daily  Boeing 747-400    nonstop   Johannesburg – London       2 x daily  Boeing 747-400    nonstop    Paris – Johannesburg        Daily      Airbus A340-200   nonstop   Johannesburg – Paris        Daily      Airbus A340-200   nonstop    New York – Johannesburg     Daily      Airbus A340-300   via Dakar   Johannesburg – New York     Daily      Airbus A340-300   via Dakar    Washington – Johannesburg   Daily      Airbus A340-600   nonstop   Johannesburg – Washington   Daily      Airbus A340-600   via Dakar    SWISS    Zurich – Johannesburg       Daily*     Airbus A340-300   nonstop   Johannesburg – Zurich       Daily*     Airbus A340-300   nonstop    *except Wednesdays until 30 September 2007    TAP Portugal    Lisbon – Maputo           Tu/Fr/Sa     Airbus A340-300   nonstop   Lisbon – Maputo           Thursdays    Airbus A340-300   via Johannesburg    Maputo – Lisbon           We/Fr/Sa/Su  Airbus A340-300   nonstop    Lisbon – Johannesburg     Tu/Fr/Sa     Airbus A340-300   via Maputo   Lisbon – Johannesburg     Thursdays    Airbus A340-300   nonstop    Johannesburg – Lisbon     We/Fr/Sa/Su  Airbus A340-300   via Maputo    THAI    Bangkok – Johannesburg    Tu/Th/Sa     Airbus A340-600   nonstop   Johannesburg – Bangkok    Tu/Th/Sa     Airbus A340-600   nonstop     Mo = Monday    Tu = Tuesday    We = Wednesday    Th = Thursday   Fr = Friday    Sa = Saturday   Su = Sunday    All scheduled valid as of 1 April 2007  

Star Alliance

CONTACT: Star Alliance Press Office, +49 69 96375 183, or fax,+49 69 96375 683, mediarelations@staralliance.com

Web site: http://www.staralliance.com/http://www.staralliance.com/southernafricahttp://www.southernafricanskies.com/