SkyTeam CEO: we’re open to adding more member airlines, like Rex

EXCLUSIVE | Of Australia’s three major jet airlines, only one currently belongs to a global alliance. There are no prizes for knowing that the airline is Qantas – a founding member of oneworld. Virgin Australia is regularly one to play down talks of Star Alliance membership. That leaves Rex… and you might wonder, could Rex join SkyTeam?

It turns out it’s certainly possible. Even though Rex has just three lounges and only operates domestic flights, that doesn’t necessarily preclude it from becoming a SkyTeam member.

There’s often a lot of speculation about airlines joining alliances – and every time an airline signs a new partner, the rumours frequently stir. For Rex, those began when the airline’s first overseas interline partner was confirmed to be Delta – one of SkyTeam’s founders.

Rather than add to the whispers, I’ve gone straight to the top. SkyTeam’s CEO, Patrick Roux, sits down for a catch-up at the recent IATA AGM in Dubai. Here’s what he had to say about Rex – and about growing SkyTeam’s partnerships in general.

Rex is welcome to apply for SkyTeam membership

I begin by querying whether an airline as modest in size as Rex would even be eligible for SkyTeam membership – assuming Rex declared an interest.

‘There’s no limitation,’ Roux says regarding SkyTeam’s minimum network, lounge and loyalty requirements for a new member. ‘The only selection I would say would be if it makes sense for the other members.’

Ultimately, the addition of any new SkyTeam partner comes down to the willingness of SkyTeam’s member airlines. Not so much SkyTeam as a central entity. If a new member wants to join, ‘we look at what are the existing partnerships, and what would be the business case for this airline and for the other members.’

Assuming a new carrier would bring added value to SkyTeam, ‘then it’s to the CEOs’ of SkyTeam’s airlines.

But here’s a twist. New SkyTeam partners don’t need to fit the mould – the alliance is open to creating a new type of partnership if it means expanding into a new market. For example, the domestic Australian market.

‘We are open to different (partnership) models,’ Roux continues. For a new partner, ‘it could be that today, we don’t have this model (of partnership)’. For example, how oneworld has oneworld Connect, and how Star Alliance has a Connecting Partner option, short of signing a full alliance membership.

At SkyTeam, something similar could be ‘a feeder model (for a) regional carrier. There’s no opposition to that.’ It’s fair to remind that Rex hasn’t formally declared an interest in joining SkyTeam. But the airline has announced intentions to grow its partnerships and Rex Flyer loyalty program over time. It seems, for Rex, SkyTeam is open to that conversation.

SkyTeam also eyes other expansion opportunities

While being open to conversations with new airlines like Rex, SkyTeam also wants to expand on the ground. We’ve previously written about how airlines and rail companies can work together to sell one ticket covering sky and land. SkyTeam wants to do more of that.

‘Many of our members already work with rail carriers,’ Roux continues, including ‘Air France, ITA Airways and KLM. SkyTeam wants to be the most integrated of the airline alliances. It’s not only about the airlines themselves to a network of almost 13,000 daily flights, but also across rail networks.’

‘SkyTeam is in talks with train operators to explore how best we can combine our expertise to facilitate intra-European travel for customers.’ When airlines and rail companies integrate ticket sales, customers can buy one ticket that covers everything. For instance, I flew Emirates to Germany in 2023. All on the one ticket, I had flights from Sydney to Dubai and onward to Munich. Then, I had a Deutsche Bahn rail leg from Munich to Frankfurt. Then Emirates flights from Frankfurt to Dubai, connecting to Sydney.

When this happens, train stations even get their own ‘airport code’ – and trains get a ‘flight number’. As for how SkyTeam would roll this out, ‘I sincerely hope to be put in a position to share more with you later in the year. We are continuing our focus on technology to deliver end-to-end customer experience.’

SkyTeam previously confirmed that its alliance-wide policy of only granting airport lounge access to international flyers was also under review in collaboration with SkyTeam’s member airlines.

Also read: SkyTeam plans review of international-only lounge access policy

Featured image courtesy of Rex. Chris Chamberlin attended the IATA AGM in Dubai as a guest of IATA.