oneworld tests online reservations in Germany

Global airline alliance, oneworld, has improved its website allowing customers to book and pay for flights on its member airlines through the alliance website.

The service, launched today, is initially available only to companies in Germany who have registered as customers for oneworld's businessflyer corporate sales product.

If the market trial is a success, the alliance plans to extend the facility next to businessflyer customers in France and then potentially to other oneworld fare and sales products.

oneworld businessflyer enables small and medium sized companies in Germany to gain discounts of up to 50% on regular published rates for their business travel in return for a more regular relationship with the alliance and its airlines.

Through just one point of contact, they can select flights by the alliance's eight carriers to more than 200 of the most popular destinations worldwide for German businesses, with departures from nine German gateways - Berlin Schoenefeld or Tegel, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich or Stuttgart. In many cases, connections are available also from various other airports and railway stations across Germany. Tickets are eligible for mileage rewards and points in any of the oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes.

Germany is one of only two countries worldwide served by all oneworld's eight partners, with a total of almost 1,700 flights a week, and direct services to 18 destinations in Europe, the Americas and Asia with connections from there to the 600 destinations in 135 territories served by the alliance worldwide.

The on-line booking engine will enable businessflyer customers to book not just the special businessflyer tickets but also any publicly quoted fares offered by any oneworld carrier - American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, LAN, Finnair and Aer Lingus, along with their dozen affiliate carriers.

Almost 1,200 companies have signed up for the businessflyer scheme since it was launched two years ago, working with around 600 travel agencies, with revenues doubling year-on-year so far in 2005.

oneworld Vice-President Commerical Nicolas Ferri, in Frankfurt today to switch on the new businessflyer booking engine, said, "Germany is one of oneworld's most important markets worldwide, which is why our corporate customers in the country are the first to benefit from our new ability to take flight bookings on our website.

"Together, our airlines provide air travellers throughout Germany with a real alternative to the dominant home carrier. Now our corporate customers across the country will find it easier than ever to organize their worldwide travel with the world's leading quality grouping of airlines - while making substantial savings at the same time. It's another example of oneworld's commitment to provide excellent alliance service to customers worldwide."

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