SkyTeam launches Asia Pass

SkyTeam passengers traveling to Asia Pacific are now able to explore the area and earn additional frequent flyer miles by taking advantage of the new SkyTeam Asia Pass. The new fare product allows passengers to explore up to eight cities in the region with significant savings on fare prices.

The SkyTeam Asia Pass is designed to provide additional flexibility and convenience to passengers looking to visit multiple destinations in Asia. Expected growth rates in global passenger traffic show an increased demand for access to these destinations.

According to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Strategic Intelligence Centre, 2005 year-to-date figures on collective international inbound arrivals within the Asia Pacific region show an increase of 10.5% over the same period in 2004, and PATA expects travel to Asia Pacific to increase 10.6% per year through 2007.

The SkyTeam network in Asia and the Pacific region gives travelers access to 61 cities in 21 countries, including three major gateways, Guam, Seoul and Tokyo. Passengers now have more convenient access to the most popular destinations in the region, including: Australia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau Island, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, USA-Pacific, Vietnam.

In conjunction with an intercontinental round trip ticket to Asia Pacific on any SkyTeam airline, customers can buy three to eight flight coupons for exploring this area on international or domestic direct flights operated by Air France, Continental Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air or Northwest Airlines. SkyTeam passengers may book Asia Pass flights through any of the nine SkyTeam carriers.

Passengers traveling on the Asia Pass purchase coupons for individual segments of their trip. A minimum of three coupons is required to take advantage of the Asia Pass offering. Fares for a SkyTeam Asia Pass are based on the number of segment coupons purchased: US$750 for three coupons up to US$2,310 for eight coupons (plus local taxes or fees).

As an example, an adult passenger arriving from Europe or Africa could choose to visit Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Nouméa, Osaka, Taipei, Bangkok, Saigon and Seoul again and pay only US$2,310 (1,937 euros) for eight Asia Pass coupons. Conventional airfares would be more than US$7,000.

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