With Thai Smile joining the Alliance, the Star Alliance network will add 11 new destinations to its impressive portfolio of over 1,300 airports in 194 countries.
The Connecting Partner model was established by Star Alliance in June 2016 in addition to the membership model. A Connecting Partner should have commercial relations with at least three full members opposite to a more strict requirement for the usual membership model which requires commercial ties with all full members of the Alliance.
Standard alliance benefits such as passenger and baggage through check-in will be offered to all customers of the Alliance travelling on an itinerary which includes connecting flights of a Star Alliance member airline and a Connecting Partner airline.
It is expected that Thai Smile Airways will fulfill all entry requirements by the end of the year. The airline then will become the second Connecting Partner of the Alliance after Juneyao Airlines, a Shanghai-based carrier, that entered the Alliance in 2017.
Thai Smile Airways Will Become Star Alliance's Connecting Partner
News in Asia
Thai Smile Airways, a Thai regional airline and a subsidiary of Thai Airways, will join Star Alliance, one of the world's largest global airline alliances, as a Connecting Partner.