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TAM Announces its Entry Into the Star Alliance

Written by thomas · Filed Under Commercial 

October 9, 2008

thomas

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — TAM (NYSE: TAM and
Bovespa: TAMM4) announces today its entry into the Star Alliance, the
largest global alliance in commercial aviation, currently made up of 21 of
the world’s largest airlines and three regional companies that jointly
operate more than 18,100 flights daily.

“This is a very important step forward for TAM since through our
alliance membership we will gain further international brand recognition,”
said Captain David Barioni Neto, CEO of TAM. “Joining Star Alliance will
further bolster our ongoing quest for Service Excellence, Technical and
Operational Excellence and Excellence in Management, which are the three
pillars of our strategy.”

The Chief Executive Board (CEB) of Star Alliance unanimously voted to
accept TAM — South America’s largest airline and a leader in the domestic
and international market among Brazilian companies — as a future member of
the alliance.

“Thanks to TAM, Latin America will no longer be a white spot but rather
a hot spot on our world map,” said Jaan Albrecht, CEO of the organization,
during the official announcement today. “We are very proud to have TAM as a
future member; their decision to join Star Alliance clearly reflects the
ongoing importance of alliances today,” continued Albrecht.

TAM already has codeshare agreements with Lufthansa, TAP and United,
all Star Alliance members, and has just signed an agreement with Air
Canada, also part of the global alliance. Once the Brazilian company
completes the integration process, the Star Alliance route network will
expand to more than 1,000 destinations in 170 countries, offering more than
20,000 daily departures. This will further solidify Star Alliance’s
leadership among world alliances.

After the initial announcement, the integration process will commence.
Experts from TAM, from its mentor in the alliance, United, and from the
Star Alliance, will team up to ensure the Brazilian company meets the
requirements for association. These include, for example, compatibility
with StarNet — the Star Alliance’s IT backbone — common guidelines for
dealing with passengers and the accumulation and redemption of loyalty
program points.

Once TAM becomes a full-fledged member of the global alliance, it will
share products and services in the 1,000 airports and 170 countries in
which the organization operates. The list includes baggage check-in to the
final destination, easier connections and the convenience of more than 800
VIP lounges.

Another benefit for clients will be the integration of all the Star
Alliance member companies’ frequent flier programs, which will make
accumulating points easier, provide more redemption options and give
priority to service and boarding.

“TAM passengers are set to experience a whole new world of Star
Alliance customer benefits, while the alliance customers can look forward
to both an ideal network in Brazil and Latin America and excellent service
on board and on the ground,” Albrecht emphasized.

For Paulo Castello Branco, TAM’s Commercial and Planning
Vice-President, this is another of the company’s initiatives to meet its
commitment to its clients. “Our passengers will have at their disposal a
more comprehensive air network with better connectivity, which means more
destinations offered by TAM in partnership with companies in the alliance,”
he explained.

About the Star Alliance

The Star Alliance 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 the Best Airline Alliance by Business
Traveler Magazine in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and by Skytrax, one of the
world’s leading business travel research companies, in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
The members are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana
Airlines, Austrian, bmi, Egyptair, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa,
Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African
Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, United and
US Airways. Air India, Continental Airlines and TAM were announced as
future members. Carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and
Croatia Airlines form the regional members of the Star Alliance global
network. The Star Alliance network offers more than 18,100 flights daily to
975 destinations in 162 countries.

SOURCE TAM

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