They can be difficult to access, but make the effort, and airline alliance passes can be the open sesame to excellent value business travel. Sheron Crossman reports On the face of it, airline alliance passes are just too good to be true. With these dream tickets, you can circumnavigate the globe for a piffling sum and enjoy a generous allowance of stopovers. You can build an itinerary to suit your needs, stack up shed loads of air miles and – if you believe the hype – book your travel easily. There's no doubt they represent great value and are available through the three major airline alliances – Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance – which between them include most of the world's major carriers. Nor are they just sold to backpackers; in recent years, they've become increasingly appealing for business travel. “We sell hundreds of thousands of them a year,” says Oneworld's corporate communications vice-president Michael Blunt. “Our round-the-world Explorer is the most popular and, interestingly, we sell almost as many for travel in First or Business Class as in Economy.” Oneworld features passes for every continent, except Antarctica, and is the only alliance incorporating airlines from South America, Australia and the Middle East. The Visit Asia pass, for example, offers 50 cities in 19 countries, with the option to take as many flights as you want at a flat rate for each, based on the geographical zone. A Hong Kong-Tokyo-Bangkok-Singapore itinerary costs US$850 (€581), a fraction of the price of individual flights. SkyTeam offers similarly tempting passes for Europe, North America and round-the-world. Its Europe Pass allows travel through the continent at your own pace, booking a seat on any one of the 11 member carriers to Europe. There’s no minimum or maximum stay, no need for advance booking, and each city can be visited twice. The alliance’s America Pass provides one of the most economic ways of getting around the US, Canada and Mexico, allows travel for up to 60 days, two stopovers in each city and requires no advanced booking. Fares depend on the number of coupons, but start at around US$440 (€300). SkyTeam’s Asia Pass gives passengers the opportunity to purchase between three and eight discounted flight coupons. Again, the savings are considerable. Starting in Beijing and travelling to Seoul, Noumea, Osaka, Taipei, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and returning to Beijing would usually cost more than US$7,000 (€4,800); with an Asia Pass, it is US$1,848 (€1,263). Star Alliance has over 10 fare products, including Circle Asia and RTW fares, and passes for Asia, Brazil, Europe, Africa, Japan, North America and the South Pacific. Meanwhile, its European air pass allows travel across 42 countries, and passengers can purchase between three and 10 coupons at a fixed rate, depending on the distance flown. A Paris-Vienna-Munich-Copenhagen-London trip, for example, comes out at just US$515 (€352), plus taxes and charges. Or in Africa, fly Johannesburg-Nairobi-Windhoek-Durban-Cape Town with an Africa Pass for US$1,046 (€715). Despite these knockout fares, there’s surprisingly little enthusiasm for them in the business travel industry. “Distribution is a major problem: you end up having to process them manually because the GDS is far too complicated,” says Steve Murray, IT Manager for Focus4Fares at UK-based Advantage Business Travel. “The fares are very good but how many business travel consultants are aware of the permutations? Unless you're a fares expert, it's far too complex.” In truth, the different fare structures, conditions and restrictions make the passes a logistical nightmare, and if they can’t be booked by the experts, there's little hope for the lone business traveller, however accomplished. And it's not simply the booking procedure that’s the problem. “Due to the complexities, these tickets are not particularly well advertised, even though they represent good value, especially in premium classes,” points out Diane McMahon, head of account management at FCm Travel Solutions. “The difficulty a travel management company (TMC) has is finding a client who can combine a journey in one direction within the time frames permitted to take advantage of them.” Therein lies the rub. All round-the-world fares necessitate travel in only one direction, have limited numbers of stopovers, and need advanced booking. “There’s no question the fares are extremely attractive, but they’re almost only usable by leisure travellers,” says Michael Hare, managing director of UK-based Fleet Street Travel. “It’s not that corporates can’t have them, but the conditions attached simply make them unworkable. Although there are exceptions... the lack of flexibility doesn't suit business travel.” To be fair to the alliances, round-the-world deals have become increasingly attractive. Oneworld's Explorer fare offers travel in Economy, Business or First, plenty of stopovers, and only needs seven days’ advanced booking. Star Alliance allows booking up to departure, and changes of flight dates at any time, while SkyTeam’s ticket can be combined with its European, America or Asia passes. The alliances have been woefully poor at getting their message across. The great deals are out there, but until they can be easily booked and are properly marketed, they are likely to remain one of the industry’s best-kept secrets. Air pass checklist Round-the-world fares are calculated differently by the alliances. Oneworld sets fares according to the number of continents you pass through, Star Alliance by mileage limits, and SkyTeam according to the itinerary Some regional air passes are only available in Economy Class These tickets are complex to book online. Go through an alliance member airline or travel agent Check out the deals at www.oneworld.com; www.skyteam.com; www.staralliance.com
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