SkyTeam: the last of the big three airline alliances and its shifting roster
SkyTeam was born on 22 June 2000, when Delta, Aeroméxico, Air France and Korean Air met in New York. Arriving after Star Alliance and Oneworld, it has grown into the second largest of the three global alliances, carrying 624 million passengers in 2024, though plenty of members have come and gone along the way.
At launch the four founders reached 98 countries and 451 destinations with 6,402 flights a day, and a freight partnership, SkyTeam Cargo, followed that September. CSA Czech Airlines signed up on 25 March 2001, with Alitalia's membership taking effect on 1 November. Today a central team in Amstelveen, in the Netherlands, coordinates 18 airlines as of May 2025, seven of which also belong to the cargo arm.
The biggest single leap came on 13 September 2004, when Continental, KLM and Northwest entered together, the largest expansion any alliance had ever seen. SkyTeam overtook Oneworld, reaching more than 341 million customers, 14,320 daily flights and 658 destinations in 130 countries. Aeroflot signed a memorandum in the Kremlin on 24 May that year; the alliance admitted it fell short of standards but prized its hubs, and after passing an IATA safety audit it joined on 14 April 2006, the first Russian airline in any alliance. A non-voting associate tier, each newcomer sponsored by a full member, admitted Air Europa, Copa and Kenya Airways on 4 September 2007.
Not every courtship worked. Malév picked Oneworld, and Portugália's candidacy died when Star Alliance's TAP bought 99.81% of it. Continental and Copa both walked out on 24 October 2009, Continental joining Star Alliance three days later, and Olympic dropped its plans in 2010 to merge with Aegean. Japan Airlines, bankrupt with US$26 billion of debt, turned down a US$1.02 billion offer from Delta and stayed in Oneworld.
Asia made up for it. China Southern became the 11th full member and first Chinese airline on 15 November 2007, and Vietnam Airlines followed on 10 June 2010 as the first from Southeast Asia, adding 20 new destinations. Shanghai Airlines quit Star Alliance on 1 November 2010 to follow its parent, China Eastern. At the tenth anniversary in New York that June, 13 airlines celebrated a decade in which membership had more than tripled.
Source: SkyTeam
