Star Alliance has claimed the Best Airline Alliance title at the Skytrax World Airline Awards for the second year running. The Alliance’s Los Angeles Lounge also received the Best Airline Alliance Lounge Award for the third year in row. Jeffrey Goh, CE Star Alliance said: “This is an important accolade to receive in our 20th Anniversary year. It once again shows that our investment into a modern IT infrastructure is paying off, enabling the more than 440,000 member airline employees to provide customers with an even better Alliance travel experience." Star Alliance was the first airline alliance to receive the Best Alliance Award from Skytrax when the category was first introduced in 2005 and has since held the award 8 times. <br/>
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The Indian govt is expected to take some action on privatising Air India in next 6 months, a top govt policy adviser told television channel CNBC Thursday. The comment from Arvind Panagariya, deputy head of policy think-tank Niti Aayog, comes amid reports that India's salt-to-software Tata conglomerate has shown an interest in buying a majority stake in the loss-making carrier. "Something should be happening this year," Panagariya said in response to a question on timeline for the carrier's privatisation. Prime minister Narendra Modi's administration has been exploring ways to privatise Air India, which was bailed out in 2012 with US$5.8b of federal funding. <br/>
Turkish Airlines chairman Ilker Ayci is evaluating potential investments in other airlines to help safeguard expansion if the rise in protectionism presents hurdles to growth. The carrier is examining prospects in a range of markets, including India, China and the US, Ayci said. “We’ve expanded through organic growth so far, but protectionist policies are rising,” he said. “So we’re exploring cross-airline relationships -- equity or non-equity. It’s a long-term strategy, and it’s too early to say right now whether it will become a reality.” The three leading Persian Gulf carriers are facing pushback from US and European authorities against rapid growth that has captured more of the lucrative intercontinental travel market. Turkish Airlines, which operates from a hub in Istanbul, hasn’t been targeted so far, though it has been pursuing a similar strategy. <br/>