SAS CEO gets candid about leaving Star Alliance for SkyTeam

SAS was a founding member of the Star Alliance 27 years ago. The airline, the largest operator in the Nordics, will switch to SkyTeam on September 1. This date was officially announced on April 29. However, SAS disclosed in early April that it'd leave Star on August 31, so it was hardly surprising it would join SkyTeam the next day. This is what SAS CEO Anko van der Werff said about moving alliances. SAS is in US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, is undergoing Swedish reorganization, and has obtained 19.9% equity from Air France-KLM amid broader ownership changes. Changing alliances goes hand-in-hand with such dramatic developments, as the carrier aims to become a leaner, meaner, and more competitive operator, which is undeniably needed. Werff said that SAS is actively reducing costs, being much more open-minded, thinking more like a low-cost carrier, and trying to act faster in its decisions. It is quite a change for the confessed conservative carrier. Analyzing OAG indicates that SAS is Star's ninth-largest airline based on May 2024 flights. It is the third-largest European member after Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. Werff said, "Leaving Star was a huge decision for us. We have been in that alliance for nearly three decades and have lots of sound relationships. It has been a very long time. However, I've always had a challenge with Star as we are not in a joint-venture [transatlantic or otherwise] and no equity [from Star carriers]. Star was almost setting us back in time." Despite being a long-term Star carrier, a problem that has afflicted SAS is isolation – not just geographical. Dutch national Werff used the example of the former KLM-Northwest partnership. "They didn't think in their own colors. KLM didn't think blue, Northwest red. They thought in purple. They were seamless. We want to get to that stage of partnership and thinking." Story has more.<br/>