REGION’S BUSINESSES TO BENEFIT FROM AIRLINE LOYALTY PROGRAMME

Two carriers serving Bristol join Star Alliance Company Plus

Businesses travelling with two airlines operating flights from Bristol International Airport can now take advantage of the UK’s fastest growing corporate travel loyalty programme, Star Alliance Company Plus. Last month Brussels Airlines, which flies three times daily to the Belgian capital from Bristol, entered the programme. Now Continental Airlines, which operates a service to New York – the only direct scheduled transatlantic route from the South West and Wales – has become the programme’s 12th member. Whether flying on business once a year or once a week, Star Alliance Company Plus membership cuts corporate travel costs from the very first flight. The programme is free to join, and welcome points earn new members a free upgrade before they even make their first trip. Points can be accrued on 12 airlines and more than 450 destinations, and there is no minimum spend. Travellers can continue to use individual frequent flyer programmes while earning upgrades, flights, cashback or shopping through Star Alliance Company Plus. Shaun Browne, Aviation Director at Bristol International Airport, said: “The Star Alliance presence at Bristol International provides passengers with access to a network of more than 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 destinations in 175 countries, and Star Alliance Company Plus provides SMEs in the South West and Wales with the chance to make savings on their business travel.” Continental’s Bristol-New York flight celebrates its fifth anniversary in May. The service doesn’t just make New York easily accessible from the South West and Wales, it puts hundreds of destinations across North and South America within reach – without the hassle of having to travel miles by road or rail to airports outside the region. Around 50 per cent of passengers boarding at Bristol have a final destination beyond the Big Apple, using Continental’s extensive network of services from its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, to cities across the USA, Canada and Latin America. In January, Brussels Airlines added a third daily frequency from Bristol International, opening up convenient onward connections across Europe and Africa. Brussels Airlines is an Africa specialist, with 46 flights per week to destinations including Nairobi, Kinshasa, Kenya, Entebbe, Dakar, Freetown and Abidjan. The other Star Alliance Company Plus members are Air Canada, Air China, ANA (Japan), Austrian, Blue1 (Finland), LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa (Germany), Scandinavian Airlines, SWISS, TAP Portugal and United Airlines. Ends For further information please contact: James Gore, 01275 475447 / 07717 896315 Jacqui Mills, 01275 473615 / 07712 792915