Seoul, Korea (November 19, 2007) /China Newswire/ — Korean Air, the flagship carrier of South Korea and a founding member of SkyTeam, today welcomed the eleventh full member - China Southern Airlines – to the alliance with all members at an event held in Beijing.

As a founding member of SkyTeam and the sole Asian airline in the network, Korean Air acted as the sponsor airline of China Southern. Safety requirements, service quality levels, IT system integration, frequent flyer mileage program tie-up are some of the numerous items that need to be standardized in order to become a full member. Since August of 2004 when China Southern first signed its intention for SkyTeam membership, Korean Air helped the newcomer through the rigorous process by providing know-how and necessary IT technology support.

"We are delighted to welcome China Southern Airlines to the SkyTeam. China Southern Airlines is the largest airline in China and we are confident that the joining of this strong member will greatly increase SkyTeam's reach in Asia. We look forward to fostering closer ties with our new Chinese partner to expand our presence in the country," said Mr. Yang-ho Cho, Chairman and CEO of Korean Air.

Korean Air can provide a wider reach to global travelers headed for China, connecting China Southern's vast domestic network with more than 20 destinations served by Korean Air.

Last year, Korean Air announced China as its second home market, and to implement the "China-as-second-home-market" strategy and enhance customer service, it will expand the cooperation with China Southern. The two airlines already have codeshare in place, which will gradually be expanded. The two airlines began frequent flyer mileage program tie-up on November 1. Starting December 18, the two airlines' will swap cabin attendants on some of their China-Korea routes.

With the addition of China Southern Airlines, SkyTeam now serves approximately 428 million annual passengers through a worldwide system of nearly 16,400 daily flights covering 841 destinations in 162 countries.

INTERNET LINKS

http://www.koreanair.com
http://www.skyteam.com

About Korean Air
Korean Air was named the Best First/Business Class Airline and the Best Frequent Flyer Program in TIME Readers’ Travel Choice Awards 2006. In April and July 2007 respectively, the carrier was named the Best Economy Class in the OAG Airline of the Year Awards and the Skytrax 2006/7 World Airline Awards. It was voted Best Asia/Transpacific Business Class Service by Business Traveler magazine in 2006. With its excellent financial performance in 2005, Korean Air received the "Phoenix Award" from Air Transport World (ATW) for its success in overcoming challenges in the global airline industry.

Korean Air, with a fleet of 124 aircraft, is one of the world's top 20 airlines, and operates almost 400 passenger flights per day to 115 cities in 37 countries. It is a founding member of SkyTeam, the global airlines alliance - partnering Aeroflot, AeroMexico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM and Northwest Airlines to provide customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services.

About SkyTeam
SkyTeam is the global airline alliance partnering eleven members, including Aeroflot, Aeroméxico, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern Airlines, Continental Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines, and three Associate Airlines: Air Europa (Spain), Copa Airlines (Panama) and Kenya Airways. Through one of the world’s most extensive hub networks, SkyTeam offers its 428 million annual passengers a worldwide system of 16,400 daily flights covering 841 destinations in 162 countries.

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