SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK, Copenhagen Kastrup) has announced it will exit Star Alliance on August 31, 2024, and join Skyteam on September 1 as a part of the partial acquisition by Air France-KLM.
The Scandinavian carrier said that all existing frequent flyer benefits with the SAS EuroBonus programme will remain in place until the end of August and will be recognised by "most" Skyteam member carriers starting in September. The airline is in advanced negotiations with Skyteam and its member carriers to establish close commercial partnerships.
SAS will become Skyteam's twentieth member carrier and the eighth in Europe. Star Alliance, meanwhile, will have 25 member airlines including nine in Europe.
The transition is a part of SAS's restructuring plan, which saw Air France-KLM take a 19.9% stake in the airline. The Franco-Dutch holding has an exclusive mandate to raise its stake to above 50% and has said it is interested in doing so by the end of 2025. Before its merger with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France was one of the founders of Skyteam.
