This is hardly a done deal. In fact, I’d be surprised if it actually happens. But apparently Korean Air is supporting Garuda Indonesia’s bid to join Skyteam.
Garuda is banned from flying to the EU (Indonesian carriers in general are said to have questionable safety standards, though I recognitze that some of these decisions are made for show or other political reasons and may not reflect current safety issues — it’s surprising, for instance, that Ariana Afghan Airways is allowed to fly anywhere .. but then they benefit from US pressure.
At least Garuda would give Skyteam members an additional option to Bali and Jakarta, since Continental Micronesia s pulling out of the former.
Yea… it will be interesting as NWA suspended them a year or so back when they ran into trouble with the FAA… guess the rest of SkyTeam doesn’t care… but then again, look who some of the other SkyTeam partners are.
FROM THE NWA WEB SITE-
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has advised that the country of Indonesia does not comply with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Therefore, effective immediately, Northwest Airlines has temporarily suspended its WorldPerks, passenger and cargo agreements with Garuda Indonesia Airlines.
Just so you know, Skyteam is officiall spelled as: SkyTeam. Notice the difference?