oneworld announces three key sales appointments in drive to build on alliance revenues up a third in 2004

oneworld^TM , the leading global airline alliance, has announced three key appointments to its sales team, as it aims to build further on the success achieved so far in generating new income for its member airlines, with revenues from alliance activities up a third year-on-year in 2004.

They include its first full-time alliance employee in France, in oneworld's latest step to increase further its market share in a core home territory for its rival SkyTeam alliance.

It follows the successful launch last year of businessflyer, its corporate sales products for small and medium sized businesses in France. Revenue from this product has risen 500 per cent in six months with almost 750 companies signed up throughout the republic.

oneworld is the world's leading international alliance of quality airlines. It members include some of the biggest and best names in the industry - American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, LAN, Finnair and Aer Lingus. Between them, they serve more than 600 destinations in 136 countries, generating combined revenues of US$50 billion a year.

Two of the new appointments report directly to oneworld Vice-President Commercial Nicolas Ferri:

• Filip Lemmens as Manager Global Sales, responsible for the grouping's eventflyer and businessflyer products as well as all alliance sales activities in key markets, particularly France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and Canada. In addition, he serves as deputy to oneworld's Vice-President Commercial.
• Eileen Yeager as Corporate Sales Manager, who is now leading the alliance's efforts to increase further its revenues from corporate customers worldwide.

The third new appointment is Pierre-Jean Mayol who has joined in Paris as Market Development Executive, supporting the alliance's sales activities throughout France, Switzerland and Germany, in particular its businessflyer product. He reports to Filip Lemmens.

oneworld Vice-President Commerical Nicolas Ferri said: "oneworld sales increased revenues earned for the alliance's member airlines by a third in 2004. These three key appointments are aimed at building on that solid foundation and consolidating oneworld's position as the alliance of choice in all our key target markets."

Filip Lemmens has been working as part of the alliance's sales team since it was established five years ago, on secondment initially from partner American Airlines. He joined American in International Reservations and held various sales positions before moving to the oneworld Sales Taskforce as Project Manager for Benelux, France and Switzerland. After working on the alliance's local and global corporate sales initiatives, he was most recently based in Belgium, supporting alliance sales activities in Europe and launching businessflyer in Germany and France. He is now working full-time for oneworld at its Vancouver head office.

Eileen Yeager also moves to oneworld from founding partner American, where had been Manager Alliance Sales and AA's representative on the oneworld Global Sales Team for the past six years. She joined American initially as a flight attendant, moving into the commercial field as a marketing support representative in 1983, handling more than 800 travel agent and corporate accounts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Since then, she has held a variety of Sales positions with AA, including as an area sales manager and as the airline's National Corporate Sales Manager. She now splits her base between oneworld's Vancouver base and her own standalone office in Dallas, Texas.

Pierre-Jean Mayol was an intern before taking on his full-time oneworld appointment. He majored in Economics, Finance and Marketing at the Institute of Political Studies of Toulouse, where his thesis was on "fares and pricing in the European airline industry", before taking a masters degree in Air Transport Management, in partnership with the French Civil Aviation School and Toulouse Business School. He also studied as an exchange student in the USA and, between degrees, worked as an intern at the French Embassy in Argentina and as a consultant with a firm of recruitment consultants.

About oneworld: oneworld brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, LAN, Finnair and Aer Lingus - enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges. Together, its members serve 603 destinations in 136 countries. oneworld was voted the world's best airline alliance by readers of Business Traveller magazine in its 2004 poll and named the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the second year running in the latest World Travel Awards, based on votes cast by travel professionals from 80.000 agencies in more than 200 countries. Note: LAN affiliate LAN ECUADOR is not a member of oneworld.