China Southern Airlines announced Tuesday that they have completed all the transitional work associated with their withdrawal from the SkyTeam Alliance. The carrier will officially leave SkyTeam on January 1, 2020.
On Tuesday, China Southern Airlines announced the completion of the transitional work required prior to their official exit from the SkyTeam Alliance on January 1, 2020. Although the airline is leaving the alliance, they will maintain bi-lateral codeshare and frequent flyer partnerships with their existing SkyTeam partners. Additionally, China Southern Sky Pearl Club members will continue to accrue miles while flying with SkyTeam Alliance members including Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, Vietnam Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
From January 1, 2020, China Southern will discontinue “SkyPriority” on their own flights and replace it with their own propriety branding “CZ Priority.” All privileges of China Southern gold and silver cardholders and Elite/Elite Plus members of the SkyTeam Alliance airlines previously named will remain intact. This includes priority check-in and luggage drop off, priority boarding and access to VIP lounges. Committed to a “Customer First” philosophy, China Southern has also developed other codeshare relationships with their “circle of friends” including American Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways.
A comprehensive codeshare with American Airlines was established on March 20, 2019 and a joint-venture with British Airways was announced earlier this month. The frequent-flyer cooperation with British Airways is expected to start in June 2020.
Source: China Southern Airlines