NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2002—The SkyTeam global airline alliance today was named to Global Finance magazine’s fifth annual ranking of the “Best Global Companies.” This honor marks the first time in the magazine’s history that its editorial board awarded the title in the “Airlines” category to an airline alliance.

In its November issue, Global Finance noted that airlines are currently challenged to obtain ambitious goals of global growth in a time of financial constraint and, as a result, alliances have become the industry’s wave of the future. As such, the publication selected SkyTeam—the global alliance partnering Aeroméxico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta and Korean Air—to receive its best global airline designation, underscoring the alliance’s strategy and excellence in achievement. Global Finance, which is read by 300,000 people in more than 160 countries, reports in the issue that “SkyTeam is not yet the biggest grouping in the industry, but it’s the one with a tailwind.”

“We are delighted to receive this recognition and honor from Global Finance,” the SkyTeam CEOs said in a statement. “We have worked tirelessly since SkyTeam’s inception two years ago to make the alliance a major force in the industry by focusing on the needs of our passengers around the world. We are positioned for continued strategic growth as a result of the alliance’s strong global network anchored by our members’ strategically located hubs.”

“Excellence in business is most apparent and coveted in difficult economic times,” said Global Finance publisher Joseph Giarraputo. “SkyTeam and the other companies we’ve identified this year exemplify a level of operations that will keep them the global leaders in their sectors.”

In two years, SkyTeam has made strategic gains, in terms of membership growth, passengers and destinations served, and number of flights offered. In 2002, SkyTeam became the first global alliance to receive both trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific antitrust immunity (ATI) from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The full report appears in the November issue of Global Finance, available by subscription or on the Web at www.gfmag.com.

SkyTeam is the global airline alliance partnering Aeroméxico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air. Through one of the world’s most extensive hub networks, SkyTeam offers its 220 million annual passengers a worldwide system of approximately 8,200 daily flights covering all major destinations. Visit SkyTeam on the Web at www.skyteam.com.

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