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In the airline industry, the formation of highly integrated strategic alliances started during the 1990 s. Thereby, Star Alliance became the first global player when passenger airlines faced deregulation, and wanted to support their growth and expansion in international markets. For cargo companies, this type of integration came around later, namely in the beginning of 2000.
As a result of the increased co-operation, major alliances were formed with the launch of SkyTeam Cargo and WOW. In the dawn of the new century, these alliances should lay the cornerstone for the achievement of a long term success through synergy effects, and higher competitiveness in terms of the individual and the group. A decade later, WOW and SkyTeam Cargo have evolved in different directions but, not all members or ex-members are pleased about the results.
Strategic alliances in air transport have been studied widely but, most of the recent publications only cover the passenger side in this business. There are a lot of information and statements about the benefits that alliances can bring to its members. But, the review of the literature shows that research is very sparse when it comes down to the evaluation of the actual impact of alliance integration on air cargo carriers standing.
The objective of this book is to analyze and interpret the impact of a strategic alliance on cargo airlines revenue-tonne-kilometres key figures (provided by Airline Business 1998-2010), and market share developments. The author s aim is on the one hand, to answer the question if air cargo operators did profit from alliance integration, and on the other hand, to give the reasons for this development. Besides, the book gives an overview about the market s environment, the characteristics of air freight, and the history of WOW and SkyTeam Cargo. Further, the additional questions are discussed in detail: How did carriers react to the challenges and opportunities in the market? What are the main benefits or disadvantages for alliance members? What major challenges do (prospective) members face in an alliance? What are the core arrangements and prerequisites for alliance integration? Is there a common success, are there stability factors and why do alliances fail? What alternatives are there to alliance formation

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Florian Smeritschnig was born in Vienna, Austria in 1989. Among the top 10 students of his year (out of more than 5700), he obtained the bachelor degree in Business Administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, where he specialized in Transport and Logistics Management, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation. During these studies, he spent one semester at the Business School of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Besides, he had already the chance to collect work-experience in fields such as civil aviation, finance and journalism. His personal interests include aviation, travelling, economics and politics, entrepreneurship, financial markets, photography and music. Florian Smeritschnig currently lives and works in Vienna.

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