STAR ALLIANCE PARTNERS WITH PLUG AND PLAY TO ACCESS LATEST INNOVATIONS FROM SILICON VALLEY Important step in the Alliance’s Digital Strategy

          Star Alliance has entered into a partnership with Plug and Play, the world's largest start-up accelerator and innovation centre. This will allow the Alliance to identify relevant start-ups and accompany them throughout their idea gathering and development processes, as new products and technology for the travel ecosystem are created.
          Based in Silicon Valley, Plug and Play not only supports existing start-ups financially, but provides guidance and mentorship as well as contacts to companies interested in their ideas. Regarding travel and hospitality, Plug and Play's mission is to discover, support and scale disruptive technologies that are defining the future in this field.
          "Partnering with Plug and Play is an important step in our strategy of becoming digitally advanced and delivering seamless travel experiences", said Jeffrey Goh, CEO Star Alliance. "An early understanding of future technological and digital trends, coupled with the possibility to participate in the development at an initial stage, will ensure the long-term success of our new digital strategy."
          "We look forward to helping Star Alliance transform their innovation roadmap. Through this partnership, we will introduce them to the best and brightest start-ups in the travel industry," said Saeed Amidi, Founder & CEO of Plug and Play. "Their commitment to utilizing start-up technologies will bring the travel industry to the next level and we are honoured to have them on board."
          As Star Alliance transitions into its third decade, it is developing digital capabilities centrally, which can then be used by its member carriers to enhance their own products, with the aim of extending care to their regular customers even when they are travelling on other member carriers.