Battles in the global aviation market no longer pit only airlines against one another. Today's players are multilateral alliances.
Karl-Friedrich Rausch, chairman of the Airline Board and chief operating officer at at Lufthansa German Airlines, said that for some airlines, the connecting hub systems offered by alliances will be the next step in expanding business.
"This step will be made in the aviation industry in three to five years," said Rausch, who was in Japan for a ceremony to mark ANA's upcoming entry into Star Alliance. "By liberalizing, all big airlines are organizing hubs."