SkyTeam Turns 25: CEO Patrick Roux Talks Growth, Innovation, and Rival Alliances

When SkyTeam launched in New York City on June 22, 2000, it was entering a market already shaped by older, more established airline alliances. Yet its founding members—Aeroméxico, Air France, Delta Air Lines, and Korean Air—were betting that cooperation could deliver something more than just codeshare agreements: a seamless, consistent, and rewarding experience for the traveler.

In its earliest days, SkyTeam offered just over 6,400 daily flights to 451 destinations. That quickly changed. Within a few years, the alliance added CSA Czech Airlines and Alitalia in 2001, followed by a milestone expansion in 2004 that brought in Continental, KLM, and Northwest. With 14,320 daily flights to 658 cities in 130 countries, SkyTeam was no longer the newcomer—it had become a serious contender.

Photo: Courtesy of SkyTeam

“We knew we had to refocus the alliance on what matters most: the customer,” said SkyTeam CEO Patrick Roux, reflecting on the vision that now drives the alliance’s strategy. “Seamlessness, consistency, and personalization were—and still are—our guiding principles.”

Setting the Course—Together, in Delhi

Roux spoke with Business Traveler at the 81st IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Delhi, where every SkyTeam member airline CEO had gathered for the yearly in-person summit.

Convening all 18 CEOs under one roof isn’t easy—it’s a logistical and diplomatic challenge that few events can facilitate. That’s why Roux uses the IATA AGM as a strategic platform, not just to celebrate milestones like SkyTeam’s 25th anniversary but to recalibrate the alliance’s priorities, gain consensus, and set the direction for the coming year.

Photo: SkyTeam board meeting at the IATA AGM in Istanbul. Courtesy of SkyTeam

“This is the one time in the year when I can bring everyone together—CEOs from every region, every business model, all in one place,” he said. “We had a full board meeting, followed by an open strategy session. It was incredibly productive.”

The timing couldn’t have been better. As airline partnerships become more data-driven and premium-focused, Roux needed face time with his peers to reinforce alignment and accelerate decisions.

The Value of Alliances

Roux took the reins at SkyTeam with over three decades of experience at Air France, having worked across regions including the Americas and Asia-Pacific. He brought a commercially focused mindset to an organization often seen as symbolic rather than strategic.

“One thing I’ve always prioritized is business value,” Roux explained. “While alliances have a diplomatic component, my focus has been to make SkyTeam a business enabler.”

Photo: SkyTeam board meeting at the IATA AGM in Delhi. Courtesy of SkyTeam

That value, according to Roux, comes in two forms: increasing revenue through better customer propositions and helping member airlines reduce costs by aligning processes and infrastructure. “Alliances should drive tangible value—not just symbolism,” he emphasized.

Do Some Members Have More Influence Than Others?

SkyTeam is made up of 18 airlines of vastly different scales, from global giants to regionally focused carriers. Roux acknowledges that influence is naturally shaped by scale—but insists on maintaining balance and inclusivity.

“It’s a constant balancing act. Our goal is to ensure that every member’s voice is heard,” he said. “Just yesterday, here in Delhi, we had a board meeting and an open strategy session with all the CEOs. Everyone contributed and provided clear direction—it was a very collaborative process.”

Photo: Patrick Roux conversing with Marjan Rintel (KLM) at the IATA AGM. Courtesy of SkyTeam

He continued: “Of course, when you have large, influential members—such as Delta, Air France-KLM, and Korean Air—they can help support and uplift smaller members. This creates momentum and promotes sharing. But influence doesn’t mean dominance. We also learn from our smaller or regionally specialized members. Sometimes they lead in areas like customer service, operational agility, or digital tools—and we scale those insights to benefit the entire alliance.”

Roux said the alliance thrives on this mix of perspectives, with members regularly exchanging best practices in areas such as AI, sustainability programs, and elite recognition policies.

A New Era of Membership and Digital Transformation

Under Roux’s leadership, the alliance welcomed two major members: Virgin Atlantic in 2023 and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in 2024. SAS’s transition from Star Alliance was particularly notable.

“SAS brings deep experience from its time with Star Alliance,” Roux said. “But they’ve already told us how welcomed and supported they feel within SkyTeam—and how they’re seeing real benefits early on.”

Photo: Patrick Roux and Anko van der Werff (SAS). Courtesy of SkyTeam

These new members reflect SkyTeam’s effort to deepen its network while enriching its culture of collaboration.

“We have very active working groups, cross-member task forces, and digital teams,” Roux added. “Integration doesn’t stop after joining—it’s an ongoing effort to create consistency without erasing individuality.”

The Push for Seamlessness and Recognition

One of SkyTeam’s most visible programs is SkyPriority, which offers premium services such as priority check-in, boarding, and baggage handling for Elite Plus and premium cabin travelers. According to Roux, it’s “one of the most mature and well-executed alliance-wide programs” in the industry.

What makes it effective is not just the offering, but how the alliance ensures consistency. “We conduct regular audits of our members and benchmark against our customer promise,” Roux said. “We also launched the SkyPriority Panel app, which lets travelers report issues or provide feedback in real time. It’s a kind of crowdsourced audit.”

Photo: Courtesy of SkyTeam

That emphasis on real-time feedback and accountability reflects SkyTeam’s broader digital transformation strategy, which includes tools like the Carry-on Calculator and a loyalty benefits calculator to reduce friction and eliminate guesswork for frequent travelers.

SkyTeam-Branded Lounge Strategy 

As business travelers know, lounges are more than a perk—they’re an essential part of the journey. Recognizing this, SkyTeam has invested in its own network of branded lounges in locations like Dubai, Santiago, Vancouver, São Paulo, and Sydney.

Photo: SkyTeam lounge, Vancouver. Courtesy of SkyTeam

“These serve travelers where we don’t have a dominant member airline, allowing us to maintain a high-quality experience,” Roux said. “We’re actively exploring additional locations and have four or five new projects under consideration.”

The lounge initiative reflects a broader strategy to control and elevate the customer journey, especially in competitive or underserved markets.

Bridging the Air-Rail Divide

With growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and increase multi-modal travel options, SkyTeam is embracing rail partnerships as a natural complement to its airline network.

“We’ve launched pilot programs with Eurostar and Trenitalia, focusing on seamless booking and connectivity,” Roux said. “The first step is simple: integrating train services into our members’ websites and booking engines.”

Photo: Courtesy of SkyTeam

But the vision goes beyond integration. “We’re also exploring more advanced connections, like linking loyalty programs and enabling digital check-in across modes of transport,” he added.

Interestingly, SkyTeam’s conversations with Trenitalia began before ITA Airways exited the alliance in 2025 to join Star Alliance. “While it was disappointing to lose that presence, it also pushed us to explore new models,” Roux said.

Membership Turnover

SkyTeam has seen its fair share of membership changes. While it grew steadily throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, several departures—including Continental and Copa in 2009, China Southern in 2018, and ITA in 2024—have reshaped the alliance’s footprint.

In some cases, these exits were offset by additions like Vietnam Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Saudia, and Middle East Airlines. But in other instances, SkyTeam took a strategic pause to reconsider how it could maintain a presence in critical markets without a local airline partner.

Photo: Courtesy of SkyTeam

“We’re continuing to evaluate how best to serve the Italian market in the future,” Roux noted, “either through new partnerships or by reinforcing existing member operations.”

The temporary suspension of Aeroflot in 2022 due to geopolitical reasons further reflects the challenges of managing a global alliance during turbulent times.

The Future of Alliances

SkyTeam has taken notable steps in sustainability, including launching The Aviation Challenge in 2022 and becoming the first global airline alliance to adopt an Anti-Human Trafficking Declaration in 2025. These actions highlight the alliance’s commitment not just to growth, but to responsible leadership.

SkyTeam’s Anti-Human Trafficking Declaration is the first global initiative by an airline alliance aimed at preventing human trafficking. Courtesy of SkyTeam

“We worked with our members to co-design a five-year plan,” Roux explained. “That foundation now allows us to accelerate new projects and innovations, from enhancing customer recognition to developing real-time connectivity tools across the alliance.”

As for what comes next, Roux is watching the evolution of low-cost carriers (LCCs) and their increasingly blurred lines with traditional airlines.

“Take Gol in Brazil or IndiGo in India—both work closely with our members. The line between legacy and low-cost carriers is blurring,” he said. “Many LCCs are introducing loyalty programs, business-class cabins, and partnerships. They’ve realized that being part of a broader ecosystem makes them more resilient.”

In particular, Delta, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic have signed a new codeshare agreement with IndiGo, which will extend the Indian LCC’s reach into Europe and North America. While the details are still being finalized, it is likely that if this collaboration is successful, a low-cost carrier may begin to cooperate more deeply with other SkyTeam members and their frequent flyer programs.

Photo: Business Class on Indian Low-Cost Carrier, IndiGo. Courtesy of IndiGo

Will we see LCCs join alliances like SkyTeam? Roux believes, “It’s still early days, but I do think we’ll see more integration between traditional alliances and LCCs—at least in selective, strategic ways.”

A Quarter Century in, Just Getting Started

From a small group of four founding airlines to a network of 18 members serving over 600 million travelers a year, SkyTeam has evolved into a powerful alliance with a clear customer-first strategy. And with an eye on digital tools, multi-modal connectivity, and global consistency, Patrick Roux is positioning SkyTeam not just for growth—but for relevance in a shifting travel landscape.

“It’s an exciting time for us,” he said. “And we’re just getting started.”