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
