FAQ for the STAR ALLIANCE TRAVEL INFORMATION HUB Q. Why Was It
FAQ for the STAR ALLIANCE TRAVEL INFORMATION HUB
Q. Why was it decided to create the Star Alliance Travel Information Hub?
A. The tool was created to reduce complexity by helping customers navigate the ever- changing international measures taken by governments, regulators, and other stakeholders to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
Q. What type of information can I find with the Star Alliance Travel Information Hub?
A. The tool provides specific health and hygiene measures presented across all elements of the customer journey. The Travel Information Hub now permits the user to configure a complete itinerary, including the origin airport, a transfer airport, and a connecting airline.
Q. Where can I find the Star Alliance Travel Information Hub?
A. The Star Alliance Travel Information Hub can be found by clicking on: http://www.staralliance.com/journey-info
Q. Can I search for simple one-segment trips as well as a complete itinerary?
A. Yes. You can enter one segment trips (one airline, two airports), or two-segment journey details (two airlines, three airports)
Q. What are the maximum number of flight segments I can select?
A. In its web version, the tool allows up to 2 airline segments and 3 airports. The API can handle up to 5 segments and 6 airports.
Q. You mention airlines and airports. Can I also receive country-specific information in my search?
A. Yes. Country information, both at origin and destination, is now integrated into a customer- friendly visual representation of the entire journey
Q. In which languages is the website tool offered?
A. In addition to English, you can be guided in French, German, Spanish and Simplified Chinese.
Q. Are additional languages planned?
A. Yes. Japanese will be offered before the end of July, and we plan to also offer the tool in Portuguese and Traditional Chinese in the near future.
Q. Will all the information be in my desired language?
A. Query results will be returned to the user in the language offered by the source data. Often this may only be in the English language. Your internet browser may offer online translation in some cases.
Q. My home, transfer or destination airport is not found. Why is this?
A. The airport has insufficient publicly available web information relating to COVID-19 that could provide a comprehensive overview of the health and hygiene measures in place.
Q. How can an airport qualify to be included in the Travel Information Hub?
A. The primary objective of Star Alliance is to provide quality information to customers. For an airport to be included it must have a publicly available COVID-19 webpage that provides all relevant information about health and hygiene measures in place at that location, with a contact person for verification, maintenance and quality assurance of the data.
Those airports interested in participating in the expanded airport coverage of the Star Alliance Travel Information Hub can write to: [email protected]
Q. Can I share the information I have found?
A. Yes. When your search query information is displayed, click on the mailbox icon in the top right to open your email app, which will already be pre-formatted for you with a link to the results. All you need to do is enter the email address of the person(s) to whom you are
sending, and press enter.
Q. Will I be able to share via social media?
A. Yes, we are working on social media solution. Since different world regions have different social media app preferences, we started with email sharing as it has universal application.
Q. Can the Travel Information Hub be used by travel agents?
A. Yes, most definitely. The website is publicly available, and anyone can research journey information on behalf of anyone else. They can then also email the results to that party.
Q. How do I know if the information provided is up to date?
A. The information can change very rapidly, given the nature of the pandemic. While the information is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis, you must always check with your airline and relevant authorities for any measures, regulations or entry requirements when planning your trip or taking any travel decisions.
Q. What is the source data?
A. There are several.
a) Airline information is provided directly from our 26 member carriers b) Airport data is referenced from official airport websites, and specifically to their COVID-19 page c) Country data is sourced from Sherpa, a Canada-based company offering eVisa and information on travel restrictions.
Q. What is the strategy of Star Alliance relating to COVID-19?
A. Star Alliance and its member airlines continue their work with other travel industry stakeholders to help restore accessible travel and to build public confidence in both planning and using air travel. We are doing are part to once again connecting people and cultures and to rebuild the tourism industry.
FRANKFURT, Germany - July 28th, 2020