Recently TAROM (RO) expressed interest in codeshares with Air Canada and LOT Polish Airlines. I am wondering if this means a pivot away from SkyTeam and joining Star.

"Mr Wolff confirmed the carrier is interested in a codeshare agreement with Air Canada. "
https://blueswandaily.com/tarom-negotia ... rnisation/

"TAROM CEO Werner Wilhelm Wolff stated the carrier is interested in a partnership with LOT Polish Airlines, as well as the launch of services to China and the US from 2019 (ch-aviation/aviator.aero/Pasazer, 07-Jun-2018"

https://blueswandaily.com/tarom-express ... -aircraft/

Star Alliance would have a good hold of eastern Europe (at least the EU part), imagine: Aegean, Adria, Austrian, Croatian, LOT and TAROM. As well as Turkish who serve many destinations in Balkan. Only CSA would be left for SkyTeam.

If TAROM pivots towards Star Alliance, I have to wonder if it may be time for LOT to pivot toward oneworld, and expand in Hungary (LOT has considered applying for a Hungarian air operator's certificate). LOT could then expand some more out of BUD and maybe add a route to the Asia from BUD---from WAW, LOT currently flies east to PEK, ICN, and NRT. Perhaps a route to BKK or HKT (not charter) could be added for holidaymakers in the winter season with a PG or WE codeshare?

Currently TAROM utilizes the AF-KLM frequent flyer program, Flying Blue. If it shifted to Star Alliance, I suspect it would shift to Miles and More. However, what TAROM needs to do first is stem its losses, which rose in 2017 compared to 2016.

aemoreira1981 wrote:

If TAROM pivots towards Star Alliance, I have to wonder if it may be time for LOT to pivot toward oneworld, and expand in Hungary (LOT has considered applying for a Hungarian air operator's certificate). LOT could then expand some more out of BUD and maybe add a route to the Asia from BUD---from WAW, LOT currently flies east to PEK, ICN, and NRT. Perhaps a route to BKK or HKT (not charter) could be added for holidaymakers in the winter season with a PG or WE codeshare?

Currently TAROM utilizes the AF-KLM frequent flyer program, Flying Blue. If it shifted to Star Alliance, I suspect it would shift to Miles and More. However, what TAROM needs to do first is stem its losses, which rose in 2017 compared to 2016.

Any LOT expansion at BUD is likely to be long haul or major European capitals. Wizz Air and to a lesser extent Ryanair own a lot of the traffic in and out of there. That sows up a lot of the smaller cities straight away!

I don't see LOT leaving Star, if their flights from LHR to WAW are anything to go by transfers from T2 work well for them.

aemoreira1981 wrote:

from WAW, LOT currently flies east to PEK, ICN, and NRT.

+ SIN, TSE

By joining *A I think Tarom would benefit with connecting passengers through many different hubs across Europe. I know the Romanian tourism industry is rapidly climbing and more pax are wanting to head to the US mainly from Romania. Air canada rouge seems to be doing well on both of its routes. Which would also benefit for connecting pax throughout Romania or wheverer. Maybe Tarom could finally start international service again (if they joined *). And they need a whole revamp on fleet.

No disrespect but TAROM is a tiny airline with a tiny network and an ancient small fleet. What exactly would RO bring to the *A table?

Tarom already codeshares or has done it with some *A members, such as Aegean, Brussels or Austrian.
Of course they are integrated in SkyTeam and in Flying Blue, but they will just codeshare with the airline that brings the most advantages to them.
With Air Canada, they would have access to the only transatlantic services out of OTP (at the moment, the only TATL codeshares Tarom has are from Paris to America).
I suspect that the LOT agreement would be more about fleet, maybe leasing a 787 to lauch transatlantic and Asian routes, or some Embraers, as some people say those might replace the ATRs currently at Tarom.

Tarom currently have 3 LCCs competing with it at Bucharest for short haul pax - Blue Air, Ryanair and Wizz. Tarom's share of short haul traffic at Bucharest makes Alitalia look good. And remember, there is an awful lot more traffic (both wealthy and not-so-wealthy) at Rome than there is at Bucharest.

A colleague aged 30 at work from Bucharest never ceases to mention the scale of how her former schoolfriends have all left Romania for a better life and are in no hurry to move back home there. Poland has managed to stem this brain drain in a way that Romania has not.

Until it can maintain its share of European traffic at OTP and thus have something to feed long haul, then talk of Tarom intercontinental will be synonymous with financial red ink

I think that One World should consider inviting Tarom, because One World currently had no partner in Central and Eastern Europe (yes they have S7 but they are in Eastern Russia, Siberia). Malev is gone, Air Berlin is gone, so who in One World covers Eastern Europe? No one. So that's why I think Tarom would be a nice addition to the One World alliance. Star already has Austrian, LOT, Aegean, Swiss and Turkish covering Eastern Europe and the Middle East, that's plenty. And Sky Team has CSA and Aeroflot.So to make it clear: What would Tarom bring to One World? Eastern Europe.

American 767 wrote:

I think that One World should consider inviting Tarom, because One World currently had no partner in Central and Eastern Europe (yes they have S7 but they are in Eastern Russia, Siberia). Malev is gone, Air Berlin is gone, so who in One World covers Eastern Europe? No one. So that's why I think Tarom would be a nice addition to the One World alliance. Star already has Austrian, LOT, Aegean, Swiss and Turkish covering Eastern Europe and the Middle East, that's plenty. And Sky Team has CSA and Aeroflot.So to make it clear: What would Tarom bring to One World? Eastern Europe.

I would rather see OW (IAG?) persue OK. PRG would be a much more useful central/Eastern Europe compared to OTP.

Below, some excerpts related to SkyTeam and fleet renewal from an interview with TAROM's CEO published in Airways Magazine (print edition) on 12th October 2018 and quoted by Aeronews.ro. http://aeronews.ro/ceo-ul-tarom-despre- ... i-skyteam/

'It seems that TAROM being in the alliance is not fully appreciated by SkyTeam. We are currently having talks with SkyTeam to see if we stay in the alliance or not. The biggest winner from ROT being in SkyTeam is not us, but someone else. I believe that TAROM joining SkyTeam in 2010 was a mistake, back then we were sponsored by Air France-KLM.'

Two or three weeks later after the Airways Mag interview, TAROM's CEO gave another one to ATW in which he stated that ROT has signed an extension of the SkyTeam membership on November 14th, without saying for how many years. So in 2019 we won't see TAROM leaving SkyTeam, maybe in 2020 when the 10 years since joining are up. http://atwonline.com/airlines/tarom-eye ... ute-growth

Fleet renewal: 'A priority for us: replacing the nine ATRs 42 / 72 and the four 737-300s. Most likely, we'll buy regional jets. We would also like to replace the four A318s with A220s, if Airbus makes us a good offer.'

The CEO also stated in another interview that ROT aims to resume flights to US and China in 2019. Fact: two TAROM officials have travelled to US in mid-October to see two 'Terrible Teens', 787-8 Dreamliners (VP-CSC and N947BA). http://aeronews.ro/doi-oficiali-tarom-a ... reamliner/

Some sources say TAROM will opt for Embraers for the regional jets, they would like to have between 13-17 in the fleet. Star Alliance has nothing to gain if ROT joins. However, OW would benefit much more.

upintheair2018 wrote:

However, OW would benefit much more.

Exactly. That's my whole point.

American 767 wrote:

I think that One World should consider inviting Tarom, because One World currently had no partner in Central and Eastern Europe (yes they have S7 but they are in Eastern Russia, Siberia). Malev is gone, Air Berlin is gone, so who in One World covers Eastern Europe? No one. So that's why I think Tarom would be a nice addition to the One World alliance. Star already has Austrian, LOT, Aegean, Swiss and Turkish covering Eastern Europe and the Middle East, that's plenty. And Sky Team has CSA and Aeroflot.So to make it clear: What would Tarom bring to One World? Eastern Europe.

Most of S7 operations are in Moscow and Saint Petersburg which are Eastern Europe and not Siberia.

Alexdk wrote:

American 767 wrote:

I think that One World should consider inviting Tarom, because One World currently had no partner in Central and Eastern Europe (yes they have S7 but they are in Eastern Russia, Siberia). Malev is gone, Air Berlin is gone, so who in One World covers Eastern Europe? No one. So that's why I think Tarom would be a nice addition to the One World alliance. Star already has Austrian, LOT, Aegean, Swiss and Turkish covering Eastern Europe and the Middle East, that's plenty. And Sky Team has CSA and Aeroflot.So to make it clear: What would Tarom bring to One World? Eastern Europe.

Most of S7 operations are in Moscow and Saint Petersburg which are Eastern Europe and not Siberia.

True. However both MOS and LED are not in a good position for most of Eastern Europe (Balcan countries, Hungeria, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Czecg). Tarom and OTP are better suited for intra-connections and can provide extra feed to S7, AY, BA, iB

If oneworld wanted a partner in Eastern Europe then Air Serbia makes more sense than Tarom. At least JU has a decent regional network as it serves all primary airports in the Balkans. Not to mention that JU manages to serve LHR and actually make money there.

RO's biggest selling point is its ability to feed foreign hubs with Romanian passengers, that's about it.

dcajet wrote:

No disrespect but TAROM is a tiny airline with a tiny network and an ancient small fleet. What exactly would RO bring to the *A table?

This. TAROM isn't even the largest carrier in their host nation of Romania (they're third largest by passengers carried... in Romania...)

Their presence in a global airline alliance brings little to the table relatively speaking, and for them to leave an alliance or swap alliances does nothing to alter any sort of balance or the actions of other carriers.