Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance, is committed to seamless collaboration and enabling effortless interline journeys across its 25 member airlines. In this video interview, following her participation at the recent APEX FTE Asia Expo 2025, Ambar Franco, Vice President Customer Experience, shares how Star Alliance is laser-focused on customer experience, with a unique role in improving the interline journey while balancing data, automation, innovative technology and the human touch.
Franco participated in a key session at APEX FTE Asia Expo 2025 – ‘The End-to-End Customer Experience Summit’ – sharing key insights into how the global airline network is enhancing the end-to-end passenger experience.
One of the central messages Franco shared was the need to clear up common misconceptions about Star Alliance. “We’re not an airline, and we’re not a loyalty program,” Franco explained. “We’re an enabler.”
Unlike individual carriers, Star Alliance focuses on adding value to its member airlines, particularly when passengers are travelling across multiple airlines. By connecting airlines and ensuring smooth transitions between them, Star Alliance helps tackle challenges that airlines face on their own.
Franco emphasised that while airlines focus on the direct aspects of a journey, like ticketing or check-in, Star Alliance plays a pivotal role in addressing pain points that arise during multi-airline trips. This includes everything from booking to airport transfers, connections, and loyalty programs.
Focusing on multi-airline journeys
Star Alliance’s mission is laser-focused on customer experience, particularly when passengers are flying on interline journeys. Franco noted that while airlines individually work to improve their own services, Star Alliance steps in to enhance the passenger experience during multi-airline connections. The organisation takes a close look at four key areas of the customer journey: booking, airport processes, connections, and loyalty. By using data, technology, and human touch, Star Alliance seeks to improve pain points that typically arise during these phases.
“We analyse all the pain points in the customer journey, from booking to airport to connections and loyalty, and we try to find solutions, sometimes through technology, other times it’s just by human touch,” said Franco.
Ensuring consistency across airlines
With 25 member airlines spanning continents, maintaining a consistent experience across diverse carriers is a challenge. To address this, Star Alliance has set up more than 50 standards that all member airlines must adhere to. These standards ensure that regardless of the size or region of the airline, there is a consistent baseline for service quality across the alliance.
Franco pointed out that this consistency is critical to meeting customer expectations, which are increasingly personalised. “We deliver consistent experiences because of the 50+ standards that all our airlines have to meet,” Franco said. This unified approach helps ensure that passengers traveling across multiple carriers can expect a similar level of service and efficiency throughout their journey.
Technology and the human touch: striking the right balance
As the air transport industry continues to embrace automation and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology, one key question arises: how can airlines integrate technology without sacrificing the personal connection that passengers value?
Franco offered some compelling examples of how Star Alliance is leveraging technology to streamline the travel experience while maintaining that vital human element. For instance, the organisation has developed a baggage tracking system that uses automation to keep passengers informed of their luggage’s location during interline journeys. But this technology is not just a data point – it’s paired with a human touch. “We track our baggage in interline journeys, but there is that human touch throughout the different touchpoints,” Franco explained.
Another example is the Star Alliance Connection Centres, which are located at nine major hubs around the world. These centres use data to predict misconnections and help passengers make their connecting flights. If a passenger is at risk of missing their connection, Star Alliance staff are ready to assist by physically guiding passengers to their next flight, ensuring a smooth transition despite the challenges of connecting between different airlines.
Franco stressed that this combination of data-driven insights and personal assistance ensures that passengers receive both the efficiency of technology and the reassurance of human care.
APEX FTE Asia Expo: a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, explore new trends, and build deeper connections
Reflecting on her experience at APEX FTE Asia Expo, Franco shared her excitement about the event. “It was my first time here, and I’m very pleased to have participated in the panel. The organisation, the attendance – everything was very well done.”
For Franco, events like APEX FTE Asia Expo provide a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, explore new trends, and build deeper connections within the industry.
As the air travel industry continues to evolve, Star Alliance remains at the forefront of transforming the end-to-end customer experience. By focusing on seamless interline journeys, maintaining consistent service standards across a diverse network of airlines, and balancing cutting-edge technology with a human touch, Star Alliance is setting the standard for what modern air travel should look like. Franco’s insights at APEX FTE Asia Expo illustrate the importance of innovation, collaboration, and a relentless focus on passenger satisfaction, all while keeping an eye on the future of digital transformation within the aviation sector.
View the full APEX FTE Asia Expo 2025 report >>Save the date for APEX FTE Expo Asia, 18-19 November 2026 – uniting the world in Singapore for the largest end-to-end passenger experience and innovation expo
Next year, we’re building on 15 years of incredible momentum, as our long-running regional show evolves into a true global mega event with the launch of the unified APEX FTE Expo Asia, bringing together two of the industry’s most respected brands under one roof at the Marina Bay Sands. APEX will bring its largest event, APEX Global EXPO, to Singapore, combining its unrivalled customer experience heritage with FTE’s long-established regional innovation APAC event, which will now take on a broader global focus.
This powerful new collaboration will unite the world in Singapore for the largest end-to-end passenger experience and innovation expo, connecting airline, airport, and technology leaders from across APAC and beyond to showcase the ideas, solutions, and partnerships redefining the future of travel.
With more than 3,000 participants expected, including representatives from 100+ airlines and airport operators from around the world, attendees will experience a dynamic exhibition and conference programme featuring C-suite interviews, case studies, and discussions exploring the strategies, technologies, and collaborations driving the next era of air transport innovation.
Mark your diary for APEX FTE Expo Asia, Singapore, 18-19 November 2026 >>
