Air Canada hosted the chief executives of more than 20 Star Alliance member airlines in Vancouver this week, with the alliance’s CEO strategy meeting marking the 15th anniversary of its launch in 1997. Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, THAI and United Airlines were the founding members of the Star Alliance which has now grown to include 25 members. Calin Rovinescu, president and CEO of Air Canada, pointed out that: “Over the past 15 years, Star Alliance has consistently distinguished itself as the world’s premiere airline group. Star Alliance was founded on the principle of offering customers the reach of a global network beyond what any single carrier is able to do on its own, and rewarding our respective customers’ loyalty by providing reciprocal privileges across the world’s leading airlines. Working together to meet our customers’ international travel needs has become our hallmark, one that we continue to build as we look for ways to simplify our customers’ travel experience and earn their loyalty.” Congratulating Air Canada on its 75th anniversary, Star Alliance’s CEO, Mark Schwab said: “While modern technology has greatly improved global communications in the business world, the feedback we receive from our customers confirms our own belief that face-to-face meetings will never be replaced by ’virtual’ ones. These regular meetings of our top executives ensure that our strategy continues to meet the changing needs of our customers, even as Star Alliance itself celebrates its 15th Anniversary year.” Go to http://www.staralliance.com for more.