Star Alliance, the world's first airline alliance, celebrated its tenth anniversary this week.
The alliance has grown in that time from a group of five carriers to a current membership of 17, flying 406m passengers to 855 destinations in 155 countries.
To mark the anniversary, Star said it would be working with environment organisations to combat global warming.
It is also changing its tagline from 'the airline network for Earth' to ‘The way the Earth connects.'
The three environmental organisations with which Star will work under its Biosphere Connection programme are UNESCO-MAB, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Under the agreements, Star will help field workers from these agencies with transport to relevant meetings, conferences and events
Jaan Albrecht, Star's ceo, said: "We have defied many sceptics who saw us as a marketing gag which was only going to last two years.
"Today, nearly 30% of global air travellers use the services of our member carriers or looking at if from an overall industry perspective, two thirds of world-wide air travellers is one of the three airline alliances."
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Mergers the way forward - Spinetta
Airline consolidation is "only solution" to restructuring the aviation industry, Jean-Cyril Spinetta, chairman and ceo of Air France KLM, said.
Speaking at the China Aviation Development Forum in Beijing, Mr Spinetta said the world economy needed to rely on "efficient and profitable air transport."
He added: "The development of air transport is contingent on consolidation. Alliances already play an important role in this process, by grouping airlines around a strong commercial project. "However, I am convinced that equity-based mergers are the only solution to restructuring our sector, as they will give airlines the critical size they need to adapt to a fast-changing economic context."
Mr Spinetta said that only by merging could Air France and KLM "seize the opportunities offered by a buoyant global demand.”
Both carriers, which merged in 2004, had “powerful, complementary networks, organised around two efficient connecting hubs: Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol."
He said it was now Europe's leading airline group and had a strong position in the markets of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the North Atlantic.
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