=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2003/09/05/f= inancial1419EDT0157.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, September 5, 2003 (AP) Polish airline LOT signs code-sharing agreement with United Airlines (09-05) 11:19 PDT WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Poland's national airline, LOT, on Friday signed a code-sharing agreement with United Airlines, a move that paves the way for it to become a full member of the international Star Alliance next month. The agreement will take effect Oct. 26, with LOT joining the alliance the same day, spokesman Leszek Chorzewski said. LOT already has signed similar agreements with four other Star Alliance members -- Germany's Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, bmi british midland and All Nippon Airways. Code-sharing agreements enable carriers to sell tickets on each other's flights and permits passengers to book flights, make reservations and check in baggage in a single, streamlined system. Until now, LOT had a trans-Atlantic code-sharing arrangement with Americ= an Airlines -- a member of the rival OneWorld alliance. The switch of partners was "a strategic move for us to become a full-fledged member of the Star Alliance," Chorzewski said. As part of the Star Alliance, LOT and its passengers stand to benefit fr= om shared marketing, sales and loyalty programs run by existing members, which also include Air Canada, SAS and Singapore Airlines. LOT is trying to promote Warsaw as a hub for travelers to eastern and central Europe as Poland, along with nine other mostly eastern European nations, prepares itself to join the European Union next year. =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 AP