As of January 31st, Varig will be removed from the Star Alliance because it no longer operates a major global network, which is one of the membership requirements. The Brazilian carrier has had a bad year and has greatly reduced its network. For the Star Alliance, that means it will be the only one of the major airline alliances not to have a member based in Latin America.
The Star Alliance contains such members as United, US Airways, Air Canada, and more.
