[3] Spanair provided a scheduled passenger network within Spain and Europe, with an extension to West Africa.

It was set up as a joint venture between Scandinavian Airlines and Viajes Marsans, and began operations with European charters.

The airline flew long-haul flights with Boeing 767-300ER aircraft to Washington and Buenos Aires in the late 1990s.

[5] The divestment was cancelled on 19 June 2008 due to SAS not being able to sell for a price that it considered to "reflect the underlying value in Spanair."

[3] A report in the British newspaper The Times on the day of the 2008 Madrid crash suggests that staff were threatening strike action due to concerns about the company's viability.

Financially troubled during its last few years, Spanair ended operations on 27 January 2012, after Qatar Airways pulled out of talks to inject cash into the airline.

It was innovative for allowing members to redeem points immediately, in the form of a discount on a future flight.