Tag Archives for oneworld.
A new Royal Air Maroc status-match offer lets travelers effectively buy into Oneworld status, unlocking business and even first class lounge access when flying airlines like American and Alaska. With matches available up to Emerald and valid through 2026, it’s one of the rare opportunities for those with status in another program to purchase alliance-wide lounge benefits outright with oneworld airlines.
You can earn lifetime oneworld sapphire elite status just from credit card spending. That’s mid-tier status like American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum or Alaska Airlines MVP Gold, and allows you to access American and Alaska lounges even when flying domestically on those airlines (and includes access to American’s Flagship business class lounges).
Two years ago Oman Air announced that it planned to join the oneworld alliance which is headed by American Airlines and based in Dallas, and includes members like British Airways, Japan Airlines, and Qantas.
Now it seems that the oneworld launch is on the cusp of reality.
This is a crowded market, and having a U.S. connectivity partner only with Alaska is limiting. Taiwanese media is reporting that Starlux is looking to join the oneworld alliance, putting them on stronger footing against their larger Taiwanese long haul rivals.
Qatar Airways just launched two new U.S. credit cards and they are really interesting since just getting the premium card gives you oneworld status that includes lounge access when flying American Airlines and Alaska Airlines domestically – for less than buying a lounge membership – and even includes access to American Airlines business class Flagship lounges.
Through May 7, British Airways Executive Club is offering to status match members who reside in the U.S. and Canada. Depending on your status with a U.S. or Canadian airline frequent flyer program, they will match to Silver or Gold status.
This gets you premium check-in and lounge access, plus extra baggage benefits, when flying domestically on American and Alaska as well as more benefits traveling on other oneworld airlines.
American Airlines upgrades on Qantas are now live. It’s managed by PlusGrade, the company that sells ‘bidding for upgrade’ programs to airlines. And it’s a “cash or miles” upgrade option. Basically you have the ability to upgrade on Qantas, as a Qantas member might, but pay using AAdvantage miles. And this is the oneworld upgrade program.
Air China, which currently owns 30% of Cathay Pacific, is considering taking control of the Hong Kong-based airline. The Chinese flag carrier and Star Alliance member could cause a realignment of global airline alliances, moving Cathay from oneworld (American Airlines, British Airways) over to Star (United, Air Canada).
The oneworld alliance has opened up its first ‘alliance lounge’ at Seoul Incheon airport. There’s been a tremendous amount of fanfare for this week and a half old space. But there are teething pains, because the lounge is improperly denying access to customers with eligible oneworld status, even who are flying business class.
Two weeks ago American Airlines detailed changes coming for the AAdvantage program in 2024. One of those changes was ‘upgrades on select partner airlines’.
While American declined to offer any details of the new option for upgrades on partner airlines, I wrote that I expected this to be the long-delayed oneworld alliance upgrade program.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
