Tag Archives for oneworld.
In 2019, the oneworld alliance which includes American Airlines, Alaska, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and more, announced plans for its first alliance-wide lounge. This was going to be at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. The pandemic and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine put that plan on hold, with Russian carrier S7 suspended from the alliance.
However construction is now underway on a oneworld alliance lounge in Seoul.
In 2015 Delta Air Lines made a $450 million investment in Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines. That left fellow SkyTeam member Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines out in the cold. Two years later, American Airlines followed with a $200 million investment (for a 2.76% stake) in Chinese state-controlled China Southern.
China Southern left SkyTeam. They introduced AAdvantage mileage-earning and redmeption and entered into a joint venture with British Airways. BA’s largest shareholder, Qatar Airways, took a 5% stake in China Southern as well.
The former Rwandair Express is 20 years old and Qatar Airways agreed to purchase a 49% stake in the historically loss-making airline last year. They operate a dozen aircraft including Airbus A330 widebodies and Boeing 737 narrowbodies. They serve Brussels and London in Europe; Dubai, Mumbai and Guangzhou in the Mideast and Asia Pacific; and nearly 20 destinations in Africa.
Back in September Oman Air announced its intention to join oneworld alliance and that it is working with Qatar Airways on its application as a sponsor.
Now joining is official.
oneworld says it is on track to roll out the platform for members of one airline’s program in the alliance to use their miles to upgrade on a flight operated by another airline in the alliance.
This would mean members of American Airlines AAdvantage and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan could potentially use their miles to upgrade on at least 14 different airlines.
oneworld lounge access rules provide business class lounge access for business class passengers flying any airline in the alliance. Qantas is using first class lounges as business class lounges, but haven’t renamed those lounges as business lounges so they’re excluded. Hopefully they’ll fully re-open lounges as their international route network restarts – and as partner airlines rebuild their Australia schedules as well.
In covering Alaska Airlines introducing award redemptions on oneworld partner Qatar Airways, I learned a few interesting things about the program’s plan for bringing on additional redemption.
Back in December American Airlines announced that their Platinum Pro members would become oneworld emeralds. That will go into effect June 30. There are a couple of wrinkles to know about.
Last summer the CEO of the global oneworld alliance – which includes airlines like American, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas and others – was talking up a project to let members of one frequent flyer program upgrade on other airlines in the alliance
Now they’re saying it’ll launch this year.
The CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, is the new Chairman of the oneworld alliance. This is such a strange choice.
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 »
