Oneworld

Oneworld is an alliance of fourteen commercial airlines, which competes with SkyTeam and Star Alliance.

The reason for the airlines to form an alliance is to offer their passengers products and benefits that no airline alone could deliver: a fleet of 2,000 aircraft that make 8,500 daily flights and 570 international destinations around the world in 135 countries.

Oneworld member airlines must fulfill the following promise: “to treat all Oneworld passengers as if they were our own passengers and answer their questions at the first point of contact”. Its mission is to offer its passengers a Seamless Travel, that is, a trip that is expeditious and pleasant from start to finish and that gives the possibility to choose between multiple destinations.

In 2018, the alliance carried some 530 million passengers, ranking third behind Star Alliance and SkyTeam.

History

Oneworld was founded on February 1, 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.

In September 1999, Iberia and Finnair joined the alliance. In 2000 it joined the LAN Airlines alliance. Three more airlines joined in 2007: Japan Airlines, Malév and Royal Jordanian. Two airlines from the LAN Airlines holding company also joined on the same date: LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador. This would make it possible to increase Oneworld's offer to 696 destinations in 141 countries.

In 2010, the Russian airline S7 Airlines joined, thus complementing Oneworld's offer to 750 destinations in 150 countries.

In 2012, other departures and adhesions to the alliance take place, the first being the departure of the Hungarian airline Malév at the end of February due to its bankruptcy due to financial problems, and the incorporation of the German airline Air Berlin at the beginning of March of the same year. As of October 30, 2013, Qatar Airways is part of the Oneworld alliance. In March 2014, oneworld was joined by TAM Líneas Aéreas (due to the merger with LAN Airlines) and US Airways (due to its incorporation into American Airlines).

On October 27, 2017, Air Berlin stops flying. In September of that year, and before the closure of operations, Oneworld airlines had suspended the accumulation and redemption of points, leaving the alliance with 13 members.

On November 4, 2019, Oneworld members British Airways and the owner of Iberia International Airlines Group are making an offer to buy Air Europa for $1.1 billion, consolidating the airline under Iberia (the CEO of IAG, Willie Walsh, plans to retain the Air Europa brand for a certain period of time). If approved by antitrust investigators, the purchase will result in Air Europa's departure from SkyTeam, although whether it will join Oneworld as an Iberia affiliate or merge with the Iberia brand is unknown.

It was announced on February 13, 2020 that Alaska Airlines was an elected member of Oneworld, joining the alliance in the summer of 2021. Chilean LATAM, for its part, left the alliance on May 1, 2020.

Member airlines

Current members

The following is a list of the full-fledged airlines, alliance affiliates and non-members (Oneworld's main member is American Airlines):

A Boeing 737-800 from S7 Airlines (Globus Airlines) with Oneworld decoration.

A Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 with Oneworld painting.

A Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER in 2014: the first among the "Great Three" operators in the Persian Gulf to sign for any global airline alliance..

An American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER with the new standard Oneworld design.

SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330-200 with the colors of Oneworld.

Airlines member	Year of accession	Filial members of the alliance	Non-member filters
America
Alaska Airlines	2021	Horizon Air Skywest Airlines	-
American Airlines	1999-02-01!1999	Envoy Air	-
Europe
British Airways (IAG)	1999-02-01!1999	BA CityFlyer Comair Sun-Air	-
Finnair	1999-09-01!1999	Nordic Regional Airlines	-
Iberia (IAG)	1999-09-01!1999	Iberia Regional Iberia Express	LEVEL Vueling
S7 Airlines	2010-11-15!2010	-	-
Asia
Cathay Pacific	1999-02-01!1999	-	Cathay Dragon
Japan Airlines	2007-04-01!2007	J-Air Japan Transocean Air
Malaysia Airlines	2013-02-01 !2013	-	-
Oman Air	2022	-	-
Qatar Airways	2013-02-01 !2013	-	-
Royal Jordanian	2007-04-01!2007	-	-
SriLankan Airlines	2014	-	-
Africa
Royal Air Maroc	2020-04-01!2020	Royal Air Maroc Express
Oceania
Qantas	1999-02-01!1999	QantasLink	Jetstar

Oneworld Connect

This program was launched in 2018 and consists of having other airlines as connectivity partners in specific regions, as in this case Oceania:

Allied airline	Start of agreement	Fleet size	Allied settlements
Fiji Airways	2018	16	Fiji Link

Former member airlines

Former airline member	Country	Year of accession	Year of abandonment	Former affiliate companies member to the alliance
Aer Lingus	Ireland	2000-06-01!2000	2007-04-01!2007	-
Air Berlin	Germany	2012-03-20!2012	2017-10-28 !2017	Belair Niki
Canadian Airlines	Canada	1999-02-01!1999	2000-06-01!2000	Calm Air Canadian North Canadian Regional Airlines Inter-Canadien
Malév	Hungary	2007-04-01!2007	2012-09-03 !2012	-
Mexican aviation	Mexico	2009-11-10!2009	2010-08-28 !2010	Mexicana Click
LATAM Airlines	Chile-Brazil	2000-06-01!2000	2007-04-01!2020	LATAM Argentina LATAM Brazil LATAM Chile LATAM Colombia LATAM Ecuador LATAM Peru

Former affiliate company member	Country	Year of accession	Year of abandonment	Matrix Company
Air Liberté	France	1999-02-01!1999	2000-05!2000	British Airways
Airconnex	Australia	2001-05-27!2001	2004-05-24 !2004	Qantas
Al Maha Airlines	Saudi Arabia	2014-01-02 !2014	2017-03-20!2017	Qatar Airways
BA Connect	United Kingdom	1999-02-01!1999	2007-03-05!2007	British Airways
BMED	United Kingdom	1999-02-01!1999	2007-10-27!2007	British Airways
Cathay Dragon	Hong Kong	2007!2007	2020!2020	Cathay Pacific
Corporate Airlines	United States	2001-12-02 !2001	2007-03-08!2007	American Airlines
GB Airways	United Kingdom	1999-02-01!1999	2008-03-30!2008	British Airways
Japan Asia Airways	Japan	2007-04-01!2007	2008-03-31!2008	Japan Airlines
Loganair	United Kingdom	1999-02-01!1999	2008-10-25!2008	British Airways
Mihin Lanka	Sri Lanka	2014-05-01 !2014	2016-10-29 !2016	SriLanka Airlines
Qantas New Zealand	New Zealand	2000-09!2000	2001!2001	Qantas
Regional Air	Kenya	2001-07-01!2001	2005-04!2005	British Airways
Southern Australia Airlines	Australia	1999-02-01!1999	2002!2002	Qantas
Trans States Airlines	United States	2001-12-02 !2001	2009!2009	American Airlines

Potential future members

Possible future member airline	Filials	Affinity with Oneworld members
Aer Lingus	Aer Lingus Regional	British Airways, Iberia
Air Tahiti Nui		American Airlines, Japan Airlines, Qantas
China Southern Airlines		American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways
Hainan Airlines	Beijing Capital Airlines	American Airlines, Qantas, S7 Airlines
WestJet		Iberia, American Airlines
Air Europa	Air Europa Express	British Airways, Iberia
Corsairfly		Iberia, American Airlines
Eastern Airlines		Iberia, American Airlines
Interjet		Iberia, American Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines
Laudamotion		Iberia, American Airlines
Jetstar Airways	Jetstar Asia Airways Jetstar Japan	American Airlines, Japan Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Qantas
Philippine Airlines	Airphil Express	Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines
Royal Brunei Airlines	RB Link	Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordann, Malaysia Airlines
The Al		Royal Air Maroc, S7 Airlines, British Airways, SriLankan Airlines, American Airlines
Kuwait Airways		Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordann, American Airlines, SriLankan Airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines		Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, SriLankan Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways

Benefits for passengers

Airbus A340-600 by Iberia.

Among the benefits for passengers, agreed with the rest of the participating airlines, is.

• Obtaining the boarding card to the passenger's final destination thanks to the Interline Through Check-in (ITCI) agreement that maintain the systems of the 13 airlines, benefit contemplated for the itineraries of up to three flights that are made in connection.
• Access to a baggage allowance, i.e., they are subject to the less restrictive policy reflected in the international passage with which the journey begins regardless of the scales made in the transfer.
• LAN frequent passengers are recognized by Oneworld airlines through a common identifier on all partner cards of the companies, which means that when making their flights on LAN or on any of the alliance's airlines, people keep accumulating kilometers, they have a preferential check-up at the airports and, who are in the Emerald and Sapphire category, they access more alliance halls and clubs globally.
• If there are flight changes, whether voluntary or involuntary, the ticket issued by a Oneworld company can be accepted without the endorsement of the issuing company, provided that the procedures established by the airlines are respected for both cases.

Rules that its members comply with

By complying with the basic requirements of incorporation, the airlines strengthened their efficiency, without losing their own policies and identity.

Yet there were three specific areas where it was agreed to follow the same procedure: at Oneworld all flights are designed for non-smokers; there is a policy of free endorsement subject to rate restrictions and there is no need to reconfirm flights in any of the companies that make up the alliance. In any other field, it is the modus operandi of the aircraft operator that prevails. However, there are working groups dedicated to making the different policies as similar as possible between airlines because this makes it easier for passengers to transfer from one airline to another.

Historical overview

• It was created on 1 February 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.

• Canadian Airlines was a member until it was absorbed by Air Canada that does not belong to this alliance.

• Swiss International Air Lines was invited to be a member until 3 June 2004 decided not to join.

• JAL was the largest airline in the world not adhered to a multilateral alliance, until he joined oneworld on April 1, 2007. Four JAL Group subsidiary airlines also joined Oneworld as affiliates: JALways, JAL Express (JEX), J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air (JTA).

• Dragonair joined this alliance on November 1, 2007.

• Mexicana de Aviación accepted on 19 April 2008 the formal invitation to join this alliance, after receiving the unanimous vote of the ten airlines that then belonged to the group. It is important to mention that its subsidiary MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink also joined this group as affiliates. On 10 November 2009, its entry into the alliance was effective. Mexicana is currently in supension of payment; and does not fly.

• S7 Airlines accepted on 26 May 2009 the formal invitation to join this alliance, after receiving the unanimous vote of the ten airlines currently belonging to the group. It is important to mention that this is the first western Russian airline to have exclusive Boeing and Airbus equipment. Its final accession was on 15 November 2010, and its sponsor of entry to the alliance has been British Airways

• Air Berlin formally requested entry into Oneworld by signing a binding agreement on 27 July 2010. The airline joined the alliance on March 20, 2012, trying to coincide with the opening of its new base, the Berlin-Brandenburg airport. The Austrian company Niki, a member of the Air Berlin group, also became a member of the alliance.

• Malaysia Airlines reported on 7 June 2011 that it will join the alliance as it has been unanimously approved its incorporation by the delegates of the airlines that make up it, at a meeting held in Singapore. Malaysia Airlines will be the fourteenth partner of the alliance at the end of 2012, as well as being the fourth Asian airline joining after Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and the Indian airline Kingfisher Airlines, which will become a member throughout 2011. Your best man in the incorporation will be Qantas

• SriLankan Airlines reported on 12 June 2011 that it will join the alliance by unanimously adopting its incorporation. SriLankan Airlines will become the fifteenth partner of the partnership at the end of 2013, which is scheduled for the end of next year and will have Cathay Pacific as a sponsor.
• oneworld has been chosen the best alliance of the year 2013 by SKYtrax
• Qatar Airways joins the alliance on 30 October 2013 as well. It was named as the Airline of the Year by the independent airline company Skytrax in 2012 and 2011

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