SEATTLE, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking a
milestone in its 89-year history, Alaska Airlines today celebrated
its first day as a member of oneworld. Alaska becomes the 14th full member
of the global alliance, just eight months after receiving a formal
invitation from oneworld in July
2020.
"Joining oneworld is joining a family of the best
airlines in the world," said Ben Minicucci, Alaska's CEO. "Being a part of the alliance
allows us to provide fantastic global connectivity, a seamless
travel experience and more valuable loyalty offerings for our
guests. This alliance transforms Alaska into a truly global airline, connecting
our strong West Coast network and destinations across North America with the worldwide reach of our
oneworld partners."
With safety protocols in place due to the pandemic, Alaska and oneworld hosted a virtual
celebration and news conference today in Seattle, the airline's hometown. Fellow
airline members from around the world welcomed Alaska to the alliance with video greetings
and provided versions of employees performing the Alaska Safety
Dance, briefly renamed the Global Safety Dance.
Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release, which
includes high resolution images and video that can be
downloaded.
"With Alaska Airlines now part of oneworld, we are
excited to offer to customers even more destinations and flights,
strengthened by Alaska's leading
network on the U.S. West Coast," said oneworld CEO
Rob Gurney, who joined Minicucci in
Seattle for the event. "For
oneworld top-tier customers, the joining of Alaska will provide even more opportunities
for their status to be recognised as we look forward to a recovery
in international travel."
For Alaska and its guests,
oneworld provides a global network of flights to as many as
1,000 destinations across more than 170 countries and territories*.
With its membership in the alliance, Alaska will add seven new airline partners and
enhance its six existing partnerships with oneworld
members.
"We're delighted to welcome Alaska to the oneworld family. As the
industry recovers from COVID, airline alliances are going to be
more important than ever. Alaska
will be an asset to the alliance, positioning oneworld to
deliver even more value to our customers and member airlines," said
oneworld Governing Board Chairman and Qantas Group CEO
Alan Joyce.
Effective today, all Alaska Mileage Plan members can earn miles
when they fly any of the other 13 member airlines. Mileage
redemption for flights on airlines that Alaska did not have previous partnerships with
will occur in the coming months.
Alaska's elite Mileage
Plan members automatically receive
matching oneworld tier status: MVP
Gold 75K = oneworld Emerald; MVP Gold
= oneworld Sapphire; and MVP = oneworld
Ruby. Depending on tier status, those passengers can enjoy a
variety of privileges, including access to more than 650
international first and business class lounges*, fast track through
security and priority baggage benefits. Guests with Emerald,
Sapphire or Ruby status in any oneworld member airline's
frequent flyer program will be able to use priority check-in desks,
where available. Also, guests with Emerald or Sapphire status will
be offered priority boarding.
"If you've been a frequent flier who has earned status with us,
all that loyalty will go even further with benefits
in oneworld to make your journey even more enjoyable,"
said Minicucci.
Alaska fliers can find out more
about what oneworld means for them on the Alaska Airlines
Blog.
Flight connectivity becomes easier with Alaska's membership in oneworld,
especially on international bookings, which includes a
long-standing partnership with American Airlines. American, a
oneworld founding member, sponsored Alaska's membership into the alliance.
"Alaska has been an outstanding
partner to American for nearly 40 years and we're excited to do
even more together in the years to come," said American Airlines
President Robert Isom. "By
connecting American's strength in long-haul international flying
and Alaska's strong presence along
the West Coast, we're building a better network for our customers
than either airline could build alone."
The 14 full members of oneworld are: Alaska Airlines;
American Airlines; British Airways; Cathay Pacific Airways;
Finnair; Iberia; Japan Airlines; Malaysia Airlines; Qantas; Qatar
Airways; Royal Air Maroc; Royal Jordanian; S7 Airlines and
SriLankan Airlines. Fiji Airways is a oneworld
connect partner offering select alliance benefits to
frequent flyers from any oneworld member airline travelling
on their flights.
Learn more about Alaska's
membership in oneworld at alaskaair.com/oneworld and at
oneworld.com/members/alaska-airlines.
* The reach of the oneworld network in January 2020 when including Alaska Airlines and
Royal Air Maroc.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and its regional
partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa
Rica. The airline emphasizes Next-Level Care for its
guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer
service and sustainability efforts. On March
31, 2021, Alaska became the
14th member of oneworld. With the global alliance
and Alaska Airlines' additional partners, guests can travel to more
than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and
redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn
more about Alaska
at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska
Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group
(NYSE: ALK).
About oneworld
oneworld brings together 14 world-class airlines – Alaska
Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific
Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines,
Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7
Airlines and SriLankan Airlines, and more than 20 of their
affiliates. Fiji Airways is a oneworld connect partner.
oneworld member airlines work together to deliver
consistently a superior, seamless travel experience, with special
privileges and rewards for frequent flyers, including earning and
redeeming miles and points across the entire alliance network.
Top-tier cardholders (Emerald and Sapphire) enjoy access to airport
lounges and are offered extra baggage allowances. The most regular
travelers (Emerald) can also use fast track security lanes at
select airports. Learn more about the oneworld Alliance at
alaska.oneworld.com and oneworld.com. Follow us on
Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines
