In general, airline elite status isn’t quite as valuable as it used to be — upgrades are harder to get, award pricing has been devalued, and many perks have been cut back. However, I’d argue that alliance-wide status continues to be very valuable, for the premium perks it offers across a number of airlines.
When I think of my international flying memories, the perks I’ve received on account of my oneworld Emerald status are among my favorites. I’d like to dedicate this post to why I love oneworld Emerald status so much, as I’m sure I’m not alone.
In this post:
What is airline alliance status?
There are three major global airline alliances — oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam — and combined they have dozens of airline members. Not all airlines belong to a global alliance, though many major airlines do.
One of the benefits of these alliances for frequent flyers is that there’s a certain level of reciprocity when it comes to elite perks.
You don’t earn elite status directly with an alliance, but rather you earn status with a member airline, and that status maps over to an alliance elite tier. Just to give some examples:
- American AAdvantage Executive Platinum and Platinum Pro, and Alaska Atmos Rewards Titanium and Platinum, gets you oneworld Emerald
- Delta SkyMiles Diamond Medallion, Platinum Medallion, and Gold Medallion, gets you SkyTeam Elite Plus
- United MileagePlus Premier 1K, Premier Platinum, and Premier Gold, gets you Star Alliance Gold
Personally I think oneworld Emerald status is the most valuable of those by far, so let me share why.
What are the benefits of oneworld Emerald status?
The oneworld alliance has three elite tiers — Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Emerald is the top tier status, and is typically earned with having high level status in a oneworld frequent flyer program.
What are the perks of oneworld Emerald status? Here are the high-level benefits, roughly in the order that I value them:
- Access to first & business class lounges
- Access to preferred and pre-reserved seating
- Priority boarding
- Extra baggage allowance
- Access to first class check-in
- Fast track at select security lanes
- Priority baggage handling
- Priority on waitlists and when on standby
Below I’d like to go into a bit more detail on the benefits above that I value most.
Lounge access with oneworld Emerald
The single best perk of oneworld Emerald status is the lounge access benefit, as members receive access to oneworld first & business class lounges when traveling on a oneworld flight the same day in any cabin. They’re allowed to even bring one guest with them (also traveling on a oneworld flight).
Now, there are a few things to be aware of:
- Those earning oneworld Emerald status through American AAdvantage or Alaska Atmos Rewards only get lounge access when traveling outside of North America, while other oneworld Emerald members get lounge access even when traveling domestically; in other words, non-AAdvantage and Atmos Rewards oneworld Emeralds can even use American Flagship Lounges when traveling within the US
- Certain lounges are excluded from this benefit, including the Chelsea Lounge New York, British Airways Concorde Room, Qatar Airways Al Safwa Lounge Doha, Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge Doha, and Qatar Airways Premium Lounges outside of Qatar
As far as I’m concerned, this leaves some really phenomenal oneworld Emerald lounges, including some that I’d rank among the best first class lounges around the world.
This ranges from Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong…
…to Qantas’ First Lounge Sydney.
Preferred & pre-reserved seating with oneworld Emerald
I wish this weren’t actually a benefit that I valued, but unfortunately some airlines in oneworld charge for seat assignments, even in business class. For example:
- British Airways charges for seat assignments in business class on most fares
- Qatar Airways charges for seat assignments in business class on discounted fares and when redeeming points
While I’d probably otherwise usually book away from airlines with policies like this, oneworld Emerald status makes this a non-issue, as I can continue to select seats in advance for free.
Do note that each airline has a different policy when it comes to assigning oneworld Emerald members priority economy seats. Some will assign extra legroom economy seats for free (for example, American gives oneworld Emerald members with joint venture partners free Main Cabin Extra seats), while others won’t.
Priority check-in & boarding with oneworld Emerald
As a oneworld Emerald member you can generally check in with international first class, and also board with international first class. Personally I love this perk, because when I review flights it’s handy to be able to board business class when first class boards, so I can snap pictures of the cabin before it gets too full.
Note that the exact policy of each airline differs. For example:
- While British Airways and Cathay Pacific let oneworld Emeralds board with international first class, American only lets oneworld Emeralds board after all premium cabin passengers
- Those who earn oneworld Emerald through American AAdvantage or Alaska Atmos Rewards can only use American’s Flagship First Check-In when flying on select international flights
Extra baggage allowance with oneworld Emerald status
While I only travel with hand luggage a majority of the time, for those times where I check luggage, the extra oneworld Emerald baggage allowance comes in handy:
- For tickets that have a weight limit, you get an extra 20kg of luggage
- For tickets that have a piece system, you get one additional bag
For example, while American Airlines domestic first class passengers get two free checked bags up to 70 pounds each, oneworld Emerald members (including through American AAdvantage) get a third free checked bag with the same weight limit.
One quirk worth calling out is that unfortunately with British Airways’ hand luggage only fares, the airline doesn’t honor any sort of extra baggage benefits for elite members, so even oneworld Emerald members don’t get an extra baggage allowance. That’s a shame, and it’s an area where other alliances do a better job.
How does oneworld status compare to others?
Why do I prefer oneworld Emerald status to top tier status with Star Alliance or SkyTeam? First of all, the oneworld alliance is the only one to have a true “top tier” alliance-wide status. For example, Star Alliance Gold is the highest Star Alliance status, and you generally get that with mid-tier airline status. Big picture:
- Star Alliance Gold doesn’t get you access to international first class lounges with any airlines, while I consider that to be the single best oneworld Emerald perk (and please, no one tell me that Lufthansa Senator Lounges are in fact first class lounges)
- SkyTeam Elite Plus is just generally uncompetitive; for example, SkyTeam Elite Plus members with non-US airlines only get lounge access when traveling domestically in limited circumstances, while elite members with oneworld and Star Alliance get that on a much more widespread basis
Bottom line
While there’s value to airline status in general, I find that reciprocal alliance perks really shine with oneworld Emerald. Any time I consider giving up on status with American Airlines, I’m reminded of how much I’d miss oneworld Emerald status. There’s something about the peak experiences that the status allows that makes me really value it.
It sure is nice to fly American business class out of LAX and use the Qantas First Lounge, or to fly Cathay Pacific business class on a regional flight out of HKG and use the Cathay Pacific First Lounge.
Anyone else love oneworld Emerald as much as I do? And anyone disagree with my take, and prefer status with Star Alliance and/or SkyTeam?
Emerald One World, Cathay Pacific - The best
Diamond SkyTeam, Delta - Needs Improvement
Platinum Star Alliance, Thai - Mediocre, Better than SkyTeam
Ben, your reasons for One world over Star Alliance Gold almost identical. OK, so Star doesn't get intl. FC club access. I would call that a plus because it cuts down on number of people in FC club at a time. No waiting for entry or reservations.
I have OneWorld Emerald being a Qatar Airways Platinum Avios status member. I would like to start using American Airlines in the US and start building AA points. How can I do this while still getting the Emerald benefits (LAX) but applying the miles and flights to AA ?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I agree, OW emerald (AA EXP) got me no charge J class seat assignment for several trips via the UK on BA and I’ve continued to enjoy the BA first lounge at LHR. It counts for nada within the US though.
There are some of us who primarily fly domestically (within the US). I am Alaska ATMOS Platinum (née Alaska MVP 75k), which is also oneworld Emerald. I manage only 1-2 international trips per year, not including Canada, which more often than not is on Air Canada/United. So lounge access is limited (though not a problem as I hold a Citi AAdvantage Executive card), but I have been upgraded to F 12 times this year. And...
There are some of us who primarily fly domestically (within the US). I am Alaska ATMOS Platinum (née Alaska MVP 75k), which is also oneworld Emerald. I manage only 1-2 international trips per year, not including Canada, which more often than not is on Air Canada/United. So lounge access is limited (though not a problem as I hold a Citi AAdvantage Executive card), but I have been upgraded to F 12 times this year. And while domestic First is nothing like AF Le Premiere, it's also better than Economy.
Yes, oneworld Emerald is the real sweet spot, and the fact that there are true First Class lounges above the regular and business class ones with many airlines and airports. Like, at JFK, T8, you would otherwise be relegated to Greenwich (standard Flagship), but with OW Emerald, you get Soho (an elevated experience); still, you'd need to be flying First long-haul for Chelsea (oh well).
I’m in agreement. When BA changed its scheme to be revenue based I considered focusing on Star alliance status as I live in Switzerland. But OW emerald is simply the best status out there, especially for someone who flies to HK and Australia a lot. So I switched to Qatar
I have QR Platinum and therefore Oneworld Emerald. My home airport is SFO. However the one place where this status would help, it doesn’t - QR has no lounge in SFO; previously they used to send J passengers to the Golden Gate lounge which is the worst lounge in the entire airport and now they send them to the Alaska Lounge which is in an entirely different terminal and therefore useless as you need to...
I have QR Platinum and therefore Oneworld Emerald. My home airport is SFO. However the one place where this status would help, it doesn’t - QR has no lounge in SFO; previously they used to send J passengers to the Golden Gate lounge which is the worst lounge in the entire airport and now they send them to the Alaska Lounge which is in an entirely different terminal and therefore useless as you need to add 30 minutes just for the walk to and back. Instead, I could go to the BA lounge in Terminal A, however BA blocks Oneworld Emerald not traveling on BA from accessing the lounge. So, what’s the point of the status?
I have QR Platinum and therefore Oneworld Emerald. My home airport is SFO. However the one place where this status would help, it doesn’t - QR has no lounge in SFO; previously they used to send J passengers to the Golden Gate lounge which is the worst lounge in the entire airport and now they send them to the Alaska Lounge which is in an entirely different terminal and therefore useless as you need to...
I have QR Platinum and therefore Oneworld Emerald. My home airport is SFO. However the one place where this status would help, it doesn’t - QR has no lounge in SFO; previously they used to send J passengers to the Golden Gate lounge which is the worst lounge in the entire airport and now they send them to the Alaska Lounge which is in an entirely different terminal and therefore useless as you need to add 30 minutes just for the walk to and back. Instead, I could go to the BA lounge in Terminal A, however BA blocks Oneworld Emerald not traveling on BA from accessing the lounge. So, what’s the point of the status?
I've had Emerald status for several years and intend to keep it. I even managed to select the blocked seats in JAL's new first class in advance. Excellent!
!!!BREAKING NEWS!!! AIR TRANSAT AIRLINES FROM CANADA IS SHUTTING DOWN AS OF DECEMBER 10TH
!!!BREAKING NEWS!!! fake Eskimo FROM SOMEWHERE IS STILL FAKE AS OF DECEMBER 10TH
It’s a pilot strike, not armageddon… cool your jets… (like a Canadian airline in winter…)
Just to clarify, those with One World Emerald via a non-US-based loyalty program can use Flagship First check-in for any flight, including wholly US-domestic flights and irrespective of cabin class. This has been the case for about six or so years. And, I pushed AA and BA to extend benefit reciprocity for CK and GGL, which affords CKs access to the Concorde Room and GGLs access to Flagship First Dining.
SkyTeam Elite (not even Plus) gives free baggage on ALL fares with ALL airlines in the alliance. That's worth more for short haul travel than access to a first class lounge that either doesn't exist or isn't the real F lounge. Oneworld doesn't even give elites priority baggage handling!
I do appreciate people will have different priorities around these things, but the thing you keep missing when you're talking about oneworld is that they...
SkyTeam Elite (not even Plus) gives free baggage on ALL fares with ALL airlines in the alliance. That's worth more for short haul travel than access to a first class lounge that either doesn't exist or isn't the real F lounge. Oneworld doesn't even give elites priority baggage handling!
I do appreciate people will have different priorities around these things, but the thing you keep missing when you're talking about oneworld is that they are basically absent from THREE continents! You can't really use them for travel within Africa or S. America, and anything between Caribbean/C. America and South America needs to go via the USA (normally without international transit facilities). Worse still, their coverage of Eastern Europe/the Balkans/Turkey is also patchy at best, and they've got zero domestic flights in the world's two most populous countries (or indeed any country in the 100m+ club other than the USA).
I'm sure oneworld status works great for those travelling between LHR and the USA. Now they have Oman Air in addition to QR, it may well be pretty good for travel between the Gulf and the Indian Subcontinent...but it still doesn't really work for those who have more complex and/or global travel requirements.
I mean think about it, you're saying that Skyteam Elite Plus isn't competitive because it doesn't give you lounge access when taking domestic flights in the USA. Oneworld status doesn't give you any benefits at all when taking domestic flights in China or India!
These are fair points. Consider Rome to Frankfurt -- two primary cities. One World only has connecting flights. A hassle for many. And, it's fair to ask which One World lounges accessible by Emerald are "true" first class lounges with a la carte table service. For example, Soho at JFK and Galleries First at LHR are more business-plus lounges as opposed to "true" first class lounges. While Qantas LAX has table service, it's an underwhelming lounge.
PS The Cathay Pacific LHR first class lounge is great. But, honestly, the business class lounge is just as nice as the Soho at JFK and Galleries First at LHR. As Throwawayname said, different people have different priorities. Final item: BA does not respect boarding groups on intra-Europe flights -- it seems like a Spirit Airlines free for all.
@FCK , having to make a connection isn't quite the end of the world, that's how the hub and spoke system works. The issue is that, unless you are going to/from Spain (or Scotland/Ireland), oneworld doesn't really offer convenient connections and it doesn't even have year-round service to a bunch of important cities particularly towards the East of the continent (SKG, ADB, ZAG, LJU to name but four)
In your magical world, Kenya and Ethiopia equal Africa and, apparently, make intra-africa connections super easy.
OneWorld has historically been built around the biggest business destinations (at conception) and, for better or worse, that's not Africa.
Cute and Funny. But dumb.
@Geneva Kerr, you are missing the point that you can fly via Kenya and Ethiopia between any two points in the continent, and both of their airlines also have a selection of fifth freedom routes. There's also SAA, which isn't what it used to be but still offers some connectivity.
The oneworld alternative involves backtracking to DOH or CMN for that connection...which I suppose is still better than having to take two international flights...
@Geneva Kerr, you are missing the point that you can fly via Kenya and Ethiopia between any two points in the continent, and both of their airlines also have a selection of fifth freedom routes. There's also SAA, which isn't what it used to be but still offers some connectivity.
The oneworld alternative involves backtracking to DOH or CMN for that connection...which I suppose is still better than having to take two international flights for a domestic itinerary in China or going from Peru to Argentina via Miami
My point is looking at what your star & sky team intra africa options are
If you think Africa is a monolith continent, you'll do well
If you're smart, you'll know better
I never talked about monoliths. The fact is that oneworld is the only alliance without a hub in sub Saharan Africa .
I LIKE THAT, . . . simply because it is "mostly very true"!
...... "and please, no one tell me that Lufthansa Senator Lounges are in fact first class lounges" ;-)
I won't tell you that, BUT, there are no lines to get in(because it is above straight biz class. It's based on points). The experience is above most U.S. based clubs. And FC at LH is never crowded because just for FC or Hon Circle.
What you do miss is that the concept is different.
I do not see much of a difference between Star Alliance Gold and one world Emerald (and I have both).
But I definitely see a huge difference between LH HON Circle and one world Emerald - maybe just because so far I have not been asked to pay up for a skipped leg . (And, yes, I am HON Circle member).
So my preferred top tier status of any airline alliance by far definitely is HON Circle.
HON Circle (had in the past) is must harder to achieve than Emerald (which I have for life). BA also has a tier above Emerald (and upgrade perks for 'super-Emeralds') which makes the comparison unequal.
HON status is plain old *G outside of the Lufthansa group. You'd still get no luggage when flying on cheap Avianca fares!