The "big three" global alliances can be really helpful for frequent flyers, in terms of earning and redeeming miles, and receiving consistent benefits and recognition across airlines. However, for the most part these alliances aren't growing much anymore,…
Hey LOT Polish, you should really meet my friend oneworld... The first global alliance (Star Alliance) was formed in 1997, and for the first decade the concept was around, it was all the rage. However, at this point many would argue that the concept…
This is huge news. In many ways it feels like the "global alliances" have been dying a little bit, as airlines have instead focused on codeshare agreements and joint ventures as they make sense. That's not the case across the board, though, as the oneworld…
In late September 2019, one of the biggest "deals" we've seen in the airline industry in a long time happened, as Delta purchased a 20% stake in LATAM. LATAM has been in oneworld for years, and had a close partnership with American. The two airlines…
Here's a topic that I thought it would be fun to revisit, which I'm sure my fellow aviation geeks will appreciate. As most of you are probably aware, there are three major global airline alliances -- oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance. Between them,…
In February 2019 I wrote about how the oneworld alliance was planning on opening some branded lounges. Collectively oneworld airlines already operate hundreds of lounges around the world, but the idea is that at some airports the alliance as such would…
Qatar Airways joined the oneworld alliance in 2013, and has been threatening to leave the alliance since 2015. While the rumors have always been there, this became a frequent point of conversation again in October 2018, when Qatar Airways' CEO, Akbar…
Yesterday I wrote about how we were expecting big announcements from British Airways and/or oneworld today. This is because all oneworld CEOs were attending an event in London, and British Airways was also teasing that something big was coming today.…
In 2015 Aer Lingus was taken over by IAG, also the parent company of British Airways and Iberia. Aer Lingus and oneworld have had quite a history so far. Aer Lingus was part of the oneworld alliance until 2006, at which point they pulled out, realizing…
This June it was announced that Fiji Airways would become a oneworld Connect member. Obviously it takes a little while for this to happen, though it's now official. Yesterday Fiji Airways officially joined as a oneworld Connect member, so the benefits…
It has been an interesting few weeks for the "big three" global alliances. For years these alliances were constantly adding airlines, while for the past few years there hasn't been much movement. I'd argue that largely these alliances are outdated concepts,…
Pistols at dawn! Qatar's (in)famous CEO Akbar Al Baker is known for saying all sorts of things on behalf of his airline that he doesn't mean (how's that new route to Las Vegas going?), but recently he has insisted that Qatar Airways is considering leaving…
As much as I love redeeming miles for premium fares, its been fantastic to see how affordable some revenue fares in business class have become in the last few years, as well as how improved so many premium products flying trans Atlantic have become.…
Last week we learned that Air Canada made an offer to acquire Aeroplan, which is their spun off loyalty program. For over a decade Aeroplan has been the frequent flyer program of Air Canada, though in 2020 their contract ends. The termination of the…
Fiji Airways already partners with Qantas, Cathay Pacific and American Airlines, in different capacities. I've written before about how redeeming Qantas points for Fiji Airways business class across the Pacific is a good 'Plan B' consideration. If Fiji…
I'm having a bit of a crisis at the moment. There are simply so many airlines I want to try that it leads to indecision, and then I end up not booking anything. While roaming around Hong Kong International Airport's gorgeous midfield concourse a couple…
For this article, I am going to be examining the other Reward Charts. No, not the one you had as a child to measure good behavior but the only other logical choice: OneWorld Multi-Carrier Partner Redemption Charts. Say what? These delicate charts, vastly…
Oneworld member SriLankan Airlines is going through a really tough time right now. They recently leased more than half of their new A330-300 fleet to Pakistan at breakeven prices just to reduce their heavy losses. Sadly, this came at a high cost: SriLankan…
In terms of overall benefits, I consider the oneworld alliance to be all around best. That's because as a oneworld Emerald member I receive access to international first class lounges, like the Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney, Cathay Pacific First Class…
Last August I wrote about how Finnair was planning on launching seasonal flights between Helsinki, Finland, and Longyearbyen, Norway. The route was scheduled to operate 3x weekly between June 1 and August 28, 2016, using an Embraer E-190 aircraft. For…
Intra-Europe business class is usually a pretty underwhelming product. It even makes domestic first class in the US look good. On most European airlines it's simply an economy seat with a blocked middle and improved service & food. For whatever reason,…
