Oneworld
Encyclopedia
Oneworld branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliance
s with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City
, New York
, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines
, British Airways
, Canadian Airlines
, Cathay Pacific
and Qantas
. The alliance slogan is "Oneworld revolves around you".
The alliance had the biggest expansion in its history in 2007 when Japan Airlines
, Malév
and Royal Jordanian
joined as full members, while Cathay Pacific's subsidiary
Dragonair
, five subsidiaries of Japan Airlines and two subsidiaries of LAN
joined as affiliate members. In 2009, Oneworld celebrated its 10th anniversary
with the introduction of a new standard Oneworld livery
that all of its member airlines adopted on a proportion of their fleets and a special version of its logo
.
By July 2011, Oneworld and its members-elect reached over 870 destinations in 146 countries, including announced destinations but not yet commenced. It operates over 9,300 daily flights, carrying 335 million passengers on a combined fleet of over 2,400 aircraft. Since late 2002, Oneworld member airlines have developed common specifications across their engineering and maintenance activities, reducing costs through bulk buying and parts
sharing. It was also the first airline alliance to introduce interline
e-ticketing
across all member airlines' network.
Oneworld was voted the world's Best Airline Alliance in the 2002, 2004 and 2005 Business Traveller Awards. The alliance was also named the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the eighth consecutive year in the 2010 World Travel Awards and the world's Best Airline Alliance in both the World Airline Awards 2010 by Skytrax
and in the GT Tested Reader Survey 2010 Awards by Global Traveler
.
The alliance is the most highest rated airline, with an average star rating of 3.73, based on all the alliances airlines. This beats both Skyteam
and Star Alliance
, with average ratings of 3.19 and 3.29, respectively.
Oneworld announced the formation of a central management team, Oneworld Management Company (oMC), to mark the alliance's first anniversary. The oMC was established in May 2000 in Vancouver and in June 2011 relocated to New York City
, New York
, USA. It is responsible for driving future growth and the launch of new customer services and benefits. The oMC was first led by Managing Partner Peter Buecking, previously Director of Sales and Marketing at Cathay Pacific
; followed by John McCulloch, previously the alliance's Vice-President Marketing; and since December, 2011 by Bruce Ashby, who previously held roles of CEO of Saudi Arabia's SAMA Airlines, CEO of India's IndiGo, and Executive Vice-President for US Airways. Reporting to the Managing Partner are Vice-Presidents for Commercial; Membership and Customer Experience; and Corporate Communications.
The Managing Partner reports to the alliance board, Oneworld Governing Board, which is made up of the chief executives of each of the member airlines. The Governing Board meets regularly to set strategic direction and review progress. Chairman of the board rotates on an annual basis among the alliance members' chief executives. American Airlines
Chairman and Chief Executive Gerard Arpey
was nominated on 20 November 2008 and is the present Chairman of the oGB.
in New York City
, which also houses offices of other Oneworld members including American Airlines
and British Airways
.
, Oneworld and its members-elect, reached 871 destinations in 146 countries, including announced destinations but not yet commenced; it generated 697.03 billion revenue passenger kilometres (RPK). It operates 9,366 daily flights, carrying 335.53 million passengers with a passenger load factor of 77.8 percent, on a combined fleet of 2,470 aircraft.
s from four continent
s – American Airlines
, British Airways
, Canadian Airlines
, Cathay Pacific
and Qantas
– gathered in a ceremony in London
, United Kingdom
, on 21 September 1998 to officially unveil a new global airline alliance
, named Oneworld. Oneworld was officially launched and became operational on 1 February 1999. The alliance slogan
is "Oneworld revolves around you" and all the member airlines share one vision
: "To generate more value for customer
s, shareholder
s and employees than any airline can achieve by itself. " The alliance's service
s and benefits include smoother transfers for passenger
s travelling across all member airlines; greater support to passengers regardless of which member airline they are travelling with; greater range of round-the-world
products; and enhanced co-operation in the member airline's frequent flyer programmes to provide more rewards, wider recognition and access to more airport lounge
s. Prior to the official launch, the alliance embarked on one of the world's biggest employee communications and training
programmes, involving virtually all of the 220,000 staff employed by the five member airlines. The training would ensure all the staff could deliver what the alliance brand
promises. The member airlines, with their franchise
and partner airlines covered in the alliance agreement
, have networks that served 648 destinations in 139 countries
. In 1997, the five member airlines carried 181 million
passengers and 2.6 million tonne
s of cargo
with a fleet of 1,577 aircraft
.
Finnair
, Finland
's largest airline and flag carrier
with services to 60 destinations worldwide and a fleet of 58 aircraft, was announced as the alliance first new recruit on 9 December 1998. In addition, the alliance also welcomed Iberia
, Spain
's flag carrier, as its second recruit on 15 February 1999. Both airlines, together with Iberia's franchisee, Iberia Regional Air Nostrum
, joined the alliance on 1 September 1999; added more than 50 destinations to the Oneworld network.
On 19 May 1999, LanChile (now known as LAN
) became a member-elect; the first from South America
. The airline was formed in 1929 and operated some 120 flights a day to 17 destinations in Chile
and 22 destinations worldwide. LanChile's two subsidiaries, LAN Express
and LAN Perú
, would also join the alliance. Moreover, Irish carrier Aer Lingus
was formally elected on board and confirmed as the ninth member of the alliance on 2 December 1999. The airline was established in 1936 and is one of the ten biggest companies in Ireland
. Meanwhile, faced with years of financial losses, Oneworld founding member Canadian Airlines
announced in summer 1999 that it had only enough funds to operate for one more year. After a four months takeover
war between Onex Corporation and Air Canada
, Canadian Airlines was acquired by Air Canada on 21 December 1999 and as a consequence, it would leave the alliance. On 1 June 2000, Aer Lingus, LanChile and its two subsidiaries joined Oneworld, while Canadian Airlines ceased to be a member on the same day.
, a British Airways subsidiary, was sold to French
investment group Taitbout for £
47 million
in May 2000 and ceased to be an Oneworld affiliate member. British Airways said it had not been able to receive adequate returns on its investment since the purchase of about 86 percent of the French carrier. The airline was suffering from heavy losses, expected to £250 million, due to increased competition in the French domestic market in 1990s. In spite of this, the alliance hailed the arrival of a new affiliate member when Kenya
n-based Regional Air
joined the alliance on 1 July 2001, following its franchising agreement with British Airways. It is the alliance's third affiliate in Africa
. TWA
's regional carriers
, which operated under the Trans World Express
brand, became American Airlines and Oneworld affiliate members, as their name changed to AmericanConnection
on 2 December 2001. The three airlines operating under the AmericanConnection brand are Chautauqua Airlines
, Corporate Airlines and Trans States Airlines
.
(Swiss) accepted an invitation to join the alliance, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) on 23 September 2003 to establish a wide-ranging commercial agreement with British Airways. The two airlines planned joint operations between Switzerland
and the United Kingdom
with codesharing on Swiss' London Heathrow
routes. The Swiss Travel Club, Swiss' frequent flyer programme, would be integrated into British Airways' Executive Club. British Airways would support a CHF
50 million credit facility
to Swiss, secured against London Heathrow's slots. One month later, both airlines formally signed a new bilateral cooperation agreement on 22 October and began with shared operations between London Heathrow and three Swiss cities, included Basel
, Geneva
and Zurich
. It was later extended to all flights between Geneva and London, included London City
, London Gatwick
and London Heathrow airports.
However, Swiss announced on 3 June 2004 that it had decided not to proceed with the integration of Swiss Travel Club into British Airway's Executive Club under the present conditions. The airline stated the costs involved with the integration and drawbacks outweigh the projected mid- to long-term benefits. The termination of the proposed frequent flyer programme integration meant that the bilateral commercial agreement between the two airlines could not be continued, the latter being a fundamental condition of it becoming an alliance member. Hence, Swiss was released from its commitment to join the alliance. The decision, however, did not affect Swiss' exchange of slots and the CHF50 million credit facility with British Airways. The airline was later taken over by Lufthansa
in 2005 due to heavy losses and joined Star Alliance
in 2006.
terminated its franchise agreement with Regional Air, the trading name for Airkenya Aviation Ltd, following Regional Air's suspension on flights operated as part of the franchise agreement in mid April 2005. This also meant the airline would no longer be a Oneworld affiliate. Nevertheless, the alliance pressed ahead and embarked on one of the biggest expansions in its young history. On 17 October 2005, the alliance welcomed Royal Jordanian
, its first airline from the Levant
, Middle East
and Gulf
region. It is also the first airline to accept an invitation to join the alliance for more than five years. Asia
's largest airline group, Japan Airlines
(JAL) announced their decision to apply to join the alliance on 25 October 2005. The airline stated their decision was in line with its corporate policy to always think and act from the customer's point of view. Since both parties share the same purpose and objectives, the Oneworld membership would be in the best interests of the airline's plans to further develop the airline and its strong commitment to provide the very best to its customers. The year was rounded off with Hungarian
flag carrier, Malév accepted a formal invitation to join the alliance on 22 November 2005. It followed a MOU
reached between the airline and the alliance in May 2005.
JAL and Oneworld exchanged a MOU on 8 February 2006, three months after JAL first indicated its intention to join the alliance. The MOU set out a framework
for the remaining steps to be taken before the airline could be formally invited to join. On 5 June 2006, JAL accepted a formal letter of invitation to join the alliance and would offer Oneworld services and benefits in early 2007. Five members of the JAL Group would also join the alliance as affiliate members, these included J-Air
, JAL Express
, JALways
, Japan Asia Airways
and Japan Transocean Air
.
when LAN
's two subsidiaries, LAN Argentina
and LAN Ecuador
, were announced as the alliance's newest affiliate members on 31 October 2006. LAN Argentina
launched passenger and cargo services in June 2005 from its home base in Buenos Aires
, while LAN Ecuador
launched its services in April 2003 from its home base in Guayaquil
. Both airlines would officially join their sister airlines and offer alliance's services and benefits on 1 April 2007. Additionally, Cathay Pacific
newly acquired wholly owned subsidiary, Dragonair
, would become an affiliate member of the alliance. Dragonair CEO Kenny Tang said: "Becoming an affiliate member of Oneworld is an exciting development for Dragonair and is another benefit to result from us joining the Cathay Pacific Group." It would officially be on board the alliance on 1 November 2007.
Conversely, on 5 March 2007, the alliance bid farewell to one of its affiliate members and British Airways subsidiary, BA Connect
. BA Connect's UK
regional operations were sold to Flybe
on 3 November 2006, in return for a 15 percent stake in the latter. Approximately 50 UK regional routes are affected by the sale, however, Belfast City and Southampton
would remain linked to the alliance network through other British Airways and alliance members. BA Connect's operations from London City Airport and between Manchester
and New York
would be retained and operated by another British Airways subsidiary BA CityFlyer
and the airline itself, respectively.
s in nearly 150 countries with 9,000 daily departures; and carried around 315 million passengers with a fleet of almost 2,500 aircraft. Premium status frequent flyers from JAL Global Club, Malév Duna Club and Royal Jordanian Plus could have access to the 400 airport lounge
s worldwide belonging to all the member airlines.
On the same day, Aer Lingus
voluntarily exited the alliance due to a fundamental change to its business strategy and repositioned itself as a low fares point-to-point carrier; while the alliance's strategy is the multi-sector, premium, frequent international travellers' market. However, the airline would maintain frequent flyer programme partnerships with some of the alliance members. Moreover, the airline would continue to participate in the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product.
. Four days later, Oneworld greeted its latest affiliate member and Cathay Pacific wholly owned subsidiary Dragonair
on board the alliance on 1 November 2007. Dragonair had the biggest network into mainland China for a non-China based carrier, with about 400 departures a week.
In 2008, the alliance said goodbye to another two affiliate members as British Airways continued the strategy of reducing its UK franchises. British Airways Chief Executive Officer
Willie Walsh said: "UK franchises have outlived their purpose." The first franchisee GB Airways
exited the alliance on 30 March 2008, following its purchase by EasyJet
. British Airways intended to start services on London Heathrow to Faro
and Málaga
and from London Gatwick to Faro, Gibraltar
, Ibiza
, Málaga, Palma and Tunis
, which were operated under the franchise. The alliance bid farewell to one of its affiliate member Japan Asia Airways
on 31 March 2008, following the airline's consolidation into its parent, Japan Airlines. The second British Airways franchisee Loganair
left the alliance on 25 October 2008, following the ending of its franchise agreement with the airline. A separate agreement for codesharing on some Loganair services replaced the previous franchise, for British Airways passengers connecting through Aberdeen
, Edinburgh
and Glasgow
.
In February 2009, Oneworld celebrated its 10th anniversary with its 10 member airlines – American Airlines
, British Airways
, Cathay Pacific
, Finnair
, Iberia
, Japan Airlines
, LAN
, Malév, Qantas
and Royal Jordanian
. In the past decade
, membership has doubled from an initial five members to ten members now; its member airlines carried a total of 2.5 billion passengers and generated almost US$500 billion, €450 million in revenue from passenger activities. Alliance fares and sales products generated US$5 billion, €2.5 billion in revenue alone, with two-thirds or almost US$3 billion, €1.5 billion would not have been generated if the alliance did not exist.
As part of the celebration and to increase awareness of the 10-member alliance, all the alliance member airlines decorated a proportion of their aircraft fleets in a new standard Oneworld livery – around 40 aircraft in total, mainly types that fly on international routes. The alliance also unveiled a special version of its logo, featuring the text "10 years" printed behind the word Oneworld as a watermark on its round blue orb. In addition, a "10 percent off for 10 weeks to mark its 10th birthday" offer on all the alliance fare products and a competition to win two Business Class
round-the-world tickets for telling what other services and benefits they would like to see the alliance offering.
n airline S7 Airlines
was unanimously elected to the alliance by the ten existing members and became a full member on 15 November 2010. The airline has one of the most extensive networks covering Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) and will add 54 cities to the alliance map, with 35 of them in Russia. The airline's charter subsidiary Globus Airlines
is not included in the alliance agreement. As a first step, S7 Airlines' network was added to the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product, offered by all the alliance and selected non-alliance members.
On 10 November 2009, the alliance welcomed Mexicana
and its subsidiaries, MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink
, after the airline accepted a formal invitation to join the alliance on 9 April 2008; and added 26 destinations to the alliance map. Mexicana is a former member of Star Alliance
. Its departure in March 2004 was the result of a decision to terminate its codeshare agreement with United Airlines
and opted for bilateral agreements with Oneworld members, American Airlines and Iberia. On 2 August 2010, the airline filed for insolvency proceedings in Mexico
and bankruptcy protection in the United States
due to sharp drop in demand in air travel. Subsequently, the airline group suspended all operations from 28 August 2010 until further notice.
On 23 February 2010, India
's Kingfisher Airlines
was lined up to join the alliance after signing a memorandum of understanding
by its Chairman Vijay Mallya
and Chief Executives from the alliance's 11 existing member airlines, subject to Indian regulatory approval. The airline applied to India's Ministry of Civil Aviation for authority to proceed with its membership of Oneworld. A target date for the airline to join will be confirmed once this approval is gained, which expected to start flying as part of the alliance during 2011. However, the airline decided to delay its entry date by a year. It is now expected to join in early 2012. Kingfisher Airlines will add 58 Indian cities to the alliance map, it is already a participating airline in the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product.
On 26 July 2010, Air Berlin
, Germany
's second largest airline, has accepted an invitation to join the alliance.
On 6 June 2011, Malaysia Airlines
was officially announced as a new member designate at the IATA World Air Transport Summit in Singapore. The airline is expected to be fully integrated as a member by late 2012.
Founding member
Operating under the brand
and livery
of the member airline
A partnership between Qantas (46%) and the Fiji Government
A partnership between Qantas (49%) and Singapore's Westbrook Investments Pte Ltd
A partnership between Qantas (27%), Vietnam's State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), Saigon Tourist and Mr Luong Hoai Nam
A partnership between Iberia (45%), Nefinsa and Inversiones Hemisferio
Mexicana filed for insolvency proceedings
and suspended all operations, but not yet left the alliance
Voluntarily left the alliance due to changing business strategy
Founding member and was acquired by Air Canada
, a Star Alliance
member
Founding member affiliate
; Business Class
priority check-in; and pre-reserved preferential seating.
access; and priority boarding.
priority check-in; pre-reserved preferential seating; Business and First Class airport lounge access; and priority boarding.
to enable its customers to fly throughout its members' network on electronic ticket
s (E-Tickets) only, with the completion of interline
e-ticketing (IET) links between all its member airlines. E-Ticket made checking-in quicker and smoother as all the information is stored electronically, it cannot be lost or risk being stolen like a traditional paper ticket. In addition, E-Ticket enabled customers to access new automated features, like self-service, mobile or internet check-in.
(JAL) painted two of its Boeing 777
aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER
(JA704J) and a Boeing 777-300
(JA8941), in a special Oneworld livery to mark its entrance into the alliance. The first aircraft (JA704J) took off from JAL's main international hub Tokyo Narita International Airport
as Japan Airlines Flight 441 bound for Moscow
on 16 April 2007. The design featured "a huge globe in the distinctive horizon blue of Oneworld, painted on the centre of the aircraft, with a stylised motif to symbolise the convenience, comfort, value and choice available to passengers throughout the alliance's comprehensive global network".
, against a white or a polished metal background. The name of the operating member airline will be placed in smaller lettering in a standard position at the front of the aircraft below the alliance name and logo. Each member airline will also retain its regular tailfin
design.
Airline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
s with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, Canadian Airlines
Canadian Airlines
Canadian Airlines International Ltd. was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, and carried more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996...
, Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
and Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
. The alliance slogan is "Oneworld revolves around you".
The alliance had the biggest expansion in its history in 2007 when Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
, Malév
Malév Hungarian Airlines
Malév Hungarian Airlines is the flag carrier and principal airline of Hungary. It has its head office in the Lurdy House in Budapest, with its main operations at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. From there, the airline flies to 50 cities in 34 countries worldwide using a fleet of 22...
and Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization...
joined as full members, while Cathay Pacific's subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
Dragonair
Dragonair
Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited , operating as Dragonair, is an international airline and flag carrier headquartered in Hong Kong; with its corporate headquarters, Dragonair House Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited (T: 港龍航空有限公司, S: 港龙航空有限公司, Cantonese: gong2 lung4 hong4 hung1 jau5 haan6 gung1 si1,...
, five subsidiaries of Japan Airlines and two subsidiaries of LAN
LAN Airlines
LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance...
joined as affiliate members. In 2009, Oneworld celebrated its 10th anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
with the introduction of a new standard Oneworld livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
that all of its member airlines adopted on a proportion of their fleets and a special version of its logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
.
By July 2011, Oneworld and its members-elect reached over 870 destinations in 146 countries, including announced destinations but not yet commenced. It operates over 9,300 daily flights, carrying 335 million passengers on a combined fleet of over 2,400 aircraft. Since late 2002, Oneworld member airlines have developed common specifications across their engineering and maintenance activities, reducing costs through bulk buying and parts
Spare part
Spare Parts may also refer to:* Spare Parts , by Status Quo* Spare Parts is a Doctor Who audio drama.* Spare Parts , by Servotron* "Spare Parts" , by Bruce Springsteen* "Spare Parts"...
sharing. It was also the first airline alliance to introduce interline
Interlining
Interlining is a voluntary commercial agreement between individual airlines to handle passengers traveling on itineraries that require multiple airlines.-Agreements:...
e-ticketing
Electronic ticket
An electronic ticket is a digital ticket. It may be issued by an airline, in road, urban or rail public transport, and in entertainment.-Airline ticket:...
across all member airlines' network.
Oneworld was voted the world's Best Airline Alliance in the 2002, 2004 and 2005 Business Traveller Awards. The alliance was also named the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the eighth consecutive year in the 2010 World Travel Awards and the world's Best Airline Alliance in both the World Airline Awards 2010 by Skytrax
Skytrax
Skytrax is a United Kingdom-based consultancy, the public face of Inflight Research Services, which has the largest airline and airport review and ranking site. It conducts research for commercial airlines...
and in the GT Tested Reader Survey 2010 Awards by Global Traveler
Global Traveler
Global Traveler is a monthly travel magazine published by FXExpress Publications. The magazine was founded in February 2004 and is aimed towards American executives who travel internationally and domestically in first- and business-class...
.
The alliance is the most highest rated airline, with an average star rating of 3.73, based on all the alliances airlines. This beats both Skyteam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
and Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
, with average ratings of 3.19 and 3.29, respectively.
Management
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. It is responsible for driving future growth and the launch of new customer services and benefits. The oMC was first led by Managing Partner Peter Buecking, previously Director of Sales and Marketing at Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
; followed by John McCulloch, previously the alliance's Vice-President Marketing; and since December, 2011 by Bruce Ashby, who previously held roles of CEO of Saudi Arabia's SAMA Airlines, CEO of India's IndiGo, and Executive Vice-President for US Airways. Reporting to the Managing Partner are Vice-Presidents for Commercial; Membership and Customer Experience; and Corporate Communications.
The Managing Partner reports to the alliance board, Oneworld Governing Board, which is made up of the chief executives of each of the member airlines. The Governing Board meets regularly to set strategic direction and review progress. Chairman of the board rotates on an annual basis among the alliance members' chief executives. American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
Chairman and Chief Executive Gerard Arpey
Gerard Arpey
Gerard J. Arpey is the former Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of AMR Corporation, parent company to American Airlines.-Career:...
was nominated on 20 November 2008 and is the present Chairman of the oGB.
Headquarters
In 2010 the alliance announced that, in June 2011, the alliance headquarters would relocate to 2 Park AvenuePark Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, which also houses offices of other Oneworld members including American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
and British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
.
Alliance initiatives and performance
Since late 2002, Oneworld member airlines have developed common specifications across their engineering and maintenance (E&M) activities, reducing costs through bulk buying and parts sharing. In addition, increased efficiency by aligning their policies and procedures and to share best practice., Oneworld and its members-elect, reached 871 destinations in 146 countries, including announced destinations but not yet commenced; it generated 697.03 billion revenue passenger kilometres (RPK). It operates 9,366 daily flights, carrying 335.53 million passengers with a passenger load factor of 77.8 percent, on a combined fleet of 2,470 aircraft.
Membership history
A new global alliance
Five airlineAirline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
s from four continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
s – American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, Canadian Airlines
Canadian Airlines
Canadian Airlines International Ltd. was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, and carried more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996...
, Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
and Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
– gathered in a ceremony in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, on 21 September 1998 to officially unveil a new global airline alliance
Airline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
, named Oneworld. Oneworld was officially launched and became operational on 1 February 1999. The alliance slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
is "Oneworld revolves around you" and all the member airlines share one vision
Strategic planning
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues...
: "To generate more value for customer
Customer
A customer is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services...
s, shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
s and employees than any airline can achieve by itself. " The alliance's service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
s and benefits include smoother transfers for passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
s travelling across all member airlines; greater support to passengers regardless of which member airline they are travelling with; greater range of round-the-world
Round-the-world ticket
A round-the-world ticket is a product that enables travellers to fly around the world for a relatively low price. RTW tickets have existed for some time and in the past were generally offered through marketing agreements between airlines on several continents...
products; and enhanced co-operation in the member airline's frequent flyer programmes to provide more rewards, wider recognition and access to more airport lounge
Airport lounge
An airport lounge is a lounge owned by a particular airline . Many offer private meeting rooms, phone, fax, wireless and Internet access and other business services, along with provisions to enhance comfort such as free drinks and snacks...
s. Prior to the official launch, the alliance embarked on one of the world's biggest employee communications and training
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
programmes, involving virtually all of the 220,000 staff employed by the five member airlines. The training would ensure all the staff could deliver what the alliance brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
promises. The member airlines, with their franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
and partner airlines covered in the alliance agreement
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
, have networks that served 648 destinations in 139 countries
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
. In 1997, the five member airlines carried 181 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
passengers and 2.6 million tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s of cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
with a fleet of 1,577 aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
.
First additional members
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's largest airline and flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
with services to 60 destinations worldwide and a fleet of 58 aircraft, was announced as the alliance first new recruit on 9 December 1998. In addition, the alliance also welcomed Iberia
Iberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's flag carrier, as its second recruit on 15 February 1999. Both airlines, together with Iberia's franchisee, Iberia Regional Air Nostrum
Air Nostrum
Air Nostrum, Líneas Aéreas del Mediterráneo, S.A., also known as Iberia Regional, is a regional airline based in Valencia, Spain. Air Nostrum is an independent carrier which operates as a franchisee of Iberia Airlines. Iberia Regional franchise is a regional partner of Iberia and an affiliate...
, joined the alliance on 1 September 1999; added more than 50 destinations to the Oneworld network.
On 19 May 1999, LanChile (now known as LAN
LAN Airlines
LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance...
) became a member-elect; the first from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The airline was formed in 1929 and operated some 120 flights a day to 17 destinations in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and 22 destinations worldwide. LanChile's two subsidiaries, LAN Express
LAN Express
LANexpress is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. It is Chile's second airline, as a subsidiary of LAN Airlines, and operates some and a few international routes for its parent. The brand was merged into LAN Airlines in 2004, but LAN Airlines still operate some domestic flights using the code of...
and LAN Perú
LAN Peru
LAN Perú S.A. is an airline based in Lima, Peru. It is a subsidiary of Chilean publicly-traded company LAN Airlines , which owns 49% of the airline. It operates scheduled domestic and international services. Its main base is on the grounds of Jorge Chávez International Airport...
, would also join the alliance. Moreover, Irish carrier Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
was formally elected on board and confirmed as the ninth member of the alliance on 2 December 1999. The airline was established in 1936 and is one of the ten biggest companies in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Meanwhile, faced with years of financial losses, Oneworld founding member Canadian Airlines
Canadian Airlines
Canadian Airlines International Ltd. was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, and carried more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996...
announced in summer 1999 that it had only enough funds to operate for one more year. After a four months takeover
Takeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company by another . In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the acquisition of a private company.- Friendly takeovers :Before a bidder makes an offer for another...
war between Onex Corporation and Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
, Canadian Airlines was acquired by Air Canada on 21 December 1999 and as a consequence, it would leave the alliance. On 1 June 2000, Aer Lingus, LanChile and its two subsidiaries joined Oneworld, while Canadian Airlines ceased to be a member on the same day.
Subsidiaries and franchises – part 1
Air LibertéAir Liberté
Air Liberté was an airline in France founded in July 1987. Air Liberté was headquartered in Rungis. Airlib was headquartered in Orly Airport Building 363 in Paray-Vieille-Poste....
, a British Airways subsidiary, was sold to French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
investment group Taitbout for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
47 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
in May 2000 and ceased to be an Oneworld affiliate member. British Airways said it had not been able to receive adequate returns on its investment since the purchase of about 86 percent of the French carrier. The airline was suffering from heavy losses, expected to £250 million, due to increased competition in the French domestic market in 1990s. In spite of this, the alliance hailed the arrival of a new affiliate member when Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n-based Regional Air
Regional Air
Regional Air was an airline based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was Airkenya's jet operation providing scheduled services. It was based at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi. It suspended operations in 2005. -Code data:*IATA Code: QT...
joined the alliance on 1 July 2001, following its franchising agreement with British Airways. It is the alliance's third affiliate in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. TWA
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
's regional carriers
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
, which operated under the Trans World Express
Trans World Express
Trans World Express was the fully owned and certificated, regional carrier for Trans World Airlines and an airline trademark name for TWA's corporation....
brand, became American Airlines and Oneworld affiliate members, as their name changed to AmericanConnection
AmericanConnection
AmericanConnection is a brand name used by Chautauqua Airlines in the operation of passenger air service as a regional affiliate of American Airlines at its Chicago hub...
on 2 December 2001. The three airlines operating under the AmericanConnection brand are Chautauqua Airlines
Chautauqua Airlines
Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. is a regional airline and a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Based on 2009 published flight schedules, it operates scheduled passenger services on more than 700 flights daily to 98 airports in 31 states, Washington, D.C...
, Corporate Airlines and Trans States Airlines
Trans States Airlines
Trans States Airlines is the thirteenth largest American regional airline and is headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri. It operates as United Express for United Airlines and US Airways Express for US Airways.- History :...
.
Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air LinesSwiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines AG is the principal airline of Switzerland operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Its main hub is Zurich Airport...
(Swiss) accepted an invitation to join the alliance, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
(MOU) on 23 September 2003 to establish a wide-ranging commercial agreement with British Airways. The two airlines planned joint operations between Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with codesharing on Swiss' London Heathrow
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
routes. The Swiss Travel Club, Swiss' frequent flyer programme, would be integrated into British Airways' Executive Club. British Airways would support a CHF
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
50 million credit facility
Line of credit
A line of credit is any credit source extended to a government, business or individual by a bank or other financial institution. A line of credit may take several forms, such as overdraft protection, demand loan, special purpose, export packing credit, term loan, discounting, purchase of...
to Swiss, secured against London Heathrow's slots. One month later, both airlines formally signed a new bilateral cooperation agreement on 22 October and began with shared operations between London Heathrow and three Swiss cities, included Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. It was later extended to all flights between Geneva and London, included London City
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
, London Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
and London Heathrow airports.
However, Swiss announced on 3 June 2004 that it had decided not to proceed with the integration of Swiss Travel Club into British Airway's Executive Club under the present conditions. The airline stated the costs involved with the integration and drawbacks outweigh the projected mid- to long-term benefits. The termination of the proposed frequent flyer programme integration meant that the bilateral commercial agreement between the two airlines could not be continued, the latter being a fundamental condition of it becoming an alliance member. Hence, Swiss was released from its commitment to join the alliance. The decision, however, did not affect Swiss' exchange of slots and the CHF50 million credit facility with British Airways. The airline was later taken over by Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
in 2005 due to heavy losses and joined Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
in 2006.
2005–2006 new recruits
British AirwaysBritish Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
terminated its franchise agreement with Regional Air, the trading name for Airkenya Aviation Ltd, following Regional Air's suspension on flights operated as part of the franchise agreement in mid April 2005. This also meant the airline would no longer be a Oneworld affiliate. Nevertheless, the alliance pressed ahead and embarked on one of the biggest expansions in its young history. On 17 October 2005, the alliance welcomed Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization...
, its first airline from the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
, Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
region. It is also the first airline to accept an invitation to join the alliance for more than five years. Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
's largest airline group, Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
(JAL) announced their decision to apply to join the alliance on 25 October 2005. The airline stated their decision was in line with its corporate policy to always think and act from the customer's point of view. Since both parties share the same purpose and objectives, the Oneworld membership would be in the best interests of the airline's plans to further develop the airline and its strong commitment to provide the very best to its customers. The year was rounded off with Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
flag carrier, Malév accepted a formal invitation to join the alliance on 22 November 2005. It followed a MOU
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
reached between the airline and the alliance in May 2005.
JAL and Oneworld exchanged a MOU on 8 February 2006, three months after JAL first indicated its intention to join the alliance. The MOU set out a framework
Framework
Framework may refer to:*Software framework, a reusable set of libraries or classes for a software system .**Application framework, a software framework used to implement the standard structure of an application for a specific operating system....
for the remaining steps to be taken before the airline could be formally invited to join. On 5 June 2006, JAL accepted a formal letter of invitation to join the alliance and would offer Oneworld services and benefits in early 2007. Five members of the JAL Group would also join the alliance as affiliate members, these included J-Air
J-Air
, is a regional commuter airline with its headquarters in the Terminal Building in Nagoya Airfield and in Toyoyama, Nishikasugai District, Aichi, Japan and its main hub at Nagoya Airfield. J-Air previously had its headquarters in Ōmura, Nagasaki Prefecture. Its operations include scheduled...
, JAL Express
JAL Express
, is a low-cost airline with its headquarters in the on the grounds of Osaka International Airport and in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, and its main hub at Osaka International Airport. The airline also maintains Tokyo offices in the Japan Airlines Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan...
, JALways
JALways
, formerly , was an international airline registered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan, with its headquarters on the third floor of the at Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture and its main hub at Narita International Airport. The airline had a secondary hub at Osaka's Kansai...
, Japan Asia Airways
Japan Asia Airways
is a defunct subsidiary of Japan Airlines which existed between 1975 and 2008. JAA was headquartered in the Japan Airlines Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo....
and Japan Transocean Air
Japan Transocean Air
, or JTA, is an airline based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It operates domestic services. Its main base is Naha Airport.- History :...
.
Subsidiaries and franchises – part 2
The alliance would further strengthen its network in Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
when LAN
LAN Airlines
LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance...
's two subsidiaries, LAN Argentina
LAN Argentina
LAN Argentina is an airline based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is an affiliate of LAN Airlines and operates scheduled domestic services from Buenos Aires to Bariloche, Córdoba, Comodoro Rivadavia, El Calafate, Mendoza, Puerto Iguazú, Neuquén, Río Gallegos, Salta, San Juan, Tucumán and Ushuaia, ...
and LAN Ecuador
LAN Ecuador
LAN Ecuador is a subsidiary of LAN Airlines, based in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It operates scheduled passenger services out of Guayaquil and to a lesser extent Quito using leased LAN aircraft.-History:LAN Ecuador was established in July 2002 and started operations on 28 April 2003...
, were announced as the alliance's newest affiliate members on 31 October 2006. LAN Argentina
LAN Argentina
LAN Argentina is an airline based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is an affiliate of LAN Airlines and operates scheduled domestic services from Buenos Aires to Bariloche, Córdoba, Comodoro Rivadavia, El Calafate, Mendoza, Puerto Iguazú, Neuquén, Río Gallegos, Salta, San Juan, Tucumán and Ushuaia, ...
launched passenger and cargo services in June 2005 from its home base in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, while LAN Ecuador
LAN Ecuador
LAN Ecuador is a subsidiary of LAN Airlines, based in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It operates scheduled passenger services out of Guayaquil and to a lesser extent Quito using leased LAN aircraft.-History:LAN Ecuador was established in July 2002 and started operations on 28 April 2003...
launched its services in April 2003 from its home base in Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
. Both airlines would officially join their sister airlines and offer alliance's services and benefits on 1 April 2007. Additionally, Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
newly acquired wholly owned subsidiary, Dragonair
Dragonair
Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited , operating as Dragonair, is an international airline and flag carrier headquartered in Hong Kong; with its corporate headquarters, Dragonair House Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited (T: 港龍航空有限公司, S: 港龙航空有限公司, Cantonese: gong2 lung4 hong4 hung1 jau5 haan6 gung1 si1,...
, would become an affiliate member of the alliance. Dragonair CEO Kenny Tang said: "Becoming an affiliate member of Oneworld is an exciting development for Dragonair and is another benefit to result from us joining the Cathay Pacific Group." It would officially be on board the alliance on 1 November 2007.
Conversely, on 5 March 2007, the alliance bid farewell to one of its affiliate members and British Airways subsidiary, BA Connect
BA Connect
BA Connect was a fully owned subsidiary airline of British Airways. Headquartered in Didsbury, Manchester, England, it operated a network of domestic and European services from a number of airports in the United Kingdom on behalf of British Airways...
. BA Connect's UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
regional operations were sold to Flybe
Flybe
Flybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England...
on 3 November 2006, in return for a 15 percent stake in the latter. Approximately 50 UK regional routes are affected by the sale, however, Belfast City and Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
would remain linked to the alliance network through other British Airways and alliance members. BA Connect's operations from London City Airport and between Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
would be retained and operated by another British Airways subsidiary BA CityFlyer
BA CityFlyer
BA CityFlyer is a wholly owned subsidiary airline of British Airways based in Didsbury, Manchester, England. It operates a network of domestic and European services from London City Airport...
and the airline itself, respectively.
2007 expansion
Oneworld completed the biggest expansion in its young history with Japan Airlines, Malév and Royal Jordanian joined as full members and offered alliance's services and benefits on 1 April 2007. Furthermore, Japan Airlines' subsidiaries J-Air, JAL Express, JALways, Japan Asia Airways and Japan Transocean Air, and LAN's subsidiaries LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador joined the alliance as affiliate members on the same day. Together with the alliance existing members and their affiliates, Oneworld served almost 700 airportAirport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s in nearly 150 countries with 9,000 daily departures; and carried around 315 million passengers with a fleet of almost 2,500 aircraft. Premium status frequent flyers from JAL Global Club, Malév Duna Club and Royal Jordanian Plus could have access to the 400 airport lounge
Airport lounge
An airport lounge is a lounge owned by a particular airline . Many offer private meeting rooms, phone, fax, wireless and Internet access and other business services, along with provisions to enhance comfort such as free drinks and snacks...
s worldwide belonging to all the member airlines.
On the same day, Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
voluntarily exited the alliance due to a fundamental change to its business strategy and repositioned itself as a low fares point-to-point carrier; while the alliance's strategy is the multi-sector, premium, frequent international travellers' market. However, the airline would maintain frequent flyer programme partnerships with some of the alliance members. Moreover, the airline would continue to participate in the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product.
Subsidiaries and franchises – part 3
The alliance said farewell to its affiliate member and British Airways' franchisee BMED on 27 October 2007, following the purchase of the airline by one of British Airways UK archrival BMIBmi (airline)
British Midland Airways Limited , is an airline based at Donington Hall in Castle Donington in the United Kingdom, close to East Midlands Airport, and a fully owned subsidiary of Lufthansa...
. Four days later, Oneworld greeted its latest affiliate member and Cathay Pacific wholly owned subsidiary Dragonair
Dragonair
Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited , operating as Dragonair, is an international airline and flag carrier headquartered in Hong Kong; with its corporate headquarters, Dragonair House Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited (T: 港龍航空有限公司, S: 港龙航空有限公司, Cantonese: gong2 lung4 hong4 hung1 jau5 haan6 gung1 si1,...
on board the alliance on 1 November 2007. Dragonair had the biggest network into mainland China for a non-China based carrier, with about 400 departures a week.
In 2008, the alliance said goodbye to another two affiliate members as British Airways continued the strategy of reducing its UK franchises. British Airways Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Willie Walsh said: "UK franchises have outlived their purpose." The first franchisee GB Airways
GB Airways
GB Airways was a UK airline; prior to its dissolution it was headquartered in "The Beehive," a former terminal building, at City Place Gatwick, London Gatwick Airport in Crawley, West Sussex, England. It operated scheduled services as a British Airways franchise to 30 destinations in Europe and...
exited the alliance on 30 March 2008, following its purchase by EasyJet
EasyJet
EasyJet Airline Company Limited is a British airline headquartered at London Luton Airport. It carries more passengers than any other United Kingdom-based airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 500 routes between 118 European, North African, and West Asian airports...
. British Airways intended to start services on London Heathrow to Faro
Faro, Portugal
Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
and Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
and from London Gatwick to Faro, Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
, Málaga, Palma and Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, which were operated under the franchise. The alliance bid farewell to one of its affiliate member Japan Asia Airways
Japan Asia Airways
is a defunct subsidiary of Japan Airlines which existed between 1975 and 2008. JAA was headquartered in the Japan Airlines Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo....
on 31 March 2008, following the airline's consolidation into its parent, Japan Airlines. The second British Airways franchisee Loganair
Loganair
Loganair is a Scottish airline with its registered office on the grounds of Glasgow International Airport and in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Loganair operates scheduled services under a Flybe franchise in mainland Scotland and to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. In addition it operates...
left the alliance on 25 October 2008, following the ending of its franchise agreement with the airline. A separate agreement for codesharing on some Loganair services replaced the previous franchise, for British Airways passengers connecting through Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Tenth anniversary
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
, Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
, Iberia
Iberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
, Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
, LAN
LAN Airlines
LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance...
, Malév, Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
and Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization...
. In the past decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
, membership has doubled from an initial five members to ten members now; its member airlines carried a total of 2.5 billion passengers and generated almost US$500 billion, €450 million in revenue from passenger activities. Alliance fares and sales products generated US$5 billion, €2.5 billion in revenue alone, with two-thirds or almost US$3 billion, €1.5 billion would not have been generated if the alliance did not exist.
As part of the celebration and to increase awareness of the 10-member alliance, all the alliance member airlines decorated a proportion of their aircraft fleets in a new standard Oneworld livery – around 40 aircraft in total, mainly types that fly on international routes. The alliance also unveiled a special version of its logo, featuring the text "10 years" printed behind the word Oneworld as a watermark on its round blue orb. In addition, a "10 percent off for 10 weeks to mark its 10th birthday" offer on all the alliance fare products and a competition to win two Business Class
Business class
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between economy class and first class, but many airlines now...
round-the-world tickets for telling what other services and benefits they would like to see the alliance offering.
2009–2011 new recruits and expansion
On 26 May 2009, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n airline S7 Airlines
S7 Airlines
OJSC Siberia Airlines , operating as S7 Airlines, is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with offices in Moscow. S7 Airlines has been Russia's fastest-growing airline and recently passed Aeroflot as Russia's largest domestic airline.S7 has operated scheduled passenger...
was unanimously elected to the alliance by the ten existing members and became a full member on 15 November 2010. The airline has one of the most extensive networks covering Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
(CIS) and will add 54 cities to the alliance map, with 35 of them in Russia. The airline's charter subsidiary Globus Airlines
Globus Airlines
Globus is a Russian airline based at Domodedovo International Airport and a subsidiary of S7 Group. It operates scheduled and charter flights to domestic and some international destinations...
is not included in the alliance agreement. As a first step, S7 Airlines' network was added to the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product, offered by all the alliance and selected non-alliance members.
Mexicana de Aviación
Founded in 1921, Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. de C.V. was Mexico's oldest airline, before ceasing operations on August 28, 2010. The group's closure was announced by the company's recently installed management team a short time after the group filed for Concurso Mercantil and US Chapter 15...
and its subsidiaries, MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink
MexicanaLink
MexicanaLink, a subsidiary of Mexicana, was a regional airline based in Guadalajara International Airport that operated as a feeder airline for both Mexicana and MexicanaClick. It operated into markets that were considered too thin to justify the use of larger aircraft...
, after the airline accepted a formal invitation to join the alliance on 9 April 2008; and added 26 destinations to the alliance map. Mexicana is a former member of Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
. Its departure in March 2004 was the result of a decision to terminate its codeshare agreement with United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
and opted for bilateral agreements with Oneworld members, American Airlines and Iberia. On 2 August 2010, the airline filed for insolvency proceedings in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and bankruptcy protection in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
due to sharp drop in demand in air travel. Subsequently, the airline group suspended all operations from 28 August 2010 until further notice.
On 23 February 2010, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is Kingfisher House in Vile Parle , Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red....
was lined up to join the alliance after signing a memorandum of understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
by its Chairman Vijay Mallya
Vijay Mallya
Vijay Mallya is an Indian liquor and airline baron. The son of industrialist Vittal Mallya, he is the chairman of the United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines. His United Spirits is world's second largest liquor maker, by volume...
and Chief Executives from the alliance's 11 existing member airlines, subject to Indian regulatory approval. The airline applied to India's Ministry of Civil Aviation for authority to proceed with its membership of Oneworld. A target date for the airline to join will be confirmed once this approval is gained, which expected to start flying as part of the alliance during 2011. However, the airline decided to delay its entry date by a year. It is now expected to join in early 2012. Kingfisher Airlines will add 58 Indian cities to the alliance map, it is already a participating airline in the alliance's Global Explorer round-the-world fare product.
On 26 July 2010, Air Berlin
Air Berlin
Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG is Germany's second largest airline, after Lufthansa, and Europe's sixth largest airline in terms of passengers....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's second largest airline, has accepted an invitation to join the alliance.
On 6 June 2011, Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines
Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz...
was officially announced as a new member designate at the IATA World Air Transport Summit in Singapore. The airline is expected to be fully integrated as a member by late 2012.
Full members and their member and non-member affiliates
| Member airline | Country | Joined | Member affiliates | Non-member affiliates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport... |
 United States |
|
United States American Eagle American Eagle Airlines American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries... including  Puerto Rico Executive AirlinesExecutive Airlines Executive Airlines, Inc. is an airline headquartered in Carolina, Puerto Rico.Executive Airlines operates an extensive inter-island network in the Caribbean and to the Bahamas and the USA in American Eagle colors. Its main base is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan. In addition,... United States AmericanConnectionAmericanConnection AmericanConnection is a brand name used by Chautauqua Airlines in the operation of passenger air service as a regional affiliate of American Airlines at its Chicago hub... operated by United States Chautauqua AirlinesChautauqua Airlines Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. is a regional airline and a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Based on 2009 published flight schedules, it operates scheduled passenger services on more than 700 flights daily to 98 airports in 31 states, Washington, D.C... |
— |
| British Airways British Airways British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations... |
 United Kingdom |
|
United Kingdom BA CityFlyer BA CityFlyer BA CityFlyer is a wholly owned subsidiary airline of British Airways based in Didsbury, Manchester, England. It operates a network of domestic and European services from London City Airport...  South Africa ComairComair (South Africa) Comair is an airline based in South Africa. It operates scheduled services on domestic trunk routes as a British Airways franchisee and an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. Its main base is OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, with hubs at Cape Town International Airport...  Denmark Sun-AirSun Air of Scandinavia Sun Air of Scandinavia is an airline based in Billund, Billund Municipality, Denmark. It is a regional scheduled airline operating a franchise service in British Airways colours. It also offers charter flights, air taxi services, specialist aerial work and aircraft brokerage. Its main base is... |
 France OpenSkiesOpenSkies OpenSkies is a fully owned subsidiary airline of British Airways that began operations in June 2008. Originally OpenSkies was operated by BA European Limited but in April 2009 the name was transferred to Elysair . It is a full-service carrier and offers business class only cabins on board its... |
| Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place... |
 Hong Kong |
|
Hong Kong Dragonair Dragonair Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited , operating as Dragonair, is an international airline and flag carrier headquartered in Hong Kong; with its corporate headquarters, Dragonair House Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited (T: 港龍航空有限公司, S: 港龙航空有限公司, Cantonese: gong2 lung4 hong4 hung1 jau5 haan6 gung1 si1,... |
— |
| Finnair Finnair Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest... |
 Finland |
|
— | — |
| Iberia Iberia Airlines Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport.... |
 Spain |
|
Spain Iberia Regional operated by Spain Air Nostrum Air Nostrum Air Nostrum, Líneas Aéreas del Mediterráneo, S.A., also known as Iberia Regional, is a regional airline based in Valencia, Spain. Air Nostrum is an independent carrier which operates as a franchisee of Iberia Airlines. Iberia Regional franchise is a regional partner of Iberia and an affiliate... |
Spain Vueling Vueling Airlines Vueling Airlines SA , commonly shortened to Vueling, is an airline based in El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona , where it maintains its main operating base... |
| Japan Airlines Japan Airlines is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport... |
 Japan |
|
Japan J-Air J-Air , is a regional commuter airline with its headquarters in the Terminal Building in Nagoya Airfield and in Toyoyama, Nishikasugai District, Aichi, Japan and its main hub at Nagoya Airfield. J-Air previously had its headquarters in Ōmura, Nagasaki Prefecture. Its operations include scheduled... Japan JAL ExpressJAL Express , is a low-cost airline with its headquarters in the on the grounds of Osaka International Airport and in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, and its main hub at Osaka International Airport. The airline also maintains Tokyo offices in the Japan Airlines Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan... Japan Japan Transocean AirJapan Transocean Air , or JTA, is an airline based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It operates domestic services. Its main base is Naha Airport.- History :... |
Japan Hokkaido Air System Hokkaido Air System , or HAC, is an airline with its headquarters on the property of Okadama Airport in Okadamachō, Higashi-ku, Sapporo. It operates scheduled domestic services in Hokkaidō. Its main base of operations is Okadama Airport.- History :... Japan Japan Air CommuterJapan Air Commuter is a Japanese airline based in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture. It operates feeder services in support of Japan Airlines. Its main base is Kagoshima Airport, with hubs at Osaka International Airport, Amami Airport and Fukuoka Airport. - History :... Japan Ryukyu Air CommuterRyukyu Air Commuter is an airline headquartered in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It operates domestic passenger services from the island of Okinawa to the Ryūkyū Islands and Amami Islands.-Code data:*ICAO Code: RAC*Callsign: RYUKYU-History:... |
| LAN LAN Airlines LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance... |
 Chile |
|
 Argentina LAN ArgentinaLAN Argentina LAN Argentina is an airline based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is an affiliate of LAN Airlines and operates scheduled domestic services from Buenos Aires to Bariloche, Córdoba, Comodoro Rivadavia, El Calafate, Mendoza, Puerto Iguazú, Neuquén, Río Gallegos, Salta, San Juan, Tucumán and Ushuaia, ...  Ecuador LAN EcuadorLAN Ecuador LAN Ecuador is a subsidiary of LAN Airlines, based in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It operates scheduled passenger services out of Guayaquil and to a lesser extent Quito using leased LAN aircraft.-History:LAN Ecuador was established in July 2002 and started operations on 28 April 2003... Chile LAN ExpressLAN Express LANexpress is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. It is Chile's second airline, as a subsidiary of LAN Airlines, and operates some and a few international routes for its parent. The brand was merged into LAN Airlines in 2004, but LAN Airlines still operate some domestic flights using the code of...  Peru LAN PerúLAN Peru LAN Perú S.A. is an airline based in Lima, Peru. It is a subsidiary of Chilean publicly-traded company LAN Airlines , which owns 49% of the airline. It operates scheduled domestic and international services. Its main base is on the grounds of Jorge Chávez International Airport... |
 Colombia AIRESAIRES Aerovías de Integración Regional S.A. is a low-cost airline headquartered in the AIRES Hangar in Bogotá, Colombia. It operates scheduled regional domestic and international services, as well as a domestic cargo service... |
| Malév |  Hungary |
|
— | — |
| Mexicana Mexicana de Aviación Founded in 1921, Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. de C.V. was Mexico's oldest airline, before ceasing operations on August 28, 2010. The group's closure was announced by the company's recently installed management team a short time after the group filed for Concurso Mercantil and US Chapter 15... |
 Mexico |
|
Mexico MexicanaClick Mexico MexicanaLink MexicanaLink MexicanaLink, a subsidiary of Mexicana, was a regional airline based in Guadalajara International Airport that operated as a feeder airline for both Mexicana and MexicanaClick. It operated into markets that were considered too thin to justify the use of larger aircraft... |
— |
| Qantas Qantas Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport... |
 Australia |
|
 New Zealand JetconnectJetConnect Jetconnect is an airline based in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a shell company of Qantas. It was established in July 2002 and started operations in October 2002. It operates trans-tasman services between New Zealand and Australia under the Qantas brand. It employs crew based in New Zealand and... Australia QantasLinkQantasLink QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines, Virgin Australia and Skywest Airlines. As of September 2010 QantasLink provides 1900 flights each week to 54 domestic and... operated by Australia Airlink Australia Eastern Australia AirlinesEastern Australia Airlines Eastern Australia Airlines Pty Ltd is an airline based on the grounds of Sydney Airport in Mascot, City of Botany Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a regional domestic airline serving 16 destinations under the QantasLink banner. Its main base is Sydney Airport, with a hub at Melbourne... Australia Sunstate AirlinesSunstate Airlines Sunstate Airlines is a subsidiary of Qantas which operates regional flights under the QantasLink banner throughout Queensland; and on the trunk routes between Sydney and Canberra, and between Brisbane and Canberra... |
 Fiji Air PacificAir Pacific Air Pacific Limited, Fiji's international airline, operates international and domestic services around the Pacific and to North America and Hong Kong. It is also a partner with the frequent flyer programmes of Qantas, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines... Australia JetstarJetstar Airways Jetstar Airways is an Australian low-cost airline headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. It is a subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by low-cost airline Virgin Blue...  Singapore Jetstar AsiaJetstar Asia Airways Jetstar Asia Airways Private Limited , operating as Jetstar Asia, is a low-cost airline headquartered in Singapore. It is the Asian offshoot of Qantas Jetstar Airways...  Vietnam Jetstar PacificJetstar Pacific Airlines Jetstar Pacific Airlines Joint Stock Aviation Company is a low-cost airline headquartered in the Tân Bình District of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It operates domestic and international services, and charter flights. Its main base is Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the main airport in Ho Chi... Singapore ValuairValuair Valuair Limited is a Singapore-based low-cost carrier. It was launched in 2004, offering initial services to Bangkok and Hong Kong. It differentiates itself from other low-cost carriers in that it offers frills such as a baggage allowance of over 20 kg, in-flight food, allocated seats, and... |
| Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization... |
 Jordan |
|
— | Jordan Royal Wings Royal Wings Royal Wings is a Royal Jordanian Group Company and the charter arm of Royal Jordanian, is an airline based in Amman, Jordan. Its main base is Queen Alia International Airport , Amman with a hub at Amman Civil Airport .-History:... |
| S7 Airlines S7 Airlines OJSC Siberia Airlines , operating as S7 Airlines, is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with offices in Moscow. S7 Airlines has been Russia's fastest-growing airline and recently passed Aeroflot as Russia's largest domestic airline.S7 has operated scheduled passenger... |
 Russia |
|
Russia Globus Airlines Globus Airlines Globus is a Russian airline based at Domodedovo International Airport and a subsidiary of S7 Group. It operates scheduled and charter flights to domestic and some international destinations... |
— |
Founding member
Operating under the brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
and livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
of the member airline
A partnership between Qantas (46%) and the Fiji Government
Parliament of Fiji
Fiji's Parliament is bicameral. The House of Representatives has 71 members. 25 of these are elected by universal suffrage. The remaining 46 are reserved for Fiji's ethnic communities and are elected from communal electoral rolls: 23 Fijians, 19 Indo-Fijians, 1 Rotuman, and 3 "General electors"...
A partnership between Qantas (49%) and Singapore's Westbrook Investments Pte Ltd
A partnership between Qantas (27%), Vietnam's State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), Saigon Tourist and Mr Luong Hoai Nam
A partnership between Iberia (45%), Nefinsa and Inversiones Hemisferio
Mexicana filed for insolvency proceedings
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
and suspended all operations, but not yet left the alliance
Former members and member affiliates
| Former member airline | Country | Joined | Exited | Member affiliates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Aer Lingus Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair... |
 Republic of Ireland |
|
|
— |
| Canadian Airlines Canadian Airlines Canadian Airlines International Ltd. was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, and carried more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996... |
 Canada |
|
|
Canada Calm Air Calm Air Calm Air International LP. is an airline based in Thompson, Manitoba, Canada and is presently owned by the Exchange Income Corporation. It operates services in northern Manitoba and the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. Charter and freight services are also undertaken. Its main base is Thompson Airport.-... Canada Canadian NorthCanadian North Canadian North Inc. is an airline based in the Northwest Tower in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. It operates scheduled passenger services to major communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Southern gateways include Edmonton and Ottawa... Canada Canadian Regional AirlinesCanadian Regional Airlines Canadian Regional Airlines was an airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is now part of Air Canada Jazz.- Former Code Data :*IATA Code: KI*ICAO Code: CDR*Callsign: Canadian Regional- History :... Canada Inter-CanadienInter-Canadien Inter-Canadien was a Canadian airline headquartered in Montreal, Quebec.- History :Inter-Canadien traces its roots back to Quebecair, which was founded in 1949. Quebecair grew to become a second tier regional airline, operating BAC One-Eleven jets and Fokker F27 Friendship turboprops on routes... |
Voluntarily left the alliance due to changing business strategy
Founding member and was acquired by Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
, a Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
member
| Former member affiliate | Country | Joined | Exited | Member affiliate of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Liberté Air Liberté Air Liberté was an airline in France founded in July 1987. Air Liberté was headquartered in Rungis. Airlib was headquartered in Orly Airport Building 363 in Paray-Vieille-Poste.... |
 Early Modern France |
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United Kingdom British Airways |
| Airconnex Impulse Airlines Impulse Airlines was an independent airline in Australia which operated regional and low cost trunk services between 1994 and 2001. It was acquired by Qantas in 2001 and later formed the basis of Qantas' low-cost airline Jetstar... |
Australia |
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Australia Qantas |
| BA Connect BA Connect BA Connect was a fully owned subsidiary airline of British Airways. Headquartered in Didsbury, Manchester, England, it operated a network of domestic and European services from a number of airports in the United Kingdom on behalf of British Airways... |
United Kingdom |
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United Kingdom British Airways |
| BMED | United Kingdom |
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United Kingdom British Airways |
| Corporate Airlines | United States |
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United States American Airlines |
| GB Airways GB Airways GB Airways was a UK airline; prior to its dissolution it was headquartered in "The Beehive," a former terminal building, at City Place Gatwick, London Gatwick Airport in Crawley, West Sussex, England. It operated scheduled services as a British Airways franchise to 30 destinations in Europe and... |
United Kingdom |
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United Kingdom British Airways |
| JALways JALways , formerly , was an international airline registered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan, with its headquarters on the third floor of the at Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture and its main hub at Narita International Airport. The airline had a secondary hub at Osaka's Kansai... |
Japan |
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Japan Japan Airlines |
| Japan Asia Airways Japan Asia Airways is a defunct subsidiary of Japan Airlines which existed between 1975 and 2008. JAA was headquartered in the Japan Airlines Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo.... |
Japan |
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Japan Japan Airlines |
| Loganair Loganair Loganair is a Scottish airline with its registered office on the grounds of Glasgow International Airport and in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Loganair operates scheduled services under a Flybe franchise in mainland Scotland and to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. In addition it operates... |
United Kingdom |
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United Kingdom British Airways |
| Qantas New Zealand | New Zealand |
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Australia Qantas |
| Regional Air Regional Air Regional Air was an airline based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was Airkenya's jet operation providing scheduled services. It was based at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi. It suspended operations in 2005. -Code data:*IATA Code: QT... |
 Kenya |
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United Kingdom British Airways |
| Southern Australia Airlines | Australia |
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Australia Qantas |
| Trans States Airlines Trans States Airlines Trans States Airlines is the thirteenth largest American regional airline and is headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri. It operates as United Express for United Airlines and US Airways Express for US Airways.- History :... |
United States |
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United States American Airlines |
Founding member affiliate
Future members and member affiliates
Future members when accepted become members elect and enter a transition and integration phase typically leading to full membership with eighteen months to two years.| Future member airline | Country | Joining | Affiliates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingfisher Airlines Kingfisher Airlines Kingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is Kingfisher House in Vile Parle , Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red.... |
 India |
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India Kingfisher Red |
| Air Berlin Air Berlin Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG is Germany's second largest airline, after Lufthansa, and Europe's sixth largest airline in terms of passengers.... |
 Germany |
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 Switzerland BelairBelair (airline) Belair is an airline headquartered in Glattbrugg, Opfikon, Switzerland. It operates scheduled flights on behalf of Air Berlin and ad hoc charters for third parties. Its main base is Zürich Airport.- History :...  Austria Niki |
| Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz... |
 Malaysia |
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Malaysia Firefly Firefly (airline) FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd, operating as Firefly, is a full service point to point carrier and a full subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines. Its head office is located on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor. It claims to be the first community airline in Malaysia... Malaysia MASwingsMASwings MASwings Sdn. Berhad is a regional airline operating the Rural Air Services in East Malaysia. It took over the RAS previously operated by FlyAsianXpress. The first flight was on 1 October 2007,which is also the anniversary of the founding of Malaysia Airlines in 1972. Its headquarters are in Jalan... |
Possible future members
Oneworld has expressed its desire to recruit new member airlines while several airlines have expressed their intention to join the alliance.| Airline | Country | Affiliates | Oneworld Codeshare Partners | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Aer Lingus Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair... |
Republic of Ireland |
British Airways British Airways British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations... Qantas Qantas Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport... |
Though the carrier has not expressed a preference for one alliance yet, Chirstoph Müller remarked that Star Alliance or Oneworld would work best for the airline's U.S. routes. | |
| Air Astana Air Astana Air Astana is the flag carrier and the national airline of Kazakhstan with its head office in Almaty. It is the national carrier of Kazakhstan and operates scheduled domestic and international services. Its main bases are Astana International Airport and Almaty International Airport... |
 Kazakhstan |
In May 2011 Peter Foster, President of Air Astana, announced that the Kazakh flag carrier will join an airline alliance sooner or later, identifying Star Alliance and oneworld as options. | ||
| Air Tahiti Nui Air Tahiti Nui Air Tahiti Nui is French Polynesia's flag carrier airline with its head office in the Immueble Dexter in Papeete, Tahiti. It operates international services for the low and high-end leisure travel markets. Its main base is Faa'a International Airport, Papeete.- History :Air Tahiti Nui was... |
 French Polynesia |
American Airlines American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport... Japan Airlines Japan Airlines is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport... Qantas Qantas Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport... |
The airline has expressed interest in joining an alliance, they believe that OneWorld and Skyteam are the most suitable choice for them. | |
| BMI Bmi (airline) British Midland Airways Limited , is an airline based at Donington Hall in Castle Donington in the United Kingdom, close to East Midlands Airport, and a fully owned subsidiary of Lufthansa... |
Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz... (future member) |
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| Eva Air EVA Air EVA Airways Corporation "; ) is an airline based at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, Taiwan, operating passenger and dedicated cargo services to over 40 international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. EVA Air is largely privately owned and flies a fully... |
 Republic of China |
UNI Air Uni Air UNI Air is an airline based in Zhongshan, Taipei, Taiwan. It is a domestic and regional subsidiary of EVA Air. It was known as Makung International Airlines until 1996, when EVA Air took a majority share of the airline... |
American Airlines American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport... Qantas Qantas Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport... |
Raymond Lin, vice chairman of EVA parent Evergreen Group, told ATW that the airline hopes to be accepted into either oneworld or Star "in less than two years from now, hopefully earlier". |
| Gulf Air Gulf Air Gulf Air is the principal flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Headquartered in Muharraq, adjacent to Bahrain International Airport, the airline operates scheduled services to 45 destinations in 28 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe. Its main base is Bahrain International Airport... |
 Bahrain |
American Airlines American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport... Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization... |
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| Hainan Airlines Hainan Airlines Hainan Airlines Company Limited is an airline headquartered in the HNA Development Building in Haikou, Hainan, People's Republic of China. It is the largest privately-owned air transport company and the fourth-largest airline in terms of fleet size in the People's Republic of China... |
 Mainland China |
 Chang'an AirlinesChang'an Airlines Chang’an Airlines Co., Ltd. was an airline based in Xi'an, Shaanxi, the People's Republic of China. It operated scheduled, passenger and cargo services within Shaanxi province and to neighbouring provinces. Its main base was Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, with a hub at Yinchuan Hedong Airport... China Xinhua AirlinesChina Xinhua Airlines China Xinhua Airlines was an airline based in Beijing, People's Republic of China. It operated scheduled trunk services and charter flights. Its main bases were Beijing Capital International Airport and Tianjin Binhai International Airport... Tianjin Airlines Hong Kong Airlines Hong Kong Express AirwaysHong Kong Express Airways Hong Kong Express Airways Limited , is an airline based in Hong Kong, with its main hub at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline operates scheduled passenger services to 19 destinations in seven countries across Asia, including codeshares with its sister airline, Hong Kong Airlines... |
AirBerlin Malev Hungarian Airlines Malév Hungarian Airlines Malév Hungarian Airlines is the flag carrier and principal airline of Hungary. It has its head office in the Lurdy House in Budapest, with its main operations at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. From there, the airline flies to 50 cities in 34 countries worldwide using a fleet of 22... |
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| JetBlue Airways JetBlue Airways JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens.... |
United States |
American Airlines American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport... (partnership) Japan Airlines Japan Airlines is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport... (interline) LAN Airlines LAN Airlines LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance... (interline) |
According to David Barger, CEO of JetBlue Airways, the airline is currently considering becoming a member of a global alliance.JetBlue's decision may be influenced by the recent interline partnership agreement signed with American Airlines. Neither airline ruled out the opportunities of codesharing and JetBlue's participation in Oneworld alliance. | |
| Jetstar | Australia |
Jetstar Asia Airways Jetstar Asia Airways Jetstar Asia Airways Private Limited , operating as Jetstar Asia, is a low-cost airline headquartered in Singapore. It is the Asian offshoot of Qantas Jetstar Airways... ValuairValuair Valuair Limited is a Singapore-based low-cost carrier. It was launched in 2004, offering initial services to Bangkok and Hong Kong. It differentiates itself from other low-cost carriers in that it offers frills such as a baggage allowance of over 20 kg, in-flight food, allocated seats, and... Jetstar Pacific Airlines |
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| Meridiana Fly |  Italy |
Air Italy Air Italy Air Italy S.p.A. is an airline based in Gallarate, Italy, operating scheduled services for tour operators within Europe, to Brazil and Kenya, as well as independent short-haul flights...  Air Poland |
AirBerlin British Airways British Airways British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations... Finnair Finnair Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest... Iberia Iberia The name Iberia refers to three historical regions of the old world:* Iberian Peninsula, in Southwest Europe, location of modern-day Portugal and Spain** Prehistoric Iberia... |
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| Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines, Inc. operating as Philippine Airlines, is a flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered in the Philippine National Bank Financial Center in Pasay City, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name... |
 Philippines |
Airphil Express |
Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place... Kingfisher Airlines Kingfisher Airlines Kingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is Kingfisher House in Vile Parle , Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red.... Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz... (future member) Qantas Qantas Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport... |
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| SriLankan Airlines SriLankan Airlines SriLankan Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Sri Lanka. It operates to destinations in Asia and Europe from its base and hub at Bandaranaike International Airport . The airline's trademark phrase is 'You're Our World', and the company's logo features a stylized peacock... |
 Sri Lanka |
Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz... (future member) |
SriLanka Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena said in October 2011 that the airline is keen to join an alliance as soon as practicable with Oneworld and Star Alliance being the preferred two options. | |
| TAM Airlines |  Brazil |
Pantanal Linhas Aéreas Pantanal Linhas Aereas Pantanal Linhas Aéreas S.A. is an airline based in São Paulo, Brazil and controlled by TAM Airlines. It is a regional airline serving 19 destinations mainly in the southeast region of Brazil...  TAM Airlines (Paraguay) |
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| TAP Portugal TAP Portugal TAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary... |
 Portugal |
Portugalia Portugália Portugália is a regional airline with its head office in Lisbon, Portugal, and a subsidiary of TAP Portugal. When it was an independent company its head office was in Building 70 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon... PGA ExpressPGA Express PGA Express is an airline based in Cascais, Portugal. It is a subsidiary of Portugália and operates services to Spain in a franchise agreement with Portugália... |
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| Tunisair Tunisair Société Tunisienne de l'Air, or Tunisair is the flag carrier airline of Tunisia. Formed in 1948, it operates scheduled international services to European, African and Middle Eastern destinations. Its main base is Tunis-Carthage International Airport... |
 Tunisia |
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Premium status
Oneworld has three premium status levels – Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald – based on the customer's tier status in the member airline's frequent flyer programme. Emerald status is the highest level in each member's programme and all of the statuses are recognised by each of the member airlines. The premium statuses have no specific requirements of their own; membership is based solely on the frequent flyer programmes of the individual member airline. Alliance benefits are only available to passengers on scheduled flights that are both operated and marketed by a member airline.| Airline and Frequent Flyer Programme |  |
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| American Airlines American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport... |
AAdvantage | |
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| British Airways British Airways British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations... |
Executive Club | |
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Premier |
| Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place... |
The Marco Polo Club | |
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Invitation |
| Finnair Finnair Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest... |
Finnair Plus | |
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| Iberia Iberia Airlines Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport.... |
Iberia Plus | |
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| Japan Airlines Japan Airlines is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport... |
JAL Mileage Bank | |
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| JAL Global Club (JGC) | |
JGC Crystal JGC Sapphire |
JGC Premier |
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| LAN LAN Airlines LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance... |
LanPass | |
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| Malév Malév Hungarian Airlines Malév Hungarian Airlines is the flag carrier and principal airline of Hungary. It has its head office in the Lurdy House in Budapest, with its main operations at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. From there, the airline flies to 50 cities in 34 countries worldwide using a fleet of 22... |
Duna Club | |
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| Mexicana Mexicana de Aviación Founded in 1921, Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. de C.V. was Mexico's oldest airline, before ceasing operations on August 28, 2010. The group's closure was announced by the company's recently installed management team a short time after the group filed for Concurso Mercantil and US Chapter 15... |
MexicanaGo | |
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| Qantas Qantas Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport... |
Qantas Frequent Flyer | |
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Platinum One Chairmans Lounge |
| Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization... |
Royal Plus | |
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| S7 Airlines S7 Airlines OJSC Siberia Airlines , operating as S7 Airlines, is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with offices in Moscow. S7 Airlines has been Russia's fastest-growing airline and recently passed Aeroflot as Russia's largest domestic airline.S7 has operated scheduled passenger... |
S7 Priority | |
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Oneworld Ruby
Oneworld Ruby status is awarded to customers who have reached the first premium level of a member airline's frequent flyer programme. The benefits of the Oneworld Ruby membership include: priority reservations waitlisting; priority airport stand-byStandby (air travel)
On most modern airlines, flying standby occurs when a passenger travels on a flight without a prior reservation for that specific flight.- Why fly standby? :...
; Business Class
Business class
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between economy class and first class, but many airlines now...
priority check-in; and pre-reserved preferential seating.
Oneworld Sapphire
Oneworld Sapphire status is awarded to customers who have reached the second highest premium level of a member airline's frequent flyer program. The benefits of the Oneworld Sapphire membership include: priority reservations waitlisting; priority airport stand-by; Business Class priority check-in; pre-reserved preferential seating; Business Class airport loungeAirport lounge
An airport lounge is a lounge owned by a particular airline . Many offer private meeting rooms, phone, fax, wireless and Internet access and other business services, along with provisions to enhance comfort such as free drinks and snacks...
access; and priority boarding.
Oneworld Emerald
Oneworld Emerald status is awarded to customers who have reached the highest premium level of a member airline's frequent flyer program. The benefits of the Oneworld Emerald membership include: priority reservations waitlisting; priority airport stand-by; Business and First ClassFirst class (aviation)
First class is a luxury travel class on some airliners that exceeds business class, premium economy, and economy class. On a passenger jetliner, first class refers to a limited number of seats or cabins located in the front of the aircraft which are notable for their comfort, service, and privacy...
priority check-in; pre-reserved preferential seating; Business and First Class airport lounge access; and priority boarding.
Co-location
Co-location provides alliance customers with smoother transfers between member airlines; and better facilities than any of the member airlines could justify on their own. The alliance has combined ticket offices, check-in facilities and lounges at some 50 airports worldwide.| Oneworld co-locations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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EWLINE
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Interline electronic ticket
On 21 April 2005, Oneworld became the first airline allianceAirline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
to enable its customers to fly throughout its members' network on electronic ticket
Electronic ticket
An electronic ticket is a digital ticket. It may be issued by an airline, in road, urban or rail public transport, and in entertainment.-Airline ticket:...
s (E-Tickets) only, with the completion of interline
Interlining
Interlining is a voluntary commercial agreement between individual airlines to handle passengers traveling on itineraries that require multiple airlines.-Agreements:...
e-ticketing (IET) links between all its member airlines. E-Ticket made checking-in quicker and smoother as all the information is stored electronically, it cannot be lost or risk being stolen like a traditional paper ticket. In addition, E-Ticket enabled customers to access new automated features, like self-service, mobile or internet check-in.
Awards and recognitions
| Awards and recognitions received by Oneworld | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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EWLINE
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Livery and logo
All alliance members' aircraft bear a small oneworld logo, 30 centimetres (11.8 in) in diameter, on the right of the aircraft entry door.Japan Airlines – 2007 special Oneworld livery
In 2007, Japan AirlinesJapan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
(JAL) painted two of its Boeing 777
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
(JA704J) and a Boeing 777-300
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
(JA8941), in a special Oneworld livery to mark its entrance into the alliance. The first aircraft (JA704J) took off from JAL's main international hub Tokyo Narita International Airport
Narita International Airport
is an international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is located east of Tokyo Station and east-southeast of Narita Station in the city of Narita, and the adjacent town of Shibayama....
as Japan Airlines Flight 441 bound for Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
on 16 April 2007. The design featured "a huge globe in the distinctive horizon blue of Oneworld, painted on the centre of the aircraft, with a stylised motif to symbolise the convenience, comfort, value and choice available to passengers throughout the alliance's comprehensive global network".
Standard oneworld livery
The new (optional) standard oneworld livery was introduced as part of the alliance's 10th anniversary celebration in February 2009. It features the alliance name in large letters that are almost 2 metres (6.6 ft) tall and the alliance logo along the side of their fuselageFuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
, against a white or a polished metal background. The name of the operating member airline will be placed in smaller lettering in a standard position at the front of the aircraft below the alliance name and logo. Each member airline will also retain its regular tailfin
Vertical stabilizer
The vertical stabilizers, vertical stabilisers, or fins, of aircraft, missiles or bombs are typically found on the aft end of the fuselage or body, and are intended to reduce aerodynamic side slip. It is analogical to a skeg on boats and ships.On aircraft, vertical stabilizers generally point upwards...
design.
| Aircraft in Oneworld livery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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EWLINE
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