The oneworld Alliance is a group of 13 airlines globally that work together to provide flight connections (and perks for frequent flyers) across all of their flight networks, providing travellers access to over 900 destinations in over 170 countries. Founded in 1999, the oneworld Alliance is the third-largest of the three major airline alliances in the world, behind Star Alliance and SkyTeam. Airline alliances provide a foundation for codeshare agreements and joint ventures between airlines on specific routes, however airlines still do choose to work with airlines outside of their own airline alliance for codeshares too.
Oneworld is self-governing. The board is made up of the CEO’s of member airlines, who rotate the responsibility of Chairman, with the aim of setting strategic priorities, confirming progress regularly and to hold the CEO of oneworld to account on delivering the vision.
So what does this all mean for you? Well, it means that your American Airlines-booked flight may actually be a codeshare flight, operated by another airline such as British Airways or Alaska Airlines or other oneworld Alliance carrier (do check the flight details before booking). This benefits travellers as it provides access to more frequent flights (and more convenient flight times for you), and access to routes and connecting routes onto destinations that American Airlines or Alaska Airlines (or any other oneworld partner airline) don’t fly. You will also earn airline miles and status credits on your respective airline loyalty program even when you fly a different airline in the alliance.
For those of you redeeming airline miles, it provides greater availability and more flight options to redeem your flight miles on. Often partner flight awards are priced differently to flights on the airline of your native airline loyalty program, and so this unlocks sweet spots and mismatched pricing between partners and their own airline mile flight redemptions, especially between distance-based pricing options. This can create some fantastic redemption value opportunities for redeeming airline miles that are worth exploring if you hold a balance of airline miles and want to go somewhere else beyond your native airline’s flight network.
Additionally, this also unlocks new ways of thinking about flight redemptions if you hold points in a credit card rewards scheme such as American Express Membership Rewards or Chase. It may be cheaper to transfer your points to another alliance member’s loyalty program to book the same flight for less airline miles and/or less airport fees and taxes. I recommend checking AwardHacker to see what options are available on the routes you are after, but do note that AwardHacker does not show availability – you will need to check this through the airline website you intend to use to book your flight redemption.
Oneworld Alliance Airline Partners
So which airlines are part of the oneworld Alliance? There is 13 airlines currently part of the oneworld Alliance, with Oman Air set to join in 2024. Fiji Airways is a “oneworld connect” member, but more on that later. Here are the 13 oneworld Alliance Airline Partners:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- SriLankan Airlines
As you can see, oneworld Alliance airline partners stretch the globe with very unique flight networks and hubs, ultimately reaching over 900 destinations in 170 countries.
What oneworld status level am I?
All loyalty programs of oneworld member airlines have different status tiers that unlock more benefits and perks as you fly with oneworld member airlines more often. Each tier allows for perks and benefits when you fly with otheroneworld airlines, that can be different to the primary airline you fly with (and/or hold status with). An example of this is that some oneworld airlines will provide their own oneworld Sapphire (or above) status holders with Fast Track access at certain airports, whilst withholding the perk for other member airline oneworld Sapphire status holders. Perks on non-native oneworld airlines however are generally standardised at a set “oneworld tier”, which is either oneworld Ruby, oneworld Sapphire or oneworld Emerald.
Below are the oneworld member airline status levels you hold if you hold one of the following airline statuses:
oneworld Ruby
- Alaska Airlines MVP
- American Airlines AAdvantage Gold
- British Airways Executive Club Bronze
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Silver
- Finnair Plus Silver
- Iberia Plus Plata
- Japan Airlines FLY ON Crystal
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich Silver
- Qantas Silver
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club Silver
- Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer Silver
- Royal Jordanian Royal Club Silver Jay
- SriLankan Airlines FlySmiLes Classic
oneworld Sapphire
- Alaska Airlines MVP Gold
- American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum
- British Airways Executive Club Silver
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Gold
- Finnair Plus Gold
- Iberia Plus Oro
- Japan Airlines JGC/FLY ON Sapphire/JGC Crystal/JGC members
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich Gold
- Qantas Gold
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club Gold
- Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer Gold
- Royal Jordanian Royal Club Gold Sparrow
- SriLankan Airlines FlySmiLes Gold
oneworld Emerald
- Alaska Airlines MVP 75K/MVP 100K
- American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum/AAdvantage Executive Platinum
- British Airways Executive Club Gold (and above)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Diamond
- Finnair Plus Platinum/Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo
- Iberia Plus Platino/Iberia Plus Infinita
- Japan Airlines JGC/FLY ON Diamond/FLY ON JGC Premier
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich Platinum
- Qantas Platinum/Platinum One
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club Platinum
- Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer Platinum
- Royal Jordanian Royal Club Platinum Hawk
- SriLankan Airlines FlySmiLes Platinum
In all, your oneworld status helps you understand what benefits and perks are available to you when flying with other oneworld Alliance airlines, besides the airline you hold status with.
What Perks and Benefits do I get from my oneworld status?
When travelling with another oneworld Alliance airline from your airline loyalty program, you can get similar perks to those found on your own airline with your airline status, but sometimes there are slight differences. These standardised perks and benefits include:
oneworld Ruby
- Business Class/Priority check-in
- Access to preferred or pre-reserved frequent flyer seating
- Priority on waitlists and standby
oneworld Sapphire
- Access to Business Class Lounges across the Oneworld network
- Business Class/Priority check-in
- Access to preferred or pre-reserved frequent flyer seating
- Priority on waitlists and standby
- Priority boarding
- Extra baggage allowance
- Priority baggage handling
oneworld Emerald
- Access to First and Business Class Lounges across the Oneworld network
- Fast-track or Priority Lane Security and/or immigration access at certain airports worldwide
- Business Class/Priority check-in
- Access to preferred or pre-reserved frequent flyer seating
- Priority on waitlists and standby
- Priority boarding
- Extra baggage allowance (more than Sapphire usually)
- Priority baggage handling
There are a few exceptions to this. For example, I recently flew with Malaysian Airlines who didn’t recognise my oneworld status for free seat selection at time of booking. However, generally these perks above are available on all oneworld carriers.
These perks and benefits can be quite valuable to the right person. For example, someone moving house cross-country or internationally could take great value out of additional checked baggage allowance, which could save you hundreds on extra baggage fees. Or someone who travels a lot for work could find value in lounge access for additional working time and internet access before a flight, minimising unproductive time spent at the airport and allowing the ability to take calls with clients or co-workers with some degree of privacy.
These perks and benefits are generally available on all oneworld Alliance carriers in any class, even Economy. If you don’t hold elite status with a oneworld Alliance airline, these perks are usually the same as holders of a business or first-class ticket.
If your oneworld status is set to expire, and you need inspiration on how to earn tier points/status points/loyalty points fast before your expiry date, check out my article on mileage runs.
Oneworld Alliance Lounge Access
Personally, one of the most valuable oneworld Alliance perks for me is the lounge access. For oneworld Sapphire, you get access to over 600 business class lounges worldwide.
For oneworld Emerald members, you get exclusive access to an additional 26 additional lounges around the world, ranging from Qantas Domestic Business Class Lounges to Cathay Pacific’s multiple First Class Lounges at HKG, 3 first class lounges to lounge hop at LHR Terminal 3, and the stunning brand new British Airways American Airlines Soho Lounge at New York JFK Terminal 8.
As you can see, for most people, oneworld Sapphire may be enough and represent better value that striving for oneworld Emerald as most of these 26 exclusive lounges also usually have business class lounges too at the same airports – you won’t be lounge-less either way.
Recent oneworld Airport Lounge highlights:
For me, some recent lounge highlights for me have been:
British Airways LHR T5 Galleries North and South
British Airways regularly changes things up with new menus, cocktail offerings, wines (there is currently a Whispering Angel pop-up bar), ice cream and many other fun unique offerings that help to change your routine up, especially if you fly through British Airways’ main airport hub often.
Cathay Pacific HKG The Pier and The Deck Business Class Lounges
Cathay Pacific has finally just reopened their third lounge at HKG after the pandemic, The Wing, however at my time of travelling, only The Pier and The Deck were open. I made the most of my 3-hour layover to check out both and they were absolutely fantastic.
Having arrived from a long overnight flight from Amsterdam and connecting onwards, a very powerful steamy shower and champagne dumpling breakfast was a very welcome sight. If you do end up visiting, you absolutely must savour in some dumplings/dim sum and Dan Dan noodles.
The Pier also has a “Teahouse” of interesting high-end Chinese teas, however I ran out of time on this visit as my connecting flight was boarding from the satellite pier, and I had no idea that it was about 10 minutes from the main terminal. I absolutely cannot wait to go back to explore more of these three amazing lounges.
Qantas LHR T3 International Business Lounge
For me, a really memorable recent lounge with top-quality service, great á la carte food options, barista coffee, a well-stocked gin and cocktail bar, and luxurious surroundings. Everything you want in a great lounge. Passing through Heathrow Terminal 3 soon? Make sure you make time to stop in here.
British Airways Edinburgh Business Lounge
I know this is a controversial opinion as this is a regional United Kingdom Lounge in Scotland, but post-pandemic, British Airways really stepped up to reward its Club Europe and frequent flyers here. I had to pass through a few times last year, and found unique treats to reward flyers for flying again – the coverted and very exclusive British Airways Gin, previously only found at the flagship Concorde Room at LHR and Johnnie Walker Blue Label (c.$250 a bottle). On top of that, the staff went above and beyond, refilling glasses and clearing tables promptly. And they were really friendly as well. Proof that you can find hidden gem airport lounges that aren’t necessarily the newest, flashiest, biggest or in the most crowded hub airports in the world.
As you can see above, I have been flying around the United Kingdom a lot since the pandemic, however there are plenty of oneworld gems in the US too to uncover. Some highlights include the American Airlines Flagship Lounge, oneworld Lounge (Sapphire) and Qantas First Lounge (Emerald) at LAX, Greenwich (Sapphire) and Soho (Emerald) Lounges at New York JFK, American Airlines Flagship Lounge at ORD, Alaska Airlines Lounge at SEA, or the American Airlines Flagship First at MIA.
Do you have a favourite lounge or lounge experience to share? I want to hear about it. Email me at [email protected].
Which Airport Lounges can I access?
To find out which airport lounges you have access to with your oneworld status, check out the oneworld Airport Lounge finder. Note, you will usually only have access on departure and for transit onto connecting Oneworld flights booked on the same ticket, and on the same day.
Other restrictions do apply for certain airline loyalty programs such as domestic US travel with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, so do carefully check the terms and conditions of your specific airline loyalty program before you fly.
Oneworld Alliance Round-the-World Tickets
If you are planning an extended trip, whether it is a globe-trotting honeymoon or full-on gap year, oneworld offers three types of round-the-world fares that save you money.
Planning for these can get quite complex and involved, as you can use flight routes from multiple oneworld member airlines on the same ticket. It’s best to compare the oneworld round-the-world ticket to individual one-way ticket pricing before you book, as it may work out cheaper to buy shorter flights separately to the combined round-the-world ticket. What this means is that you can utilise the oneworld round-the-world ticket for your key long-haul flights within your itinerary, and then go “off-the-beaten-track” with local transport and airlines to connect between the flights on your oneworld round-the-world ticket.
If you are looking at planning and booking a oneworld round-the-world ticket, I have made a dedicated article here on the process and how to book. Absolutely check that out before you decide on the best route for you.
What is oneworld connect?
Oneworld connect is a new program that allows oneworld members to get perks and benefits when flying with certain airlines outside of the oneworld Alliance, with further perks for those passengers connecting from or onto a select number of airlines called “oneworld sponsors”. It also allows for codeshare bookings and the through connection of bags for passengers transferring onto the oneworld connect airline to or from a oneworld sponsor. Importantly, it also means if you hold a loyalty account with a oneworld sponsor of the specific oneworld connect airline you are flying with, you can accrue airline miles and tier points/status credits and redeem airline miles for flights with the oneworld connect airline partner.
Which airlines are oneworld connect members?
Currently the only oneworld connect airline is Fiji Airways, with British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas as oneworld sponsors. American Airlines will soon be joining as a oneworld sponsor soon as well.
What are the oneworld connect perks and benefits?
For members of all oneworld airline loyalty programs, oneworld Ruby status holders and above can get access to priority check-in facilities, with oneworld Sapphire and Emerald status holders also receiving priority boarding.
For passengers connecting onto Fiji Airways from British Airways, Cathay Pacific or Qantas flights, pre-departure or transit lounge access is available on specific routes with specific booking conditions. Do check out the oneworld website here for more information and the terms and conditions before you book.
It’s really a great opportunity for oneworld to add new earning and redemption opportunities for airlines outside of the oneworld network, and I absolutely hope this fantastic program will be expanded further. Flight redemption availability is showing for Qantas, Cathay Pacific and British Airways on Fiji Airways, and so it is exciting to see that this will also be available shortly for American Airlines AAdvantage members too.
Oneworld Alliance Airport Hubs
Airlines typically work on a hub-and-spoke model. That means, most flights in their flight network go in and out of a small number of key airports. These airports are where airlines can concentrate their resources, operations, maintenance and travel experience to have the greatest impact on a smooth travel experience for passengers. This also allows for connecting flights through these hubs. For passengers, this means greater destination options than a typical point-to-point model. It becomes super handy especially for those passengers originating from smaller airports or regional airports that see less aircraft traffic or have smaller populations.
Here are the oneworld hubs for each of the oneworld partner airlines:
- Alaska Airlines
- Anchorage
- Los Angeles
- Portland, Oregon
- San Francisco
- Seattle/Tacoma
- American Airlines
- Charlotte
- Chicago O’Hare
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York JFK
- New York LaGuardia
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix Sky Harbor
- Washington National
- British Airways
- London Heathrow
- London Gatwick
- Cathay Pacific
- Hong Kong
- Finnair
- Helsinki
- Iberia
- Madrid
- Japan Airlines
- Tokyo Haneda
- Tokyo Narita
- Osaka Kansai
- Osaka Itami
- Malaysia Airlines
- Kuala Lumpur
- Kota Kinabalu
- Kuching
- Penang
- Qantas
- Adelaide
- Brisbane
- Melbourne
- Sydney
- Perth
- Qatar Airways
- Doha
- Royal Air Maroc
- Casablanca
- Royal Jordanian
- Amman
- SriLankan Airlines
- Colombo
Most flights these airlines fly will be to or from these hubs, however, there may also be some other flights either domestically or internationally outside of these hubs, or fifth freedom routes (excluding the airline’s home country altogether) but this is the minority and not the norm. This is because airline operations and maintenance are concentrated at these hub airports, as well as legal restrictions and complicated compliance needs for operating in new markets or from new airports.
Conclusion
Oneworld is a fantastic airline alliance that consists of some great airlines, an extensive flight network, some of the best airport lounges in the world, tons of ways to earn status and airline miles, and most excitedly, alliance-wide airline mile upgrades in the works. If your flight pattern centres around oneworld airport hubs, or travel and routes with a specific oneworld airline, you absolutely should consider opening a loyalty account to maximise your travel experience when you fly.