Finnair: Qatar Airways to join oneworld on October 30
09-Sep-2013 Qatar Airways will become a full member of the oneworld® alliance with effect from October 30, 2013, joining the world's leading quality airline alliance. From that date, Qatar Airways will offer oneworld's full range of services and benefits. This means that members of the established oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programs, including Finnair Plus, will be able to earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other oneworld benefits, including lounge access, on Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways becomes the 13th full member of the oneworld, joining leading brands from each global region - airberlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and some 30 affiliated airlines. More than 20 of the Gulf carrier's destinations and five countries - Ethiopia, Iran, Rwanda, Serbia and Tanzania - will be new to the oneworld map.
The alliance is in the midst of its biggest expansion in history, with the addition of Malaysia Airlines earlier this year and the pending arrival of SriLankan Airlines next year. Brazil's TAM is also set to join, as well as other members of the LATAM group not already in oneworld. In addition, US Airways proposes to switch from Star to oneworld as part of its planned merger with American Airlines, subject to necessary approvals.
With Qatar Airways and the other airlines lining up to join, oneworld will serve almost a thousand airports in more than 150 countries with 14,000 daily departures, carrying 480 million passengers a year on a combined fleet of almost 3,500 aircraft, all the while generating some USD 140 billion in annual revenues.
Qatar Airways received clearance to board oneworld after successfully completing a thorough review of its readiness conducted by British Airways, which is sponsoring Qatar Airways' entry into the alliance, with oneworld's central team.