Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900(ER) and B737-800 aircraft at LAX (Photo: AirlineGeeks | James Dinsdale)
Alaska Airlines has announced its intention to join the oneworld alliance.
This announcement comes alongside plans to forge a partnership with American Airlines to connect more U.S. destinations, specifically the West Coast, with the country and the world.
By summer 2021, Alaska Airlines customers will be able to earn and redeem Alaska miles on all oneworld airlines with access to all of the elite privileges across the oneworld network, as well as to earn and redeem other oneworld carrier’s loyalty scheme points on Alaska flights. At the moment, Alaska Mileage Plan members are only able to redeem their miles on American Airlines flights.
The decision by Alaska to join the alliance will also help to turn Seattle’s Tacoma Airport into a oneworld hub, with other member airlines British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines also serving the airport. This will be useful to Alaska’s route network as it will be able to encourage a wider range of customers from farther afield to take one of its routes from its hub.
Seattle-Tacoma Airport currently has three Alaska Airlines lounges which oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members should be able to access by next summer. As well as the British Airways Terraces lounge located at SeaTac, Alaska’s Gold and Gold 75k members will be able to enjoy any of the 650 lounges worldwide within the oneworld network.
The oneworld alliance said in a press release that “oneworld is delighted with the announcement that Alaska Airlines intends to join the alliance by summer 2021, and its plans to form a US West Coast international alliance with oneworld founding member American Airlines.”
Alaska Airlines follows Royal Air Maroc into oneworld, who is on track to join in April. The award-winning alliance serves 1100 airports across the world, so Alaska Airlines customers will soon be able to tap into a greater number of destinations.
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