Airline Alliances: oneworld
- Av Geek Blog
- Aug 25
- 6 min read
On 30th June 2025, Oman Air joined the oneworld alliance. Airline alliances have many benefits for both passengers and the airlines. But what exactly are they? How did they come about? And what are the big three alliances? Over the next few blog posts, I will take a look at the three main alliances: oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance, including how they came about, what airlines are in each alliance and what airlines will be joining soon.
In this first post of the series, I will take a look at the oneworld alliance. I will examine how and when it formed and the airlines in it. I will also take a look at the benefits that this alliance has for its member airlines and the customers that fly with it.
The oneworld alliance has a large presence at airports around the world. According to oneworld data, a oneworld flight takes off or lands on average, every 6 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Oneworld member airlines operate over 4.6 million flights annually and fly to over 900 destinations worldwide. Oneworld member airlines account for 13,000 departures every day and the flights are operated by a combined fleet of over 2,700 aircraft. Oneworld member airlines employ more than 360,000 people globally. These people serve the more than 500 million passengers that the airlines fly each year including the 210 million people who belong to oneworld member airline’s loyalty programmes. Oneworld states that more than 9 billion passengers have flown with oneworld member airlines since its creation in 1999. Additionally, the oneworld alliance has fully branded premium lounges in certain airports. The first were at Incheon Airport and Amsterdam.
Current oneworld Alliance members
The alliance currently has 15 member airlines. These are:
Alaskan Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian and SriLankan Airlines. Oman Air joined the alliance on the 30 June 2025. Read our blog post about Oman Air joining the oneworld alliance here: https://www.avgeekblog.co.uk/post/oman-air-joins-the-oneworld-alliance
It is important to note that S7 Airlines was a member but its membership in the alliance was suspended in April 2022 until further notice as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Table 1: Airlines in the oneworld Alliance and the date they joined
Airline | Date joined |
Alaska Airlines | 31 March 2021 |
American Airlines (Founding member) | 1 February 1999 |
British Airways (Founding member) | 1 February 1999 |
Cathay Pacific (Founding member) | 1 February 1999 |
Fiji Airways | 1 April 2025 |
Finnair | 1 September 1999 |
Iberia | 1 September 1999 |
Japan Airlines | 1 April 2007 |
Malaysia Airlines | 1 February 2013 |
Oman Air | 30 June 2025 |
Qantas (Founding member) | 1 February 1999 |
Qatar Airways | 30 October 2013 |
Royal Air Maroc | 1 April 2020 |
Royal Jordanian | 1 April 2007 |
SriLankan Airlines | 1 May 2014 |
History and expansion of the oneworld Alliance
The oneworld airline alliance was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. The idea was unveiled at a press conference in 1998, but the alliance only became operational on the 1st February 1999. The alliance was headquartered in Vancouver but moved to New York in 2011. The alliance headquarters then moved to Fort Worth, Texas, in December 2022 where American Airlines is headquartered.
The alliance has had a number of airlines join. However, a number have also left for a variety of reasons.
Finnair and Iberia were the first airlines to join the alliance (after the founding members) on 1st September 1999. After this, LANChilie and Aer Lingus both officially joined on the 1st June 2000. However, Aer Lingus would later leave the alliance on 1st April 2007 due to a change in its business strategy.
Interestingly, Swiss accepted an invite to join oneworld in September 2003 after signing an agreement with British Airways. However, the airline decided not to pursue the agreement and Swiss did not join. The airline was subsequently bought by the Lufthansa Group, with Lufthansa being a member of Star Alliance.
Japan Airlines, Malév and Royal Jordanian all joined the alliance in April 2007. These carriers extended the oneworld network to almost 700 airports in nearly 150 countries. At this stage the alliance had 9,000 daily departures, carrying 315 million passengers a year with almost 2,500 aircraft. However, in 2012, Malév suspended all services as a result of financial difficulties. The airline’s participation in the alliance came to an end when the airline wound up its services.
Between 2010 and 2014, a number of airlines joined the alliance. S7 Airlines joined in November 2010. This was followed by Air Berlin in March 2012 and Malaysian Airlines in February 2013. Also in 2013, LATAM Airlines Group announced that it would choose the oneworld alliance. However, Delta bought a 20% stake in the airline, and it left the alliance in May 2020. Qatar Airways joined the alliance in October 2013. This was followed by SriLankan Airlines in May 2014 – the first carrier on the Indian subcontinent to join an any alliance.
In 2017, Air Berlin entered administration and ceased operations. This meant that the airline left the oneworld alliance. In April 2020, Royal Air Maroc became a member of the alliance and on the 31st March 2021, Alaska Airlines joined oneworld. In April 2022, S7 Airlines was suspended from the alliance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The latest carrier, Oman Air joined the alliance on the 30th June 2025.
Future alliance members
There are a number of carriers that have planned to join in the near future and others that have expressed their intention to join. After the Alaska Air Group acquired Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines will also become a member of the oneworld alliance. In September 2024, Starlux Airlines announced that it plans to apply to join the oneworld alliance by the end of 2025.
Benefits of airline alliances
Airline alliances have a number of benefits for both passengers and airlines. According to the oneworld alliance, the alliance is the only airline alliance to offer the loyal customers of its airlines the use of first-class lounges and check in desks, even when they are not booked to travel first class. This is a strong incentive for frequent flyers to fly with the alliance. For customers, the oneworld offers flights to over 900 destinations and customers are able to earn points which can be redeemed. Additionally, members can use oneworld airport lounges, priority check in for faster check-in and security and have extra baggage allowance. Customers can also book their luggage all the way to their final destination if they are connecting through another airport, providing less hassle and stress. Airlines often share lounge access with their alliance partners. For example, a business class passenger from Kuala Lumpar to London Heathrow on a British Airways flight may want to use a lounge. However, if British Airways does not have a lounge in Malaysia, the passenger would be able to use the Malaysian Airlines lounge. This benefits the passenger even though they are not flying with Malaysia Airlines.
For airlines, the benefits come as carriers have an increased network thanks to alliance partners. Airlines can also use an easier ticket booking system and passengers can often book a ticket for another alliance member on the website of a different alliance member. Airlines can also save money as they can use the resources of other members in the alliance instead of using their own which could be expensive. For example, British Airways could use check in agents from Malaysia Airlines at Kuala Lumpur International Airport instead of recruiting their own staff in Malaysia, saving British Airways money. This could go for other airlines at different airports as well.
Global presence
The oneworld member airlines and their geographic position ensure that the whole globe is covered. North America is covered by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Europe has British Airways, Finnair and Iberia. Passengers travelling to, from and within Asia can avail of Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. Australia and the surrounding area has Qantas and Fiji Airways while passengers in the Middle East can avail of Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian and now Oman Air. Those on the Indian subcontinent can fly with SriLankan Airlines while those in Africa can choose Royal Air Maroc. The one obvious gap is in South America which would previously have been covered by LATAM. Perhaps the alliance will be looking to South America for more airlines to join the oneworld alliance. It is clear that passengers have an extensive choice of destinations to choose from, helped by the ease of booking and traveling.
It is clear that being part of the oneworld alliance has many benefits for both customers and airlines, especially with such a large network and extensive choice of destinations for travelers. Clearly the oneworld alliance has a very extensive global coverage which is beneficial to passengers.
Have you ever experienced the benefits of the oneworld alliance?
Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below, on our X or Instagram or group discussion on our website. You can also contact Av Geek Blog.
Thank you for reading this blog post. I hope you enjoyed.
Keep an eye out for my blog posts about SkyTeam and Star Alliance coming over the next few months.
X: avgeek_blog
Instagram: avgeek_blog
Email: geekofairlines@gmail.com
Date published: 25 August 2025
Comments