Japan Airlines (JAL) became a fully fledged member of oneworld at the weekend, as the airline alliance underwent its biggest expansion since it was formed in 1999.
The largest airline operator in Asia brings five affiliate members to the group and, together with fellow new entrants Malev Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines, expands the network by 1,000 flights each day to more than 100 international airports.
Until Sunday (April 1) JAL was the largest carrier in the world not to be tied to a worldwide alliance.
The Tokyo-based airline has now joined forces with American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Iberia, Finnair, LAN Airlines, and Qantas.
Frequent fliers with each oneworld member can earn and redeem miles on flights with the other carriers in the network, make use of over 400 luxury lounges around the world, and book journeys with several airlines on one itinerary.
“Today is a truly historic day for the oneworld alliance, for our new member airlines and for our customers worldwide,” said John McCulloch, Managing Partner at oneworld.
As reported last week, Royal Jordanian Airlines became the first Middle Eastern carrier to sign up to the frequent-flier program, introducing links to Yemen and Iraq.
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