oneworld Unveils 'Radical Transformation'

The CEOs of oneworld member airlines met in London on Friday to unveil what the global alliance has described as a “radical transformation”, as it marks the 20th anniversary of its launch. This transformation includes:

• A new oneworld digital platform that will, as it is progressively rolled out, bring to life in the digital era the alliance’s core promise of seamless connectivity for customers flying on multi-sector, multi-airline journeys, via the convenience of their preferred member airline’s mobile app or website – without having to download any additional app or enter more log-in credentials.

• An increased level of alliance co-location projects at a number of key airports around the world – with plans to unveil the first oneworld branded, developed and managed lounge later this year.

• A fresh approach to corporate sales, enabling oneworld to respond much faster to requests for alliance contracts, which currently generate US$ 1 billion a year for member airlines. Since trials of the new process began six months ago, revenues have risen 10%.

• A revised process for prospecting potential new members. The first airline to join as a result will be Royal Air Maroc, next year – oneworld’s first full member recruit for six years and its first from Africa.

• The alliance’s first new membership platform, oneworld connect – designed with smaller, regional airlines in mind – with Fiji Airways’ entry as the first partner to join in this capacity to be completed by the end of next month.

These changes are reflected in new brand positioning for oneworld that encourages passengers to “Travel Bright” – complete with a new oneworld website.

“In the two decades since oneworld was launched, the industry and consumer behaviours have changed fundamentally. Most of our member airlines have undergone comprehensive restructuring. Some have merged. When oneworld first took off, hardly any airline offered online bookings. Smartphones were in the future. Social media did not exist. Airline fares included everything. Low-cost carriers were in their infancy,” said oneworld CEO, Rob Gurney. “Since then, global alliances have grown greatly in terms of membership but, to be frank, they have failed to keep pace with the changes that their members, the industry at large and the marketplace have experienced. At oneworld, we are making up for that. As we enter our third decade, we are undergoing a radical transformation, with a host of fresh initiatives to strengthen further the relevance of the alliance to our member airlines and our customers.”

oneworld was launched on 1 February 1999 by founding members American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas. Since then, they have been joined by Finnair and Iberia, on 1 September 1999, then LATAM (then LanChile) on 1 June 2000, Japan Airlines and Royal Jordanian on 1 April 2007, S7 Airlines on 15 November 2010, Malaysia Airlines on 1 February 2013, Qatar Airways on 30 October 2013 and SriLankan Airlines on 1 May 2014. Royal Air Maroc was invited into the alliance in December and is on track to join during 2020. Fiji Airways was introduced as the first oneworld connect partner in December 2018, offering a subset of the alliance’s services and benefits, and is on track for full implementation next month.

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