Skift Take
The airline industry was increasingly writing off global alliances before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Now, the tables appear to be turning with Alaska Airlines accelerating its membership into Oneworld despite the crisis and carriers increasingly depending on their partners for global reach.
The network of global airline alliances got a vote of confidence today, with Alaska Airlines becoming the 14th full member of Oneworld.
The membership is something of a feather in the bloc’s cap. Alaska long eschewed the three big alliances — Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance — in favor or what executives called a “Swiss strategy” to partnerships. In other words, the airline remained unaligned but partnered with carriers all over the globe no matter where their alliance allegiances lay.
That strategy appeared to reach its zenith by February 2020 when Alaska unveiled plans for a new partnership with American Airlines and to join Oneworld. Corporate customers in its Seattle home, as well as its growing stature in California following the 2016 acquisition of Virgin America, demanded a more global franchise. And without the big jets — or ambitions — to fly around the world, Alaska turned to the next best thing: an alliance.
“This was important pre-Covid — it’s even more important now,” Alaska Senior Vice President of Fleet, Finance & Alliances Nathaniel Pieper said in an interview.
Overnight, Alaska gained a network of more than 1,000 destinations in more than 170 territories around the world. The airline’s customers can earn and redeem loyalty points on any Oneworld member, and its frequent flyers will receive reciprocal benefits from priority boarding to lounge access across member carrier
