With Alaska Airlines oneworld membership less than four months away, both companies have announced that Alaska’s elite Mileage Plan members will receive matching oneworld tier status. Elite flyer benefits will seamlessly carry over to all 13 oneworld member airlines.
On Thursday (December 10, 2020), Alaska Airlines and oneworld announced elite Mileage Plan member benefits as the carrier will join oneworld on March 31, 2021. Both companies announced today that Alaska’s elite Mileage Plan members will receive matching oneworld tier benefits. MVP Gold 75K members will receive oneworld Emerald status, MVP Gold members will receive oneworld Sapphire status and MVP members will receive oneworld Ruby status. Benefits currently enjoyed by Alaska’s elite flyers will seamlessly carry over to oneworld tiers when they travel on any of oneworld’s 13 global airline members. Some of the privileges include priority check-in, international and business class lounge access, preferred boarding, expedited security screening, baggage benefits and more. In Thursday’s announcement, Alaska Airlines’ President, Ben Minicucci, said,
“Our upcoming membership in oneworld opens up endless possibilities, especially for our elite Mileage Plan members. As the airline industry continues to recover, we expect an increasing number of our guests to look ahead to international travel once again. If you've worked hard to earn status with us, all that hard work will go even further with benefits in oneworld to make your journey even more enjoyable.”
Also commenting on the matching benefits, oneworld’s CEO, Rob Gurney, added,
“We are excited to announce the oneworld benefits that Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan customers can expect when Alaska joins the alliance next year – unlocking more benefits and destinations for the airline's frequent flyers. With its strong network on the U.S. West Coast and award-winning customer service, Alaska's membership will position oneworld to offer even more privileges and options to our member airlines and customers.”
As an example of the seamless matching benefits, from March 31, 2021, an Alaska MVP Gold member will receive Sapphire status immediately. Therefore, if the customer takes a flight between San Francisco and Doha on Qatar Airways, they will receive access to business class lounges, business class priority and priority boarding, in any class of service booked.
Alaska Airlines will become oneworld’s 14th full member, joining American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines. Additionally, Fiji Airways is a oneworld connect partner. Before the Global COVID-19 pandemic, the global alliance’s network offered service to more than 1,000 destinations in over 170 countries and territories.
Alaska Airlines and their regional partners serve over 115 destinations in the United States and North America, providing essential service for their guests and critical cargo shipments. The carrier has hubs in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland and Anchorage and is known for low fares, excellent service and sustainability efforts. The award-winning airline serves over 47 million guests annually and has been named “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America” by J.D. Power for the last 12 years. Along with their Global Partners, Alaska Airlines’ guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 800 global destinations. On March 31, 2021, Alaska Airlines will become a member of the oneworld global alliance. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of the Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
Source(s): Alaska Airlines, oneworld