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oneworld customers can now through check to Japanese domestic cities:  Passengers flying on any oneworld airline to Japan to connect there onto Japan Airlines' domestic network can now be through checked to their final Japanese destination, collecting their boarding pass for their Japanese domestic sector at the time they check-in for their initial flight at their originating international point of departure.  Japanese Customs still require passengers to collect their hold baggage for inspection at their point of entry to Japan, before checking it in again for their domestic connection.

 

Airlines has marked its first anniversary as a oneworld member by launching a special competition for customers.  It is open to current and new members of its Duna Club frequent flyer programme.   Prizes will include tickets to Malév's European destinations, frequent flyer bonus points and Malév gifts. 

 

American Eagle to link Wisconsin's Wausau to oneworld network:  Wausau's Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA) is to join the oneworld network on 1 June with affiliate American Eagle linking the gateway - as its name implies in the centre of the US state of Wisconsin - to its Chicago O'Hare hub with an initial three non-stops a day by 44-seat Embraer ERJ-140s.

 

JAL unveils new Economy check-in area at Tokyo Narita hub:  Japan Airlines has unveiled a new Economy Class check-in area at its Tokyo Narita Terminal 2 international hub, as part of facility's overall upgrading to mark the consolidation of operations by oneworld partners there.  The improved area has been designed to provide its passengers with a more convenient, user-friendly, stress free check-in experience.   It offers 36 of the latest easy-to-use self-service check-in machines (SCM) and an express counter for customers with no check-in baggage.  From later this month (22 April), an in-line luggage screening system will be installed - doing away with the need for passengers in whichever class of travel to present their baggage at x-ray machine security checks before checking in. So, from then, passengers will be able to go straight to one of the self check-in machines or check-in counters.

 

Finnair to open spa and wellness centre in new Helsinki lounge:  Finnair is to open a new "spa and wellness centre" as part of a new premium passenger lounge at its Helsinki hub next year.  The spa will include a sauna with a view of the runway, a mineral water bath, cold water baths as well as rooms for different wellness-treatments.   To be located in an extension to the non-Schengen terminal, which will be completed late next year, it will be available to Finnair Business Class passengers and top tier members from any oneworld member's frequent flyer programme departing on any oneworld airline flight.

 

American Airlines moves its entire London Gatwick operation to Heathrow:  American Airlines has moved its entire London Gatwick operation to London Heathrow after obtaining slots for the second of its daily Dallas/Fort Worth flights.  It transferred one of its Dallas/Fort Worth-London dailies to Heathrow along with its Raleigh/Durham-London dailies late last month, with the second of its Dallas/Fort Worth-London dailies transferring too, earlier this month.  This has resulted in the closure of American's Gatwick operations after 26 years of service.

 

American Eagle to open second Buffalo route:  American Eagle is to link its Dallas/Fort Worth base with Buffalo Niagara with daily Canadair CRJ100s non-stop from 1 June through the summer peak to 2 September.  It already serves Buffalo from Chicago O'Hare four times daily non-stop.

 

Iberia raises JFK frequencies:  Iberia has increased frequencies between its Madrid hub and New York to two daily non-stop.

 

American and Iberia extend code-sharing to more points in USA and Europe:  American Airlines and Iberia are expanding their code-sharing agreement to cover another 16 points in the USA and 12 more airports in Europe.

 

Iberia's flight prefix has now been added to flights operated by its partner between the five gateways it serves in the USA - Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York and Washington Dulles - and Austin, Cincinnati, Columbus, El Paso, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Memphis, Nashville, Orange County/Santa Ana, Portland, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San José, Tampa, Tucson and Washington National.  With 17 destinations in the US already covered by their code-sharing, this will take to 29 the number of US destinations covered.  In addition, the IB code will be carried on American's new daily service between Barcelona and New York JFK when it launches on 1 May.

 

Meantime, the AA designator has been added to Iberia flights between its Madrid hub and eight more Spanish cities and four more airports elsewhere in Europe - Alicante, Bilbao, Gran Canaria, Jerez de la Frontera, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Valencia and Vigo in Spain, along with Brussels, Frankfurt, Lisbon and Paris.

 

LAN named Latin America's best again:  LAN has been named best airline in Central and South America for the second-year running in the latest awards from Global Traveler magazine.   LAN also took top honors for Best Business Class to South America in the recent Reader's Choice Awards run by Business Traveler magazine.

 

oneworld in brief:  oneworld brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian, plus some 20 affiliates, including American Eagle, South Africa's Comair, Dragonair, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru.  Mexicana will join in 2009, with its subsidiary Click Mexicana as an affiliate.

 

Its airlines serve some 700 destinations in 150 countries and offer almost 550 airport lounges worldwide.   They carried around 320 million passengers last year.  It is the only alliance with any member airlines based in South America, the Middle East or Australia.

 

The alliance enables its members to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own.  These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges.  oneworld is the only alliance to enable passengers to fly throughout its network, on any combination of carriers, using just electronic tickets.

 

oneworld was voted the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the fifth year running in the 2007 World Travel Awards, based on votes cast by some 170,000 travel professionals, including more than 110,000 travel agents in 200 countries.

 

 

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