Alaska Airlines (AS, Seattle Tacoma International) is evaluating joining Oneworld as a Oneworld Connect partner rather than a full member, Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Harrison told analysts, as reported by Skift.
The carrier is currently the largest American airline not aligned with any of the alliances, excluding LCC Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field). Alaska Airlines severed its close partnership with Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson), a Skyteam member, in 2017 and since then has relied on non-alliance partnership. Among Oneworld members, it currently code-shares with American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, JAL - Japan Airlines, LATAM Airlines, and Qantas.
Alaska Airlines also code-shares with Fiji Airways (FJ, Nadi), which became the first Oneworld Connect partner earlier this year.
Oneworld Connect provides select alliance benefits to frequent flyers from any oneworld member airline travelling on their flights, with a more extensive range of benefits offered with their oneworld sponsors. The product is tailored to airlines without a global reach which do not want to bear the full membership costs.
Harrison added that so far, the customer awareness of Alaska's code-shares and partnerships, including the mutual loyalty programmes recognition, is low. Joining the alliance as a Oneworld Connect partner could also help Alaska to fight with Southwest in the competitive West Coast market.
