Malaysia Airlines to join oneworld

Malaysia Airlines to join oneworld on 1 February 2013

Malaysia Airlines will become a full member of oneworld with effect from Friday 1 February 2013, adding one of commercial aviation’s most frequent award winners to the world’s leading quality airline alliance. The national airline of Malaysia received clearance to board oneworld after successfully completing a thorough review of its readiness conducted by Qantas, which is sponsoring its entry into the alliance, with the oneworld central team.

While its alliance implementation programme is on track for completion in the coming weeks, its addition to oneworld is being held until the beginning of 2013 to avoid the end-of-year holiday season and for other administrative reasons.
Malaysia Airlines will start offering oneworld’s full range of services and benefits from 1 February 2013 - becoming the alliance’s second airline operating the Airbus A380, after its oneworld sponsor Qantas.

From then, the 2 million members of Malaysia Airlines’ Enrich loyalty programme will, in effect, have their frequent flyer privileges extended to whenever they fly with any oneworld member airline - airberlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and some 25 affiliated airlines. 
This includes earning and redeeming mileage awards and earning tier status points when flying with all these airlines.  (See notes)

Also from 1 February, the 125 million members of the established oneworld airlines’ frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other oneworld benefits on Malaysia Airlines.

About Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines started operations in 1947.  Today, it serves more than 60 destinations in almost 30 countries across Asia, Australasia, Middle East, Europe, and North America, including oneworld hubs Hong Kong, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Sydney and Tokyo Haneda and Narita. 

Its present fleet of 88 aircraft - including its flagship Airbus A380s - operates more than 250 departures a day.  It boarded 13 million passengers in 2011, generating revenues of MYR 13.6 billion (US$ 4.5 billion).

Malaysia Airlines describes its distinctive brand is an extension of the special culture of warmth and friendliness unique to Malaysians. This inimitable Malaysian sense of graciousness is branded as “Malaysian Hospitality” and symbolized by the acronym MH, which is also the airline’s flight code.

Both Malaysia Airlines and its Kuala Lumpur hub are among the industry’s most frequent winners of awards for quality service. Malaysia Airlines itself has won the World’s Best Cabin Crew title from the Skytrax airline quality rating agency in seven of the past 11 years. 

This year, Malaysia Airlines marked the entry of its first A380 into the airline’s fleet by having its Five-Star Airline status renewed by Skytrax - as the airline embarked on a series of improvements to repositioning it as a premium carrier.

Source: Japan Airlines