Oneworld will grow once again, with Oman Air now slated to join the alliance from 2024. The carrier’s ascension into the group was formally approved and announced at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Doha this week.
elite status
JetBlue secures permanent Heathrow slots, expands London operations
JetBlue will operate up to five daily flights to London from this Winter. And, perhaps more significantly, the carrier secured its first permanent slots at Heathrow, ensuring that flights can continue there.
United opens newest, largest ever lounge at Newark
United Airlines’ newest lounge opened at Newark, offering a massive expansion of premium space for its passengers. Located in Terminal C3 near gate C123, this club is the largest club in United’s network, at nearly 30,000 square feet and 480 seats.
Star Alliance credit card coming this fall
Why would an airline alliance launch a loyalty credit card? The obvious answer is money. Co-brand credit cards are massive drivers of revenue for airlines. But historically that has applied at the airline level, not at the alliance level. Star Alliance will change that later this year when the group launches its own card.
Mediocre name, benefits as Southwest launches new fare family
The new Wanna Get Away Plus fares from Southwest Airlines (re)open a nice benefit for some travelers, though the overall offering does not appear especially compelling for most travelers.
RIP E500s: American retires short-haul upgrade credits
American Airlines is killing off AAdvantage 500-mile upgrade credits. Effective from Wednesday, March 2, 2022, all elites will have access to unlimited upgrades.
Frontier, Spirit announce plans to merge
Frontier Airlines and Sprit Airlines intend to merge, creating a new 5th largest airline in the US.
JetBlue adds Mosaic+, free upgrades for 2022 elites
JetBlue will make its TrueBlue Mosaic elite status more rewarding in 2022. Upgrades are coming for members, including an option for highly coveted Mint upgrades as part of a newly established Mosaic+ tier of the program.
United snags Virgin Australia as a partner, displacing Delta
Virgin Australia and United Airlines secured a new partnership for connections between the United States and Australia. The deal, effective from April 2022, sees Delta Air Lines drop from the role it held over the past decade.
Aegean activates WiFi with Inmarsat’s EAN
Aegean Airlines is the next customer for Inmarsat’s European Aviation Network. The Greek airline installed the hybrid satellite/terrestrial in-flight connectivity solution on at least four aircraft so far, with one known to be active.