As Alaska Airlines prepares to officially become a full member airline of the oneworld alliance on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, official announcements from both the airline and the global alliance were released earlier today, Thursday, December 4, 2020 pertaining to which oneworld elite tier status aligns with each level of elite status in the Mileage Plan frequent flier loyalty program effective as of the aforementioned date:
- MVP Gold 75K = oneworld Emerald
- MVP Gold = oneworld Sapphire
- MVP = oneworld Ruby
Elite Status Alignment Between Mileage Plan and oneworld Alliance Announced Officially
For example, an MVP Gold member of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan frequent flier loyalty program will immediately receive Sapphire elite level status in the oneworld alliance. If that traveler then takes a trip from San Francisco to Doha on Qatar Airways, they will have access to business class airport lounges, business class priority check-in, and priority boarding — regardless of the class of service in which they are flying as a passenger.
Many of the benefits which members of Mileage Plan currently enjoy on Alaska Airlines with the elite status they earned will seamlessly carry over to the oneworld elite tiers when they travel on any of the 13 member airlines of the global oneworld alliance, which means that they will be able to take advantage of a variety of privileges — including but not limited to:
- Priority check-in
- Access to international first airport lounges and business class airport lounges
- Preferred boarding
- Fast track through airport security checkpoints
- Baggage benefits
Alaska Airlines — which serves greater than 115 destinations across the United States and North America with its regional partners — will be the fourteenth full member of the oneworld alliance. The current 13 full members of the alliance are:
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas Airways
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- S7 Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- Fiji Airways is a oneworld connect partner.
Summary
Prior to the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, the global network of the oneworld alliance offered flights to greater than 1,000 destinations in greater than 170 countries and territories. I do not know what are the current numbers.
The alignment of the elite status levels of both Alaska Airlines and the oneworld alliance is of no surprise to me — but at least the information has now been confirmed.
All photographs ©2013 and ©2014 by Brian Cohen.
