oneworld

Oman Air will join the oneworld® Alliance, further strengthening the premier airline alliance’s leading position in the Middle East. Based in Muscat, Oman Air was elected as a oneworld member designate in Doha by the oneworld Governing Board, comprising the Chief Executives of all oneworld member airlines. oneworld member Qatar Airways will act as sponsor for Oman Air’s entry into oneworld, providing guidance and support as the airline integrates into the alliance. Oman Air is expected to be implemented into oneworld in 2024, following which it will provide the full range of oneworld benefits to customers travelling on its flights. Members of Oman Air’s Sindbad frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem miles on all oneworld member airlines, with top tier members receiving additional benefits including lounge access when travelling with other oneworld members. Oman Air’s entry into oneworld will provide even more flights and destinations to customers planning global travel across the alliance’s members, making oneworld the only global airline alliance with three members in the Middle East after Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian. Oman Air’s joining will add new destinations to the oneworld network including Duqm and Khasab in Oman and Chittagong (Bangladesh). oneworld Emerald, oneworld Sapphire and premium cabin customers will also gain access to three Oman Air lounges at Muscat, Salalah and Bangkok.<br/>

More carriers are today willing to break rank and look outside the airline alliances for partnerships, according to Qatar Airways CE Akbar Al Baker. Speaking on a panel during the IATA AGM in Doha on 20 June, Al Baker says he does not see “a trend against alliances” but suggests that the ties binding member airlines have loosened. “What I see happening is that the alliances have lost the discipline that they put in place when they launched,” he states. “The people in the alliance have started to look where they have a little bit better interest than their own alliance.” Al Baker suggests he has seen this happening in Oneworld – of which Qatar Airways is a member – and at SkyTeam and Star Alliance. “And we are doing this,” he says. “We are part of Oneworld but if we have an opportunity when our other Oneworld partner in that area, that country, that region does not want to work with us, yes of course we will look at other opportunities because we are, at the end of the day, a business.” Nevertheless, Al Baker insists this “doesn’t mean that there is not going to be alliances”, even if “it’s not necessary to be part of an alliance to survive”.<br/>

Qatar Airways is open to constructive discussion in its dispute with Airbus on damage to A350 aircraft but expects goodwill on both sides, the airline's CE said on Monday. Airbus said on Sunday it is in discussions with Qatar Airways to try to resolve the contractual and safety dispute over damage to the exterior of the long-haul jets. "I always have goodwill but the good will has to be from everybody, not only from me," airline CEO Akbar Al Baker said, adding Airbus was using the dispute to display its market power in a calculated signal to other airlines. Qatar Airways is open to constructive discussion in its dispute with Airbus on damage to A350 aircraft but expects goodwill on both sides, the airline's chief executive said on Monday. Airbus said on Sunday it is in discussions with Qatar Airways to try to resolve the contractual and safety dispute over damage to the exterior of the long-haul jets. "I always have goodwill but the good will has to be from everybody, not only from me," airline CEO Akbar Al Baker told a conference, adding Airbus was using the dispute to display its market power in a calculated signal to other airlines.<br/>

Qatar Airways' CE said Monday the industry's net-zero 2050 target, which was set last year, would be difficult for airlines to achieve. It is going to be "very challenging", Akbar Al Baker told a press conference at the IATA annual meeting of airline chiefs in Doha. He said other stakeholders in the industry, including engine makers and oil companies, would need to contribute to the goal.<br/>

Qatar Airways CE Akbar Al Baker said Monday that labour shortages at airports around the world will be a big challenge in the coming months, though he added that his airline is “inundated with job applications.” Speaking about industry labour shortages on the same panel in Doha, JetBlue Airways CE Robin Hayes, said he is confident that we will get back to “a new normal” over the next two to three years. <br/>

Cathay Pacific Airways, battered by strict quarantine rules that have led to a 98% fall in passenger numbers, is preparing to bring back more planes to rebuild Hong Kong's hub status as restrictions ease, the airline's CE said. "We have about one-third of our passenger fleet still parked in the desert, not being utilised," Cathay CE Augustus Tang said on the sidelines of an airline industry gathering in Doha. "We are making preparations for them gradually coming back ahead of the curve." Rival Singapore Airlines has seen a surge in demand since Singapore's quarantine rules eased. It was back at 61% of pre-COVID-19 capacity in May, filling 78.2% of seats in its best month since the start of the pandemic.mCathay, by contrast, operated only 4% of its pre-COVID capacity in May and filled 60.5% of its seats. The need for crew members on passenger flights to quarantine in a hotel for three days after flying to destinations outside mainland China means it has few frequencies to offer potential transit passengers. Passengers heading to Hong Kong also face a week of hotel quarantine on arrival, limiting demand. Tang said it was encouraging that Hong Kong had gradually been reducing the quarantine time required, which once was as high as three weeks for passengers from destinations including the United States and Britain.<br/>

Qantas Airways is restoring international flights faster than planned to handle the stunning rebound in travel. Seats on international flights are about 90% filled, and daily services between Sydney and London via Singapore on Airbus SE’s A380 superjumbo are fully booked across all classes for the next few weeks, Stephanie Tully, Qantas’s chief customer officer, said in an interview Monday. Tully was in Singapore for the reopening of the airline’s first-class lounge at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1, which was closed in March 2020 as the pandemic crippled global aviation. “Demand is incredibly strong,” Tully said. “We’ve had to bring back aircraft faster than we planned to meet that demand. And there’s a lot of pent-up demand not just for holidays, but also pent-up business demand. We’re confident that demand is just going to keep growing.” Airlines are restoring flights that were suspended during the pandemic to meet surging demand as travel restrictions are dismantled. While the jump in demand, higher oil prices and worker shortages have caused fares to rise recently, that hasn’t deterred people from flying. Qantas expects to increase capacity to 70% of pre-pandemic levels by end-September and be back at 100% of by the end of the year, Tully said. Separately, Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said the recovery in air travel is sustainable. “There’s still a lack of capacity compared to demand, particularly internationally,” Joyce said. “There’s massive demand. If I could get more aircraft into the air, I’d be doing it tomorrow.”<br/>