Malaysia Airlines, the country's flag carrier, will become a full member of oneworld, the world’s leading quality airline alliance, with effect from February 1, 2013.

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 after becoming the alliance’s second airline operating the Airbus A380, after its oneworld sponsor Qantas.

From then, the two million members of Malaysia Airlines’ Enrich loyalty programme will have their frequent flyer privileges extended to whenever they fly with any oneworld member airline.

This includes earning and redeeming mileage awards and earning tier status points when flying with all these airlines.

From February 1, Enrich Platinum and Gold members will be able to use any of the 550 airport lounges worldwide offered by oneworld member airlines whenever they fly with any of the alliance’s carriers.  Malaysia Airlines’ First and Business Class passengers will also be able to use oneworld partner airline lounges.

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.

Malaysia Airlines is already participating in Global Explorer, the round-the-world fare offered by all oneworld members and various airlines that are not part of the alliance.  From February 1, Malaysia Airlines’ network – serving more than 60 destinations in nearly 30 countries – will be covered by oneworld’s full and extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

Malaysia Airlines will substantially expand the alliance’s network in South East Asia, where it will add 14 destinations and one country – Brunei – to the oneworld map.  More significantly, it will strengthen the alliance’s connectivity between many key business cities in Asia and other parts of the world.

Its addition will expand oneworld’s global coverage to some 840 destinations in 156 countries, served by some 9,000 departures a day operated by a combined fleet of some 2,500 aircraft, carrying nearly 340 million passengers a year, with annual revenues of $110 billion.

Currently three of oneworld’s active member airlines serve three points in Malaysia, with Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Royal Jordanian flying to Kuala Lumpur, Cathay Pacific operating to Penang and its Dragonair regional affiliate to Kota Kinabalu.

Royal Jordanian operates three weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur via Bangkok. However RJ’s code sharing with Malaysia Airlines ensures daily operation between Amman and Kuala Lumpur through Bangkok on Malaysia Airlines flights operated on the other four days of the week, a statement said. – TradeArabia News Service