Here's the response to my own question...sort of, since there's no date!!

Press Release Source: oneworld


LanEcuador to Join oneworld as Affiliate
Tuesday November 26, 12:12 pm ET


MADRID, Spain, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The new Ecuadorian airline, LanEcuador, will join oneworld as an affiliate, the world's most international global airline alliance confirmed at meetings here.
LanEcuador is part of the LanChile group, which includes the leading South American carrier that has been a member of oneworld since June 2000. The group's other subsidiaries, its Chilean domestic operator LanExpress and Peruvian carrier LanPeru, are already affiliates of the alliance.

Ecuador's civil aviation authorities have granted LanEcuador full air passenger and cargo certification and rights to operate international flights from Quito and Guayquil to Buenos Aires, Madrid, Miami, New York and Santiago. The airline intends to launch these services as soon as bilateral approvals are granted by the other countries involved.

LanEcuador President Bruno Ardito said: "We are committed to making LanEcuador the country's best airline, connecting Ecuador with the rest of the world and making a major contribution to Latin American aviation. LanEcuador will play an active role in Ecuador's economic development, promoting tourism and providing better service to passengers and freight shippers."

As an affiliate, LanEcuador passengers will be able to earn and redeem awards on all other oneworld carriers and gain access to some 380 airport lounges worldwide. Members of other oneworld airlines will be able to earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on LanEcuador. The airline's network will also be covered by oneworld alliance fares.

oneworld brings together eight of the world's leading airlines, in terms of size and quality, and their 19 affiliates. Besides LanChile, they include:

-- American Airlines, the world's largest airline, and its American Eagle
and AmericanConnection affiliates.
-- British Airways, the leading international airline, and affiliates
British Airways CitiExpress, British Mediterranean, GB Airways,
Loganair, Maersk Air UK, Regional Air, Sun-Air and Zambian Air
Services.
-- Qantas, the Number One carrier in Australia and the South Pacific, and
its QantasLink affiliates Airconnex, Airlink, Eastern Australia
Airlines, Southern Australia Airlines, and Sunstate Airlines.
-- Cathay Pacific Airways, one of the most highly regarded Asian
airlines.
-- Iberia, the top carrier between Europe and Latin America, with its
affiliate Air Nostrum.
-- Finnair, the major airline in Northern Europe and generally regarded
as the industry's IT leader.
-- Aer Lingus, the highly focused carrier based in Ireland, one of
Europe's fastest growing economies.


Together, oneworld's members account for almost 20 percent of the world air travel market, carrying 230 million passengers a year on a fleet of almost 2,000 aircraft with a take-off or landing every five seconds around the clock, across a network comprising more than 550 destinations in 135 countries -- more territories than are served by any other global alliance. The oneworld carriers earn annual revenues of some US $50 billion.

In September, oneworld was voted the world's best airline alliance in a reader's poll by some of the world's most frequent flyers in what is believed to be the first award for the alliance sector of the travel industry (Business Traveller Awards 2002).

For further media information, contact:
oneworld
Michael Blunt, PR
+44 20 8738 5173
[email protected]
www.oneworld.com

Media Relations
+353 1 886 2573
www.aerlingus.com

Corporate Communications
+1 817 967 1577
[email protected]
www.amrcorp.com

Press Office
+44 20 8738 5100
www.britishairways.com/press

Corporate Communications
+852 2747-5378
www.cathaypacific.com

Corporate Communications
+358 981 84970
www.finnair.com

Communications
+34 91 587 7462
[email protected]
www.iberia.com

Communications
+562 565 2863
www.lanchile.com

Public Affairs
+61 2 9691 3468
www.qantas.com.au

Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021126/datu023_1.html