AS' Membership in the oneworld Alliance - Benefits, Policies and Problems
 

Moderator Note: Welcome to AS as a member of oneworld. Please ensure that your posts deal with actual Benefits, Policies and Problems. Speculation about oneworld should be posted elsewhere.

If your post deals with AA, please ensure that it is related to oneworld and not the AS-AA marketing partnership. Thank you.

dayone, AS Moderator

AS oneworld baggage allotment: Emerald 3 checked bags, Ruby/ Sapphire 2 checked bags
 

Was doing some digging on something else, and ran across the revised baggage:

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/tr...ers-exceptions

Baggage fee waiver for: First bag Second bag 3 or more bags
MVP and MVP Gold level Mileage Plan™ / oneworld Ruby and Sapphire members*, and companions traveling in the same reservation Restrictions may apply. Free Free $100 per bag
MVP Gold 75K level Mileage Plan™ / oneworld Emerald members*, and companions traveling in the same reservation Restrictions may apply. Free Free 3rd bag free1 additional bags $100 each

*oneworld® rates effective March 31, 2021
1Alaska Gold 75K Mileage Plan Members and oneworld Emeralds may check up to 4 bags for free for itineraries wholly within the State of Alaska. Restrictions may apply.

Happy oneworld eve! The elves here at SFO have put up the new signage. 👀❤️💙💚

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c58b0d4d8.jpeg

alaskaair.com/oneworld is now live. This was *not* live last night.

oneworld Alliance Airline Member | Alaska Airlines

And here's the link to the AS page on the oneworld site:

https://www.oneworld.com/members/alaska-airlines

The oneworld web site now lists AS elite lounge access. Completely unsurprisingly, it is a verbatim copy of the AA policy:



I couldn’t immediately find the exceptions itemized in the AS web site. This does allow lounge access on MEX and Costa Rica itineraries (like AA normally does), which I’m mildly surprised by. It does not include the AA temporary exception to the exceptions, allowing lounge access on all international itineraries.

The AS lounge access on paid first class flights remains but is specifically outside the oneworld policy, so no class of service based access to partner oneworld lounges on domestic/short haul itineraries even when flying paid J.

My current problem is the platter on the turntable in spinning in the wrong direction.

So QF F Lounge @ LAX when traveling on AS to CR as a OWE...woo-hoo! That is most assuredly worth the trek to TBIT.

I may need to book this for Q1 of '22, we shall see.

The OW J lounge @ LAX isn't a slouch either (and would be accessible for an MVPG). Ditto AA's FL in T4.

Another lounge use case: before AS OW entry, CX J/F connecting to AS F on an award through LAX wouldn't get you into the QF F lounge, OW J lounge, or AA's LAX FL, just the AS lounge in T6 based on OW class of service lounge access rules coming off of longhauls (even if you didn't hold OW status). Now it does.

For me, the biggest benefit will be Emerald access to Oneworld lounges worldwide.

Alaska's airline partner page now has earning charts for all oneworld members, effective today. They all explicitly say that flights marketed by that airline and operated by any oneworld airline earn according to the marketing airline's chart. That, to me, is one of the bigger benefits of AS joining oneworld; no more operating in a grey area (having to email in boarding passes and only earning miles because AS usually waived their rules when asked in this situation) to earn miles on flights marketed by one AS partner and operated by another (among oneworld partners).

EQMs range from 25% in deepest discount coach on most (JL bottoms out at 30%) oneworld partners to 300% for BA F. However, outside of BA, it looks like the most generous EQM earning in J/F is 200% on most airlines and as low as 125% (IB).

JL's (deep?) discount business fares (I, and X starting Nov 2021) earn 70%.

And therin lies your Elite Status revenue component! Another Partner earnings erosion in the long list going back to 2018. The latest, QF, CX & non oneworld EK.

James

No. This is as much of a "revenue component" as almost all non-US airlines these days. AS is still very much distance based. For reference, JL also credits those for 70% in their own program. Might as well call all airline loyalty programs revenue based at that point.

On their own medal, yes! For partners, if you want to earn a mile for every mile flown, open up your wallet and buy a higher fare. Distance on AS, Dollars on Partners. It is a pseudo-revenue model. There is not a set dollar amount you have to spend, but you won't earn status simply by flying 75K miles unless it on AS metal only within a network of sub 2900 mile routes.

How is earning 2016 EQM on a CX S fare JFK-HKG distance based? On discount Partner Y fares, you need to fly 300,000 BIS miles to earn AS 75K. Don't want to fly that much? Give them more revenue! (I am not considering AS metal flight requirements.)

As fare classes on oneworld carriers or Partners continue to erode and earn less EQM, you need to either pay a higher fare to attain the same level or fly additional itineraries. Both require revenue.

James