yminev

On the point for S7, most of the flights of S7 to EE are once/twice per week. In addition, 80%+ of the traffic from Eastern Europe goes to or via Western Europe, so DME/MOW are indeed peripheral. Lastly, transitting via Russia might require a visa for a lot of nationalities. Compare this to ATL-MIA-BOS, with mutliple flights per day on each leg and no red tape.

Even BA/IB/AY do not have the frequency or even the fare structure to support intra-EU connections. Pre-2014, I used to do multiple GVA-LHR-SOF runs. This is no longer offered on a single fare, and the outbound is only possible with an overnight. Meanwhile, the low cost carriers offer convenient direct connections for the city pairs that are most demanded at an acceptable cost.

The big issue here is that Oneworld and the classic alliance model in general are loosing share to the low cost model, which are better suited to spot and serve the demand. Oneworld needs to adapt and recruiter growing more agile airlines, to stay relevant. This is true even considering the argument that alliances focus on premium traffic only. Premium passengers don't just do LHR-JFK-LAX-HKG-FRA hops. You do want to use your miles and your loyalty perks on a random ZRH-HER trip in July.

scnzzz

Indeed, I would submit that S7 is far and away the least beneficial member of the alliance for those outside its own FFP, as it's really only focused on the markets in the former USSR/CIS. Not big numbers there. Even AY, small as it is, has some very good NA/EU-Asia connections.

Calchas

This is on purpose. IAG has said a few times in their investor presentations that shorthaul-to-shorthaul is not, generally speaking, profitable.

BlackBerryAddict

Al-Baker has reiterated at the Farnborough Air Show that he wants Air Italy to join oneworld, initially as an associate member, working towards full membership. And the Air Italy Chief Customer Experience Officer yesterday hinted that an announcement was in the near future.

onobond

Hoping Qatar as parent company has the muscle and money to modernize Air Italy fleet, to a higher level than present wet-leases

moa999

To keep this thread going in circles..

QF and MU have upgraded their cooperation, and JL has also signed a new agreement with MU.

https://blueswandaily.com/china-eastern-airlines-and-qantas-sign-business-agreement/

https://blueswandaily.com/japan-airlines-and-china-eastern-airlines-sign-mou-to-apply-for-joint-business-agreement/

Still don't see either MU or CZ shifting from skyteam to oneworld given CX likely vote against it.

swingaling

MU and DL are very tight. I'd be shocked if MU switched to OW. If anything, CZ is much more likely to switch to OW. Though CX probably wouldn't be in favor of it.

IADCAflyer

I thought I had heard somewhere that in the last 60 days or so Aerlingus was working towards JV or antitrust immunity with AA or BA on transatlantic routes. If so, that would certainly move them closer to 1W.

Adding Aer Lingus and Air Italy would go a ways to 1) providing some redundancy in the EU network which is beset by carriers on the periphery of the continent and 2) give us more options to avoid LHR and BA's awful surtaxes.

jahason

If Aer Lingus became part of OW or I would certainly use them for flights to the US given their US immigration facilities at Irish airports.

Calchas

EI is working towards joint venture membership but I think that is orthogonal to alliance membership. For instance, VS is not in sky team and has no plans to join, yet is nearly half owned by DL and participates in the AF/KL/DL transatlantic joint venture.

The question for EI is, is it worth the cost? It left last time because it was too expensive.

IADCAflyer

It left last time during a time when it was an independent company. Now its owned in large measure by IAG, Different times and different expectations.

One other thing that I would bring up. Aer Lingus departed 1W about 11 year ago. The taxes and fees that BA charges for business class tickets and premium services came about (IIRC) after Aer Lingus' departure. Certainly the hatred of the fees/taxes has grown since Aer Lingus departed.

I'd be willing to bet that more than a few passengers would be willing to connect via DUB rather than pay BA's king's ransom...

Himeno

EI left oneworld in 2007 when then incoming members Japan Airlines, Malév and Royal Jordanian joined as they didn't want to pay to link their systems to the new members. The way the systems are linked together now is different and presumably much cheaper then it used to be.

ernestnywang

EI still uses the same old system I believe although both JL and RJ are on Amadeus now (and MA is gone). Nonetheless, it shouldn't be too different for them to connect to BA/IB than to the other oneworld members on Amadeus, so indeed the extra cost should be much lower now. Given they would want to work with AA on Trans-Atlantic JV, they will have to link with AA, too. The only one left would be LA, which uses its own Sabre system (that is not the same partition AA uses).

JAXBA

I heard a rumour some time ago that EI were to switch to Amadeus themselves, which would help with alignment, if not with oneworld, then at least with BA/IB. Might happen at the same time that IB move their back end system to Amadeus too (if either EI/IB upgrade happens at all).

LandMiler

MU?

http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/201810/004914.html