Alaska and Horizon join oneworld's Global Explorer round-the-world fare

The networks of Alaska Airlines and its regional affiliate Horizon Air are now available through Global Explorer, the round-the-world fare offered by members of the oneworld^® alliance and selected other airlines.

With oneworld member elect Mexicana and its Click Mexicana affiliate participating in this fare since 1 September, the addition of Alaska and Horizon means that Global Explorer offers better coverage of The Americas than any comparable type of ticket offered by any other airline alliance.

oneworld's fares already offered the most extensive networks and flexibility for travel in Latin America, as the only airline alliance with any members based in South America through Chile's LAN Airlines and its affiliates LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru.

Alaska and Horizon combined offer the most extensive networks serving the USA's West Coast.  Between them, they add almost 50 gateways in the USA, Canada and Mexico to Global Explorer - taking the number of airports covered by the fare in the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America to virtually 300, with another 60 or so in South America.  Worldwide, the total number of destinations available through Global Explorer reaches some 700 in around 150 countries.

Global Explorer enables travel on all oneworld's existing ten members and their 20 or so affiliated carriers - plus selected airlines that are not part of oneworld, expanding the network covered by the fare further still.

oneworld's members comprise ten of the biggest and best in the industry, all renowned for the quality of their customer service - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian - and some 20 affiliated carriers, including LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador, LAN Peru, China's Dragonair and South Africa's Comair.  Mexicana will join the grouping during 2009, with Click Mexicana as an affiliate member.

Besides these oneworld airlines, travellers using the Global Explorer fare can also fly on Aer Lingus, Air Pacific, Gulf Air and now also Alaska Airlines and Horizon Airlines.  Flights carrying the Qantas code but operated by Air Niugini, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Vanuatu, Air Vietnam, Aircalin and South African Airways are included too.

oneworld is the only alliance with a truly global network as the only airline grouping with any carriers based Australia or Asia's Middle East besides South America.

Global Explorer offers simple, flexible, and great value round-the-world travel for trips up to one year long.  Four versions are available.   For details, see below.

Global Explorer is one of two round-the-world fares offered by oneworld.  Its other round-the-world fare is oneworld Explorer.   This includes travel on the alliance's existing member airlines and affiliates only.  Uniquely, prices are based on the number of continents visited, rather than on the distance flown.  oneworld is set to be the first in the travel industry to sell multi-airline round-the-world air fares on-line when it activates its on-line booking tool for oneworld Explorer in the coming weeks. 

oneworld offers a wider range of alliance fares than any of its competitors.   For those who don't want to fly all around the world, these include Visit passes for each continent or multi-continent Circle fares.

About Global Explorer

Four versions of Global Explorer are available.  Tiers 1, 2 and 4 are for travel only in Economy Class, but Tier 3 can be used also in First or Business.  Not all tiers are available from all countries.

Tier	Max. trip length	Stopovers included	Sample itinerary	Sample lead-in prices for travel from
				Australia	UK	USA
1	26,000 miles	Minimum 3, maximum 5.  No more than 2 within any one region.	Melbourne - Hong Kong - London - Madrid - Chicago - Los Angeles - Melbourne	A$2,899	GBP1,349	Not available for sale from USA
2	29,000 miles	Minimum 3, maximum 10.  No more than 3 within any one region.	London - New York - Los Angeles - Sydney - Perth - Johannesburg - London	A$3,499	GBP1,549	US$4,499
3	34,000 miles	Minimum 3, maximum 15.  No more than 4 within any one region.	Hong Kong - Sydney - Nadi (Fiji) - Honolulu - Los Angeles - Santiago (Chile) - Buenos Aires - London - Bahrain - Mumbai - Bangkok - Hong Kong	A$3,999	GBP1,909	US$5,199
4	39,000 miles	Minimum 3, maximum 15.  No more than 4 within any one region.	Mexico City - Buenos Aires - Lima - Santiago (Chile) - Madrid - Paris - Budapest - London - Hong Kong - Sydney - Los Angeles - Miami - Mexico City	A$4,699	GBP2,149	US$6,099

For full information, sample fares from all countries, bookings arrangements, rules and conditions, see http://www.oneworld.com/ow/air-travel-options/round-the-world-fares/global-explorer or contact any participating airline or your local travel agent.

For full information, sample fares from all countries, bookings arrangements, rules and conditions for oneworld's complete range of fares, see http://www.oneworld.com/ow/air-travel-options or contact any participating airline or your local travel agent.

About Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are sister airlines that combine to make up Alaska Air Group.  Alaska is the USA's ninth biggest carrier and the leading airline across the nation's West Coast. 

Both airlines are frequent award winners, with reputations for their friendly and relaxed style of service.  Based in Seattle, Washington, USA, between them they serve more than 90 destinations in the Western USA, Canada and Mexico.  Besides Seattle, Alaska's main hubs are Anchorage, Los Angeles and Portland, and Horizon's are Seattle and Portland.  

Alaska operates 110 of the latest versions of the Boeing 737, offering some 500 daily departures.  It boarded 17.5 million passengers in 2007.  Horizon operates 52 Bombardier aircraft - 18 CRJ700 regional jets and 34 Dash Q400 turboprops - offering another 500 daily departures.  It boarded 7.5 million passengers in 2007.

The group already has commercial links with oneworld partners American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, LAN and Qantas.

Destinations Alaska and Horizon add to Global Explorer include, in:

• The USA - Barrow, Bethel, Cordova, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Nome, Petersburg, Prudhoe Bay, Sitka, Wrangell and Yakutat, in Alaska; Flagstaff and Prescott, in Arizona; Eureka, Long Beach, Mammoth Lakes, Redding and Santa Rosa, in California; Boise, Idaho Falls, Lewiston and Sun Valley, in Idaho; Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell and Missoula, in Montana; Eugene, Medford, Pendleton and Redmond, in Oregon; and Bellingham, Pasco, Pullman, Spokane, Walla Walla, Wenatchee and Yakima, in Washington.
• In Canada, Kelowna and Victoria.
• In Mexico, La Paz and Loreto.

About oneworld

oneworld brings together ten of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian, and around 20 affiliates including American Eagle, Dragonair, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru.  Mexicana and its affiliate Click Mexicana will join the alliance in 2009. 

Between them, these airlines:

• Serve almost 700 airports in nearly 150 countries, with some 9,000 daily departures.
• Offer nearly 550 airport lounges for premium customers.
• Carry 320 million passengers a year.
• Employ more than 250,000 people and operate almost 2,500 aircraft.
• Generate more than US$100 billion annual revenues.

The alliance enables its members to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own.  These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges.  

oneworld was voted the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the fifth year running in the latest (2007) World Travel Awards.