LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador to join oneworld on 1 April
01 March 2007
oneworld® today confirmed the dates when LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador will join the global alliance as affiliate members.
Both airlines will board on 1 April, when Japan Airlines (JAL), Malév Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines will also start offering the alliances services and benefits as full members. Five other members of the JAL Group will also join oneworld on the same day, as affiliates -JALways, Japan Asia Airways, JAL Express, J-AIR and Japan Transocean Air.
Dragonair, which has also been elected on board the grouping as an affiliate member, will follow later this year, after all necessary joining technicalities and processes have been completed.
As affiliate members, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and Dragonair will offer the full range of oneworld services and benefits.
LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador will join the other airlines in the LAN alliance as members of oneworld - Chile-based LAN Airlines and LAN Express, and LAN Peru - strengthening oneworld's lead still further as the only global alliance with any airline members in the Americas south of Mexico.
With five airlines in Latin America and oneworld partners American Airlines and Iberia also serving the region extensively internationally, as well as British Airways flying to the region, it makes oneworld the obvious alliance of choice for traveling to, from or within this continent.
The latest two additions also build further on oneworld's position as the leading Spanish-speaking alliance.
They will considerably broaden the alliance's network within Latin America, through the addition of a domestic schedule within Argentina and regional international services to and from Argentina and Ecuador, besides expanding its links between the region and North America and Europe. LAN Argentina will also add four destinations to the oneworld map - Iguazú (IGR), Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), Río Gallegos (RGL), El Calafate (FTE).
When LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador join, their frequent flyers will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld carriers. Top-tier (Emerald and Sapphire) members will also have access to the 400 plus airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.
From the same time, members of all other oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on these new recruits, whose networks will also be covered by oneworld's extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.
In the biggest expansion of the world's leading quality global airline alliance since its launch eight years ago today, the three new member airlines and eight new affiliates will expand the size of the alliance substantially, to:
- Almost 700 airports, around a hundred more than now.
- Nearly 150 countries.
- 9,000 daily departures, a thousand more than today.
- Around 315 million passengers, 65 million more than at present.
- 265,000 employees.
- Almost 2,500 aircraft.
- US$85 billion revenues, up by a third.
oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch said: "oneworld is delighted to be welcoming LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and Dragonair on board the alliance. All offer a level of service to match the best in the world, in keeping with oneworld's overall emphasis on quality. With our extensive presence in Latin America already, the addition of LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador strengthens oneworld's position as the leading alliance serving this region.
LAN Airlines Chief Executive Enrique Cueto said: "It is with great pride that we announce today that LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador will join oneworld on 1 April. The high quality and safety standards of the service they provide to passengers has earned them membership in this prestigious alliance formed by the world's top airlines. Without any doubt this constitutes a clear recognition of our on-going commitment to our customers and our determination to deliver an excellent quality product that meets the highest standards of international safety."
About LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador
LAN Argentina launched passenger and cargo services in June 2005. Today it operates from Buenos Aires to Córdoba, Mendoza, Iguazú, Bariloche, El Calafate, Ushuaia, Comodoro Rivadavia and Río Gallegos. Additionally, from 26 March it will launch flights to Salta. It also operates daily from Buenos Aires to Miami, San Pablo and once a week to Punta Cana. Today it operates a fleet of five Airbus A320s, and two Boeing 767-300s.
LAN Ecuador launched passenger and cargo services in April 2003. Today it operates from hubs at Quito and Guayaquil to Buenos Aires, Madrid, Miami, New York and Santiago, with Airbus A320s and Boeing 767-300s.
The LAN alliance - including LAN Airlines, LAN Express, LAN Peru, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador - offers "a united spirit of reliability and charm that provides passengers with the highest level of service and safety with the complete travel experience throughout the skies of the Americas".
Through its own operations, the LAN alliance serves 56 destinations worldwide - 15 in Chile, 11 in Peru, nine in Argentina, two in Ecuador, ten in other Latin American and Caribbean countries, three in the USA (Los Angeles, Miami and New York), two in Europe (Frankfurt and Madrid) and four in the South Pacific. Within Latin America, the LAN alliance serves 12 countries – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Currently, the LAN alliance operates 70 passenger aircraft and nine dedicated freighters, carrying some 9 million passengers in 2006. LAN recorded profits of US$214million net in 2006 on total revenues of US$3 billion. It is regularly named best airline in Latin America in the various industry award schemes.
About oneworld
The oneworld alliance enables its member airlines 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.
Its established members comprise American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, LAN and Qantas, plus their dozen affiliates.
oneworld was voted the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the fourth year running in the 2006 World Travel Awards, based on votes cast by some 170,000 travel professionals, including more than 110,000 travel agents in 200 countries.
