Qatar Airways to join Oneworld

Passenger carrier Qatar Airways Tuesday said it will become a full-time member of the global airline alliance, Oneworld, from Oct 30.

"Alliances are playing an increasingly important role in the airline industry today - and that will continue long into the future," said Akbar Al Baker, chief executive, Qatar Airways.

"It will strengthen our competitive offering and give our customers what they fully deserve - more choice across a truly global network."

Global interline packs like oneworld and Star Alliance entail several benefits to member carriers like improved product offering, better service standards, access to new markets and premium customers and partnership with leading global carriers.

The pacts entails sharing of airport lounges and synchronisation of flight schedules, which permit seamless travel for a passenger on a single air ticket, even if it requires flying several carriers on a single journey.

Formed in 1999, oneworld is a consortium of 12 airlines, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Finnair, among other major airlines of the world.

According to the airline, it will bring in more than 20 destinations and five countries, including Ethiopia, Iran, Rwanda, Serbia and Tanzania, on the oneworld flight map.

At present, Qatar Airways serves more than 130 destinations in 70 countries across the world and will only be second airline member based in the Middle East to join oneworld.

The oneworld alliance airlines combined serve almost a thousand airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,000 daily departures.

The member airlines also carry 475 million passengers a year on a combined fleet of some 3,300 aircraft generating an annual revenue of $140 billion.