The dance of airlines into partnerships and alliances continues, with Sir Lankan Airlines officially becoming a full member of the Oneworld alliance.
For frequent flyers, it’s another set of destinations to tick off the map. Oneworld privileges are now extended to members of Sri Lankan Airlines Flysmiles, whilst facilities will be offered to Oneworld frequent flyers (such as mileage earning, burning, and elite privileges such as priority luggage handling, lounge access, etc).
The match-up for Flysmiles to Oneworld status looks like this:
- Flysmiles Platinum = Oneworld Emerald
- Flysmiles Gold = Oneworld Sapphire
- Flysmiles Classic = Oneworld Ruby
Sri Lakan Airlines operate 21 aircraft, focusing on the Airbus family, split along:
- Airbus A320
- Airbus A321
- Airbus A330-200
- Airbus A340-30
The airline will be taking delivery of Airbus A330-300 and A350-900 aircraft over the next few years, operating from its base in Colombo.
Oneworld has received some major boosts this year, with US Airways and TAM joining the alliance (via mergers), and with Qatar Airways joining last year.
In many ways, this is another patch that Oneworld can tick off it has in the world, providing further connectivity.
Inducting a skytrax 3-star airline with only 21 planes As a back door to India ? nearly no point
If they want India, get a real Indian airline
In other news, TAM is canceling first class, further weakening it’s value proposition