Fiji Airways Plans To Fully Join Oneworld Alliance

Fiji Airways is already a oneworld Connect member

While Fiji Airways plans to apply for full membership in the oneworld alliance, the airline already has an affiliation with the airline group. Since 2018, Fiji Airways has been the only oneworld Connect member, which is essentially a more limited version of alliance membership.

I think the whole oneworld Connect concept is kind of silly, and

While we’ll see if this comes to fruition, it looks like the oneworld alliance may be gaining another full member in the coming years.

Fiji Airways plans to apply to join oneworld

Danny Lee reports how Fiji Airways intends to apply for full membership in the oneworld alliance, per the company’s CEO. The plan is reportedly for the airline to apply in the third quarter of 2024, and then you can expect that it will probably take somewhere around one or two years before the airline is fully in the alliance.

The oneworld alliance is one of the three global alliances. Major airlines in oneworld include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qantas, and more. In the past few years the alliance added two new members (Alaska and Royal Air Maroc), but also lost one member (LATAM). Furthermore, Oman Air is expected to become a oneworld member later this year.

Fiji Airways is hoping that joining the oneworld alliance will help the country further increase its tourism, as the airline is already the country’s largest generator of foreign exchange income.

If membership is approved, Fiji Airways would be the smallest member of the oneworld alliance, as the airline has just 14 aircraft, with the fleet comprised of Airbus A350s, Airbus A330s, and Boeing 737s. The airline offers a great business class experience on its A350s, and has a nice flagship lounge at Nadi Airport.

Fiji Airways is already a oneworld Connect member

While Fiji Airways plans to apply for full membership in the oneworld alliance, the airline already has an affiliation with the airline group. Since 2018, Fiji Airways has been the only oneworld Connect member, which is essentially a more limited version of alliance membership.

I think the whole oneworld Connect concept is kind of silly, and creates confusion among passengers. Essentially, oneworld Connect carriers have affiliations with only some oneworld airlines, and then most reciprocal perks are only valid between the oneworld Connect member and the airline it partners with directly.

Fiji Airways fully joining the oneworld alliance would be fantastic in terms of reciprocal opportunities when it comes to earning and redeeming miles, as well as taking advantage of elite benefits, like lounge access. The oneworld Emerald tier is also my favorite elite status offered by any alliance.

I also think Fiji Airways is doing the alliance a favor by becoming a full member and putting an end to the oneworld Connect concept.

Bottom line

Fiji Airways’ CEO has made it clear that the airline plans to apply for full oneworld membership, as part of a larger attempt to boost tourism. The airline is already a oneworld Connect member, so fully joining the alliance would be great for passengers, as it would translate to a lot more reciprocal perks. Here’s to hoping that this happens, and that it doesn’t take forever.

What do you make of Fiji Airways becoming a full oneworld member?