Oneworld Will Introduce Alliance-Wide Upgrades in 2022
Oneworld plans to introduce a new benefit this year. This has been rumored before but it looks like alliance-wide upgrades are coming in 2022. Oneworld’s 14 member airlines can secure points-based upgrades across the alliance.
The arrangements “will deliver greater value to member airlines and customers in the future as international travel recovers”, a spokesman told Executive Traveller, who was first to report the news. Travelers will be able to use their points in the loyalty program of one airline in the Oneworld family to upgrade into premium economy, business class of first class on any other member airline.
As I mentioned, this has been rumored before and it was initially set to introduced in 2020. It was then delayed to 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic. But, Oneworld says its will roll out the much-anticipated platform this year. let’s see if that actually happens.
And then there’s the issue of how exactly it will work once implemented. With 14 airlines with different loyalty programs and their own sets of rules, it is not an easy feat. Oneworld has not revealed yet how the new upgrade system will work. So we don’t know for example which fare types would be eligible for alliance-based upgrades or if there will be a waitlist or instant confirmation.
There’s also the question of how many point will you need for an upgrade, and if it will be the same cost across the board. Or, what availability we might expect for these upgrades?
And after everything is finalized, the final step becomes educating the members of each Oneworld frequent flyer program about the new upgrade system and specifically how it works for them. “How can we explain it simply, and how can it be delivered efficiently and effectively?” are just some of the considerations Oneworld will face in the rollout process, CEO Rob Gurney said.
