In an exciting move for oneworld frequent flyers like myself, Aer Lingus has announced that as part of their takeover by their parent companies, they’ll be joining the oneworld frequent flyer alliance (see their press release here).
IAG’s ambition to develop Aer Lingus’ long haul capacity will be supported through an enhanced connectivity with other IAG carriers, the inclusion of Aer Lingus within the oneworld alliance, of which British Airways and Iberia are key participants, and through Aer Lingus joining the joint business agreement that IAG operates over the North Atlantic with American Airlines and Finnair (the “North Atlantic Joint Business”).
Here’s what this means for oneworld flyers:
- Since they’ll be joining the transatlantic join venture, you’ll see Aer Lingus play a key roll in shuttling passengers across the Atlantic – along with partners American, British Airways, Finnair and Iberia. Aer Lingus introduced a new flatbed business class product, which will add to one world’s repertoire.
- Dublin will transition into a possible connection point for flyers. Dublin isn’t going to replace Heathrow by any stretch of the imagination, but you can think of Dublin to Aer Lingus as Helsinki is to Finland – a smaller option if you need it.
- Continued service between Shannon and Heathrow for at least 7 years. I suspect you’ll see service beyond that, too.
You won’t see any immediate changes, and I wouldn’t make travel plans banking on crediting Aer Lingus travel towards your elite status level on a oneworld airline, but know that everything is in the works.
I’m happy to see them join the alliance, since it not only provides some relief (or an option) off of the Heathrow hub, but also adds additional transatlantic schedules, which is probably my most frequented international route of travel. I suspect many of you will appreciate Aer Lingus’s membership in the alliance, too.
What do you think about Aer Lingus joining the oneworld alliance?
Jamie Larounis is an avid traveler, blogger and miles/points educator. Traveling well over 100,000 miles a year and staying in hotels for over 100 nights, he leverages miles, points and other deals to fly in first class cabins, and stay in 5-star hotels. The Forward Cabin shares his experiences, musings, reviews, tips, tricks, resources and industry news with you, the fellow traveler.
Interesting. I’m guessing this will spell the end of their relationship with UA. I wonder about their other non-Oneworld partners (KLM, B6, and EY).
Any option that avoids LHR is a win in my book.
Just the fact that US flights from Ireland clear C&I in Ireland and arrive in the US as domestic flights is a win