Fiji Airways started operating as the first connecting partner of the Oneworld alliance on 5 December.

Under the arrangement, passengers travelling on the carrier with Oneworld Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby status will be able to access priority check-in and boarding.

Additional benefits – including through check-in, status and mileage earning and redemption – will be available for passengers of Fiji’s four sponsoring carriers. They are Qantas, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines and British Airways.

“This important step for our airline enables us to offer more services and benefits to our own customers along with the others in the Oneworld family, to achieve a greater presence for our airline internationally and to build on the in-bound tourism that is so vital to our home nation and our region,” says Fiji Airways chief executive Andre Viljoen.

The Fijian carrier was announced as the launch operator of the Oneworld Connect programme in June, and the alliance says that it is in discussions with other carriers in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe about the initiative.

In June, Fiji noted that the Connect programme is significantly cheaper for the carrier compared to becoming a full member of the alliance, while also allowing it to offer similar benefits to passengers from some of its closest codeshare partners.

Source: Cirium Dashboard