oneworld alliance product for events market just got even better

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

oneworld®, the world’s most awarded global airline alliance, today unveiled a series of significant upgrades to oneworld events, its one-stop, easy-to-use travel service for the conventions, conferences, exhibitions and special events markets.

Key improvements include:

• Removal of bookings fees for flight reservations made via oneworld events’ dedicated website.
• Avialability of oneworld events flight discounts via designated travel agencies.
• Expansion of the network covered by oneworld events to almost a thousand destinations in more than 150 countries.

The enhancements were announced today at the first press conference on the opening day of IMEX America, in Las Vegas, one of the biggest annual conventions worldwide for the conferences, conventions, exhibitions and events industry, with more than 10,000 professionals from across the sector expected to attend.

oneworld events was originally launched at IMEX America’s European counterpart, in Frankfurt, in May last year.

Since then, it has signed up more than 100 large-scale events, attended by more than 200,000 delegates in more than 55 different locations.

Unveiling today’s enhancements, oneworld Director Sales José María Alvarado said: "Since we launched oneworld events less than 18 months ago, the programme has quickly been embraced by the conventions and events industry. It is very clear that event organisers and delegates love the attractive flight discounts the programme offers on a collection of some of the world’s leading airlines, to say nothing of the program’s ease of use and the many other benefits oneworld events provides.

"Now oneworld events has become even better – with discounted or lower promotional flights offered with no booking fees via our own oneworld events website and, from today, those discounted fares will also be available via designated travel agencies.

"In addition, the recent record-breaking growth of our alliance has expanded the range of destinations covered by oneworld events to almost a thousand in more than 150 countries, including – uniquely among global airline alliances –four of the five top country markets for international meetings as homes to member airlines, in the USA, Germany, Spain and UK."

oneworld events is aimed at conferences, conventions, exhibitions and special events targeting a minimum of 100 international attendees flying from at least two regions. Requests are accepted as early as five years in advance and up to three months prior to the event date.

For event and convention organisers, oneworld events provides:

• An efficient and user-friendly centralised process, with one set of terms and conditions covering travel on all oneworld member airlines that can be ready for acceptance just days after submitting the online request form.
• Attractive discounts for attendees on flights on oneworld member airlines, which together now serve almost a thousand destinations in more than 150 countries around the globe. From today, those discounts can be obtained not just by booking direct via oneworld events‘ easy-to-use website but also by designated travel agencies.
• The chance for organisers to earn and redeem travel credits for flights on participating oneworld member airlines.
• Simple online access to real-time management reports 24/7, when using oneworld’s own online booking tool, to help meet attendees’ travel needs.
• A ready-to-use oneworld promotional toolkit to build attendee awareness.

For attendees, oneworld events offers:

• Attractive discounts on flights for attendees and one travel companion each, on oneworld member airlines, which together now serve almost a thousand destinations in more than 150 countries around the globe. From today, those discounts can be obtained not just by booking direct via oneworld events‘ easy-to-use website but also via designated travel agencies.
• A user-friendly booking tool that displays the most convenient flights and multiple fare options from hundreds of departure points all over the world to the event or convention location.
• Travel on a collection of some of the world’s leading airlines.
• Round-the-clock support, when booking via oneworld’s own online booking tool, with the oneworld events helpdesk ready to help via email or phone.
• All the usual privileges and benefits afforded to members of any oneworld member airline frequent flyer programme – including the ability to earn miles/points and, for top tier cardholders and one companion each, to use any of the 600 plus airport lounges provided by the alliance’s airlines the world over. Attendees who are not yet members can sign-up before they depart and then receive their benefits and privileges on their way to or from their convention of event.

Today’s upgrades to oneworld events comes hot on the heels of the alliance’s completion of its biggest yet membership expansion, adding in the past two years 15 airlines as full members or affiliates, most recently including:

• US Airways, the USA’s fourth biggest airline, which joined oneworld on 31 March through its merger with oneworld founding partner American Airlines, making oneworld the leading alliance in the USA.
• TAM Airlines, the leading airline in Latin America’s biggest economy, Brazil, which switched to oneworld also on 31 March, consolidating oneworld’s position as the leading airline alliance in Latin America.
• Qatar Airways, one of the world’s most highly regarded and fastest growing carriers, and the first of the Gulf Big Three airlines to sign for any global airline alliance, making oneworld the alliance leader in that region too.
• SriLankan Airlines, the first carrier from the Indian sub-continent to join any of the global airline alliances when it became part of the group on 1 May.

This has made oneworld the world’s fastest growing airline alliance:

• Adding more than 250 destinations, expanding its network by 36 per cent and taking its network to almost a thousand airports in more than 150 countries.
• Increasing its daily departures by more than 6,000, a 76 per cent increase, giving a new total of 14,250 flights a day.
• Lifting its annual passenger carryings by more than 215 million to more than 500 million customers a year, a 74 per cent rise.

About oneworld

oneworld is an alliance of some of the world’s leading airlines, committed to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent international travellers. Current member airlines include airberlin, American Airlines (including US Airways), British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, TAM Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines, and around 30 affiliates.

oneworld member airlines work together to deliver consistently a superior, seamless travel experience, with special privileges and rewards for frequent flyers, including earning and redeeming miles and points across the entire alliance network. Top tier cardholders (Emerald and Sapphire) enjoy access to more than 600 airport lounges. The most regular travellers (Emerald) can also use fast track security lanes at select airports and are offered extra baggage allowances.

oneworld is the current holder of an unprecedented six of the eight leading "best airline alliance" titles available in the various industry award schemes:

• Business Traveller’s 2014 Best Airline Alliance, for the second year running.
• Skytrax’s World’s Best Airline Alliance 2014 for the second year running.
• Global Traveler magazine’s Best Airline Alliance in its GT Tested Reader Survey 2013 Awards for the fourth year running.
• World Travel Awards’ World’s Leading Airline Alliance 2013, for the 11th year running.
• Premier Traveler’s Best of 2013 Readers Survey Best Airline Alliance.
• Air Transport News’ Best Airline Alliance 2014.

For more news from oneworld, see www.oneworld.com/news-information/oneworldnews/