SriLankan Airlines will become a full member of oneworld®, offering the alliance’s complete range of services and benefits with effect from Thursday 1 May 2014 – as the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent to become part of any global airline alliance.

Its addition to oneworld will come a month after the alliance welcomes TAM and US Airways on board, on 31 March, concluding the group’s biggest yet expansion programme.

From 1 May 2014, the 100,000 members of SriLankan’s FlySmiLes loyalty programme will, in effect, have their frequent flyer privileges extended to whenever they fly with any oneworld member airline.

Also from 1 May, the 150 million members of the other oneworld airlines’ frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other oneworld benefits on SriLankan.

As part of oneworld, SriLankan will be able to offer all of its customers seamless connections across a global network serving almost a thousand destinations in more than 150 countries, with first rate connections between the world’s leading business centres.

From 1 May, SriLankan’s network will be covered by oneworld’s full and extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

Its addition will make travel to Sri Lanka from all over the world much easier, bringing two new destinations on to the oneworld network – Sri Lanka’s new Hambantota International and India’s Tiruchirapalli.