TAM Airlines and US Airways today completed their transition to oneworld – marking the biggest single-day expansion of the world’s leading quality airline alliance since its launch 15 years ago.

Both newcomers started offering oneworld’s services and benefits from their first flights this morning, on leaving the Star alliance after their final departures yesterday.

The landmark addition of these airlines to oneworld is being celebrated at a ceremony today at TAM’s Sao Paulo hub, attended by the CEOs of the alliance’s established member airlines, during which TAM will show off the first of its aircraft painted in the oneworld livery.

TAM and US Airways significantly expand oneworld on many key measures:

• Increasing the number of passengers carried annually across the alliance network by a third, adding another 120 million customers a year.
• Expanding the annual capacity offered by the alliance by 20 per cent.
• Adding almost a hundred destinations to the oneworld network – a near 10 per cent increase.

What TAM brings to oneworld

• The addition of TAM consolidates oneworld’s position as the leading alliance for flights within Latin America and between the region and both the United States and Europe – the two most popular destinations for South American international travellers.
• TAM serves 61 destinations in 16 countries in Latin America, the USA and Europe, with a fleet of 172 aircraft operating 800 departures daily.  
• It has added nearly 45 destinations in Brazil to the oneworld network, and its home base Sao Paulo, the biggest city in the Southern Hemisphere and in the Americas, becomes a new hub for oneworld.

What US Airways brings to oneworld

• With its regional affiliates, US Airways serves more than 200 destinations and 30 countries with a fleet of more than 620 aircraft.  It currently operates 3,200 departures a day.  
• It has added more than 50 destinations to the oneworld map, expanding oneworld’s presence across the USA, particularly throughout the East Coast and across the North Atlantic.
• Once the integration is completed, the new American will offer service to more than 330 destinations in more than 50 countries, carrying 190 million passengers a year on a fleet of 1,500 aircraft.

The 10 million members of TAM Fidelidade frequent flyer programme and 30 million cardholders in US Airways’ Dividend Miles loyalty scheme retain all points/miles earned and the move to oneworld has no impact on their tier status.  They can now earn points/miles and tier status points and use them for flights on any oneworld member airline.

Also from today, the 140 million members of the established oneworld airlines’ frequent flyer programmes can earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other oneworld benefits when flying on TAM and US Airways.

Both TAM’s and US Airways’ networks will from tomorrow be covered by oneworld’s range of alliance fares – the most extensive offered by any of the global alliances, including the market-leading oneworld Explorer round-the-world fare and its Visit South America and Visit North America passes.

oneworld Governing Board Chairman, and IAG Chief Executive, Willie Walsh said: “By adding TAM Airlines and US Airways, oneworld will consolidate its leading role within Latin America and on flights between the region and both the United States and Europe.   We already have strong and long-standing relationships with the American Airlines and LATAM Airlines groups. These two new partners bring outstanding quality and scale to the alliance, further strengthening its position as the best option for frequent international travellers”

oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby added: “Welcoming on board TAM Airlines, the leading airline in Latin America’s biggest economy, and US Airways, one of the world’s 10 biggest airlines, today is a major milestone for oneworld.  We believe it represents  the biggest single day of growth yet for any global airline alliance, confirming oneworld’s position as the world’s fastest growing and most highly rated global airline alliance.”

For more information, visit oneworld.com.