SriLankan joins elite group of airlines
SriLankan Airlines joined elite group of airlines when they were
accepted as a member of the world's top aviation alliance oneworld on
the opening day, of the 68th international Air Transport Association
Annual General Meeting here on Monday.
Joining the alliance will help put SriLankan more firmly on the
global aviation map and vastly improve Sri Lanka's connections with the
rest of the world. It would also give a major boost to the tourism
industry as the country too would be spoken of by the alliance airlines.
American Airlines Chairman and Chief Executive Tom Horton, Chairman of
the Oneworld Governing Board, said that the agreement with SriLankan
Airlines adds even more value for their customers who has made Oneworld
the first choice airline alliance for the world's frequent international
travellers. We look forward to welcoming SriLankan to oneworld."
SriLankan Airlines, Chief Executive Kapila Chandrasena added: "As an
airline highly focused on quality service, we are extremely proud to
have been invited to join the highest quality alliance with the best
airline partners offering a global network that best complements our
own.
"We look forward to completing all joining requirements as soon as
possible."
Oneworld aims to be the first choice airline alliance for the world's
frequent international travellers. It brings together some of the best
and biggest names in the airline business - Airberlin, American
Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan
Airlines, LAN, Qantas, Royal Jordanian and S7 Airlines, and around 20
affiliates including Austria's NIKI, American Eagle, Dragonair, LAN
Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru. Malaysia Airlines is on track to
join later in 2012, with SriLankan now to follow in 2013.
India's Kingfisher Airlines is also a member-elect. Mexican is an
inactive member of the alliance.
Oneworld enables its members to offer their customers more services
and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. These include a
broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer
miles and points across the combined Oneworld network and more airport
lounges.
Oneworld also offers more alliance fares than any of its competitors.
Oneworld is the current holder of more international awards for
airline alliances than any of its competitors - named the Best Airline
Alliance by Global Traveller in its GT Tested Reader Survey 2011 Awards
for the second year running, the World's Leading Airline Alliance in the
2011 World Travel Awards, for the ninth consecutive year, and the Best
Airline Alliance 2011 in Australian Business Traveller's debut awards. |
