Press Release

Tokyo, September 21, 2009: Mexico and Central America's leading airline Mexicana, will become part of the oneworld® alliance - the world's leading quality airline alliance of which Japan Airlines has been a member of from April 2007. From November 10, 2009, Mexicana will officially start offering oneworld's full range of services and benefits from then, with its subsidiaries MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink to join oneworld as affiliate members at the same time.

Members of the MexicanaGO frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all oneworld partners, who include some of the biggest and best airlines in the world - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian and almost 20 affiliated airlines. Russia’s leading domestic carrier S7 Airlines is also on track to join the group in 2010.

MexicanaGO Conquer and Explore cardholders will have oneworld Emerald and Sapphire status respectively and can expect new membership cards bearing the oneworld logo soon, gaining them access to some 550 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance’s airlines from November 10.

From the same date, JAL Mileage Bank (JMB) members and those of the established oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other oneworld benefits on Mexicana and its two affiliates.

The networks of Mexicana, MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink - covering 67 destinations and 14 countries in Central, North and South America and Europe, including 37 points in Mexico - will also be covered by oneworld’s full and extensive range of alliance fares and sales products from then. For oneworld, adding Mexicana will expand the alliance’s network in Mexico and Central America, and enable it to build further on its positions as the leading airline grouping serving Latin America and the leading Spanish-speaking alliance.  

oneworld’s established airlines already serve 13 gateways in Mexico, which is the world’s 11^th most populous country, the 13^th biggest economy and the eighth most popular tourist destination, attracting more than 21 million foreign visitors a year.  Mexicana’s addition will expand the alliance’s coverage across the country to 39 destinations.

Mexicana’s addition will extend the alliance’s coverage of Latin American to almost 150 destinations.  Globally, it will take the oneworld network to approaching 700 destinations in nearly 150 countries, with a combined fleet of some 2,250 aircraft operating more than 8,000 flights a day, carrying 325 million passengers a year, with annual revenues of US$100 billion.

Iberia is its oneworld sponsor and has been supporting Mexicana through the 18-month-long alliance implementation project which is well in advance to bring Mexicana’s various internal processes and procedures into line with the alliance’s requirements.

About oneworld         

oneworld brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas,  Royal Jordanian and Mexicana, with around 20 affiliates including American Eagle, Dragonair, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru. Mexicana and its affiliates MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink will join the alliance in 2009. 

The alliance 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 was voted the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the sixth year running in the latest (2008) World Travel Awards.   It is the only winner of this award since it was introduced in 2003.

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 20090921 Mexicana to join oneworld in November 2009.pdf