Royal Jordanian Airlines has formally joining Oneworld, the world’s leading quality global airline alliance.
It is the first airline from the entire Middle East to find a home with any of the global airline alliances and Oneworld’s first recruit for some six years.
Top executives from Royal Jordanian were joined at the company’s Amman home by senior representatives from all its new partners, including Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways, which has acted as RJ’s Oneworld sponsor, and Oneworld managing partner John McCulloch.
Royal Jordanian chief executive Samer Majali said: “Becoming a member of Oneworld is a huge opportunity for Royal Jordanian. We will benefit considerably from our membership – through increased revenues, the ability to reduce costs and the opportunities to work together in all sorts of areas with some of the most highly regarded businesses in this industry. It will also boost Amman as an aviation hub in this region, with all the benefits this means for Jordan.”
Majali added that by joining, Royal Jordanian will add considerable value to Oneworld, strengthening its network significantly in the world’s fastest growing region for air travel demand. The company will also be able to offer its customers more choice, convenience, and better value beyond the reach of any individual airline or bilateral partnership.
Members of Royal Jordanian’s Royal Plus frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other Oneworld carriers, with Platinum Plus and Gold Plus cardholders also gaining access to the 400 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance’s airlines.
The 18-month implemen-tation programme to prepare Royal Jordanian for its Oneworld membership is now all but complete. As it joins the alliance, it will offer interline e-ticketing (IET) with all of its Oneworld partners.
By Maysa Zureikat