TAM Airlines will join the one world® alliance with effect from March 31, 2014, adding the leading carrier in Brazil – Latin America’s biggest economy and largest market for air travel – to the world’s leading quality global airline alliance. Confirmation of its one world joining date comes just as LAN Colombia – which, like TAM, is in the LATAM Airlines Group – becomes an affiliate member of one world, offering the alliance’s full range of services and benefits from the start of operations on October 1.
The addition of both airlines means that the 140 million members of the established one world airlines’ frequent flyer programs – including Finnair Plus – will also be able to earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other one world privileges on LAN Colombia from October 1 and on TAM Airlines from March 31. Both airlines’ networks will also be covered by one world’s range of alliance fares – the most extensive offered by any of the global alliances, including the market-leading one world Explorer round-the-world fare and its Visit South America pass.
“We are very excited to soon welcome TAM into the fast-growing one world family,” says Finnair CEO Pekka Vauramo . “TAM’s extensive network in the Americas adds even more value for Finnair Plus cardholders, who can feel at home all over the world as a result of the one world alliance’s benefits.”
“We want to introduce Brazil to our new partners and welcome them into our country,” says TAM Airlines CEO Claudia Sender . “In the coming months, we will continue working to ensure a smooth transition for everyone. We also want our passengers to learn about the benefits, connections and products offered by one world so they can travel the world with us.”
The addition of TAM and LAN Colombia also means that all airlines within the LATAM Airlines Group will soon be part of one world, consolidating the alliance’s leading position for flights within Latin America and between the region and both the United States and Europe. The alliance is in the midst of its biggest expansion in history, with the addition of Malaysia Airlines earlier this year and the pending arrival of Qatar Airways later this month. SriLankan Airlines is also set to join in 2014, while US Airways proposes to switch from Star to oneworld as part of its planned merger with American Airlines, subject to necessary approvals.
With TAM and the other airlines lining up to join, one world will serve almost a thousand airports in more than 150 countries with 14,000 daily departures, carrying 480 million passengers a year on a combined fleet of more than 3,200 aircraft, all the while generating some USD 140 billion in annual revenues.
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