Dragonair joins Oneworld; SkyTeam adds three associate members

As expected, the global Oneworld alliance – which includes American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines, among others – has added Dragonair as its newest member. The membership of Hong Kong-based Dragonair in the alliance was considered a sure thing after it was acquired by Cathay Pacific last year. Dragonair serves 19 cities in China from Hong Kong, and its membership more than doubles the Oneworld alliance’s access to China, with service to a total of 22 cities on the Mainland. Outside of China, Dragonair brings three other new destinations to the Oneworld network – Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and Phuket, Thailand. Effective November 1, members of American’s AAdvantage program will be able to earn elite-qualifying miles and redeem miles on Dragonair flights.
Meanwhile, the global SkyTeam alliance, which includes Delta, Continental, NorthwestAir France/KLM and others, has added three regional airlines as associate members: Spain’s Air Europa, Africa’s Kenya Airways, and Latin America’s Copa Airlines. Persons flying these carriers will receive “the same benefits offered to passengers traveling with the 10 current SkyTeam member airlines, including frequent flyer programs and improved access to airport lounges,” an alliance spokesman said. The three carriers give the SkyTeam alliance a total of 47 new destinations. Air Europa flies to 44 destinations in 15 countries, including Spain, western Europe, North Africa and Latin America. Copa serves 40 destinations in 21 Western Hemisphere nations. Kenya Airways flies to 43 destinations in 36 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia.