BA Club news • February 2015
You might know about British Airways’ involvement in the oneworld alliance, but what does it mean to you as an Executive Club Member? And what are the latest benefits of membership? The Club meets Dawn Beard, British Airways’ Airline Partners Manager, to find the answers
Why should I be interested in oneworld?
Being in an alliance means we can offer our customers seamless connections and baggage check-in when they travel on two or more oneworld carriers. Our loyal frequent flyers can also benefit from an equivalent premium experience, treatment and benefits across our partners.
What’s in it for me as an Executive Club Member?
As well as earning Avios and Tier Points on our partners’ operated flights, Members can redeem across the network. Your tier status will also be recognised: for example, if you are a BA Gold card holder, you can use the first-class check-in with our oneworld partners; similarly, a Silver member can use business-class check-in, regardless of the cabin. We can also offer a broader network of airport lounges for Members to use through our partners.
You can find a full list of benefits and tier conversions here
Are there any new benefits?
Yes. Sapphire oneworld card holders can now take advantage of an additional checked baggage allowance when travelling on any flight operated or marketed by any oneworld member airline. Additionally, Emerald and Sapphire Tier Members will receive priority baggage handling when travelling in any cabin on an eligible oneworld flight.
Why does BA have alliances with other airlines?
It’s not possible for any airline to serve every destination point in the world, or at times desirable for all customers. In an alliance, we can provide a time-effective solution for our customers’ travel requirements and offer enhanced benefits at differing stages of the experience.
What kinds of alliances does BA have?
We have alliances with our franchise partners, frequent flyer partners, codeshare partners, oneworld alliance partners and joint business agreements with other airlines (to provide customers with greater flexibility and a range of fares).
What is a franchise partner?
BA has two: Comair in South Africa and Sunair in Scandinavia. A franchisee service feels like a BA flight, with BA branding, uniformed flight crew and service proposition – it also uses a BA flight number. They are operated by aircraft types absent from our mainline fleet and can fly the schedule more cost-efficiently than we could.
Are your frequent flyer partners all in oneworld?
BA has an advanced frequent flyer programme (FFP) relationship with all its oneworld partners – so our Executive Club Members can earn Avios and Tier Points on both BA flights and oneworld partner flights. We also have FFP partners who are not in oneworld, and there are codeshare partners who operate flights to destinations we cannot serve ourselves, which connect to a BA service.
It sounds complex…
Not really – I often compare it with relationships. We check out the talent and might go on a few dates. If things go quiet, we take it no further – or we may marry. Equally, we might get a divorce. Explaining that we may have more than one partner raises eyebrows!