Alaska to join Oneworld and form new American alliance

Alaska Airlines and American Airlines are joining forces to form a West Coast international alliance. The partnership includes international code sharing, reciprocal loyalty program benefits, American’s expansion out of Seattle, and ultimately Alaska’s entry into Oneworld Alliance.

American will launch the first service from Seattle to Bengaluru (Bangalore) in India beginning Oct. 2020. Flights will operate daily. The airline will also start daily service from Seattle to London Heathrow in March 2021.

In addition, Seattle-based Alaska and American will continue their domestic codeshare—which was scheduled to shrink in March 2020—and expand it to include international routes from Los Angeles and Seattle.

The partnership paves the way for Alaska to join the Oneworld global airline alliance. Seattle-based Alaska hopes to become a member by summer 2021.