7 June 2026
Flag carrier Philippine
Airlines (PAL) has finally accepted the offer to join as it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Oneworld alliance governing board, after receiving invitation to join sponsored by American Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Qantas, two of whom are founding members, capping a period of rapidly deepening commercial
relationships with key alliance members.
The
MOU was signed on June 6 in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the IATA
Annual General Meeting, with formal membership expected to take 18 months for integration to complete.
In May, the airline expanded its
codeshare agreement with Qatar Airways, unlocking more than 40
additional destinations across Europe, the Middle East and Southeast
Asia, and launching reciprocal loyalty benefits between Qatar’s
Privilege Club and PAL’s Mabuhay Miles program.
Shortly
after, Qantas Frequent Flyer members gained Classic Reward seat access
across PAL’s entire network, opening up 15 Philippine island
destinations – including Boracay, Cebu and Palawan – as well as onward
connections to North America and the Middle East.
American
Airlines CEO and Oneworld chairman Robert Isom said adding Philippine
Airlines would “strengthen our connectivity across key markets in the
Asia Pacific region.” PAL serves 69 destinations globally – 31 not
currently covered by any other Oneworld member – and flies from Manila
to six US cities: Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
and Honolulu, as well as Guam.
Full
membership will eventually formalise earn and redeem benefits for
frequent flyers across the alliance, and open up one of Southeast Asia’s
most extensive domestic networks to Oneworld’s global base.
Philippine Airlines becomes the 16th member of the airline alliance as it build bridges to 1,000 global destinations.
