Alaska Airlines is officially set to join the oneworld as the 14th airline in the alliance, following the formal invitation by the group.
Alaska Airlines already announced its intentions to join oneworld in February 2020, when the de facto Alaskan flag carrier established an elaborate partnership with American Airlines (A1G) (AAL), particularly focusing on its Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) flight offers.
“We’re excited to become a member of oneworld, the industry’s premier alliance, and honored to receive this invitation. This milestone will improve connectivity and service for our guests throughout the West Coast and beyond,” stated Alaska Airlines’ chairman and CEO Brad Tilden on July 23, 2020.
The carrier aims to join oneworld by the end of 2020. Previously, Alaska Airlines indicated that it would join the airline group by the summer of 2021, however, the carrier is looking to “accelerate the timeline.” It would be the second airline to join the alliance in 2020, as Royal Air Maroc, the Morocco-based carrier firmed up its membership on April 1, 2020.
The Alaskan airline will bring 34 extra destinations in North America that are not covered by any of the alliance’s members, including the United States-based American Airlines (A1G) (AAL).
However, the joyous news was overshadowed by the fact that the Seattle-based company lost $214 million in Q2 2020, according to the company’s latest financial release on July 23. As of July 22, 2020, the company had $3.8 billion in liquidity in the form of cash and marketable securities. It also managed to reduce its monthly cash burn rate from $400 million in March to $120 million in June 2020, read the report.