oneworld celebrates 20th anniversary at RJ’s headquarters; oneworld management presents the radical transformation it is undergoing to RJ staff
Sep
Amman, Sept. 5, 2019 -- Chief Executive of the oneworld airline alliance Rob Gurney and VP Corporate Communications at oneworld Ghim-Lay Yeo yesterday visited the Royal Jordanian headquarters where they met with RJ President/CEO Stefan Pichler and RJ’s VP/Commercial and oneworld management board member Basma Majali.
Gurney held a townhall meeting, attended by a large number of RJ staff members, where he talked about the transformation the alliance, which marked its 20th anniversary last February, has been undergoing and the initiatives that are being rolled out as part of oneworld’s 2020 vision and that are designed to increase the alliance’s relevancy and value to member airlines and customers. Among the new oneworld 2020 vision pipeline projects is the impending membership of Royal Air Maroc, aimed for implementation in early to mid-2020; it will be the first new full member in six years, and oneworld’s first African member carrier.
Gurney also said that the alliance unveiled a brand revamp, which is fresh, contemporary and more inclusive, reflecting the diversity of the alliance’s member airlines and their customers.
He added that the oneworld carriers are now working on a “digital revolution”, envisioned to enable customers flying on connecting flights among member airlines to be able to check in, obtain boarding passes, track baggage, receive flight updates and pay for additional services through only one preferred airline app or website.
At the meeting, RJ President/CEO Stefan Pichler presented the privileges RJ has enjoyed after joining oneworld in 2007. He said that more than 8 million passengers connected between oneworld partners last year; about a quarter of a million of them connected to or from Royal Jordanian.
He added that partnering with the alliance members enables RJ to service passengers to over a thousand destinations and enables RJ to offer a more competitive proposition, delivering superior quality, smoother transfers, global coverage, more lounges, more miles and points to Royal Club members and greater support to RJ itself.
Ghim-Lay Yeo said that in 1999 – when oneworld was established -- oneworld and Star Alliance had 10 airline members, a figure that has grown to 64 members in the three global alliances (oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam); nearly all the biggest network airlines are part of one of these three airline alliances.
When oneworld was first established, she said, there were five member airlines serving 632 destinations and generating $38.9 billion in passenger revenue, while today oneworld comprises 13 air carriers flying to 1,100 airports in 180 territories with combined $112.8 billion in passenger revenue.
She added that oneworld is the most highly prized alliance that collectively carries almost 550 million passengers a year on a combined fleet of 3,500 aircraft. Top tier cardholders (Emerald and Sapphire, which equal Royal Club’s Platinum Hawk and Gold Sparrow, respectively) enjoy access to more than 650 airport lounges and are offered extra baggage allowances.
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