TAM Airlines and US Airways today completed their transition to oneworld – marking the biggest single-day expansion of the world’s leading quality airline alliance since its launch 15 years ago.

Both newcomers started offering oneworld’s services and benefits from their first flights this morning, on leaving the Star alliance after their final departures yesterday.

US Airways’ regional affiliates, operating as US Airways Express, also transitioned to oneworld this morning, follwing US Airways’ recent merger with American Airlines.

The landmark addition of these airlines to oneworld is being celebrated at a ceremony today at TAM’s Sao Paulo hub, attended by the CEOs of the alliance’s established member airlines, during which TAM will show off the first of its aircraft painted in the oneworld livery and launch a massive marketing communications campaign to highlight its alliance move.

TAM and US Airways significantly expand oneworld on many key measures:

Increasing the number of passengers carried annually across the alliance network by a third, adding another 120 million customers a year.
Expanding the annual capacity offered by the alliance by 20 per cent.
Adding almost a hundred destinations to the oneworld network – a near 10 per cent increase.

What TAM brings to oneworld

As the leading airline in Brazil, TAM Airlines makes oneworld the leading alliance in Latin America’s largest economy and the world’s third largest market for domestic air travel.

LAN Airlines, TAM’s partner in LATAM Airlines Group, has been a full member of oneworld since 2000 with all the other LAN passenger airlines joining the alliance as affiliate members since – LAN Argentina, LAN Colombia, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru.

The addition of TAM consolidates oneworld’s position as the leading alliance for flights within Latin America and between the region and both the United States and Europe – the two most popular destinations for South American international travellers.

Using the two-letter code JJ, TAM serves 61 destinations in 16 countries in Latin America, the USA and Europe, with a fleet of 172 aircraft operating 800 departures daily. It boarded 37 million passengers in 2013.

It has added nearly 45 destinations in Brazil to the oneworld network, and its home base Sao Paulo, the biggest city in the Southern Hemisphere and in the Americas, becomes a new hub for oneworld.

What US Airways brings to oneworld

On its own, US Airways, now part of the American Airlines Group, is one of the world’s ten largest airlines on virtually all measures.

Its merger with American Airlines has created the world’s largest airline on most measures. With both American and US Airways on board, oneworld becomes the leading alliance in the USA, the world’s largest air travel market.

Until the full integration of American Airlines and US Airways – which will see the combined airline retaining the American Airlines name – US Airways and its regional carriers will operate as oneworld affiliate members, under the American umbrella.

During the transition period as they work towards their full integration, American and US Airways will maintain their current loyalty programmes, American’s AAdvantage and US Airways’ Dividend Miles.

With its regional affiliates, US Airways serves more than 200 destinations and 30 countries with a fleet of more than 620 aircraft. It carried 82.5 million passengers in 2013 and currently operates 3,200 departures a day. It uses the two-letter code US, but this will be changed to AA once the two airlines combine under a single operating certificate.

It has added more than 50 destinations to the oneworld map – most in its US home but also two in Canada and one each in Ireland and Mexico – along with its key hubs of Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington DC’s Reagan National, expanding oneworld’s presence across the USA, particularly throughout the East Coast and across the North Atlantic.

Once the integration is completed, the new American will offer service to more than 330 destinations in more than 50 countries, carrying 190 million passengers a year on a fleet of 1,500 aircraft.

What oneworld brings to TAM and US Airways

As oneworld members, TAM and US Airways are now flying as part of the fastest growing and most highly rated global airline alliance, with partners who include leading brands from each global region, significantly expanding the networks TAM and US Airways can offer to their customers in regions that are most important to them.

The alliance’s welcome to TAM and US Airways today, to be followed on 1 May by SriLankan Airlines, completes what has been oneworld’s biggest expansion programme to date, with the addition in the past two years also of airberlin, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways.

With these recruits, oneworld:

Serves almost a thousand airports in 150 countries, with 14,250 daily departures.

Carries more than 500 million passengers a year on a combined fleet of some 3,300 aircraft.

Generates US$ 140 billion annual revenues.

Offers more than 600 airport lounges, including many frequently rated the world’s best.

What it means for frequent flyers and other customers

From today, the 140 million members of the established oneworld airlines’ frequent flyer programmes can earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other oneworld benefits when flying on TAM and US Airways.

Frequent flyers in TAM’s and US Airways’ loyalty schemes can also now receive oneworld benefits when travelling on any oneworld member airline.

Both TAM’s and US Airways’ networks will inform tomorrow be covered by oneworld’s range of alliance fares – the most extensive offered by any of the global alliances, including the market-leading oneworld Explorer round-the-world fare and its Visit South America and Visit North America passes.

Special frequent flyer miles offers to celebrate

To celebrate TAM’s addition to oneworld, members of most established member airlines’ loyalty programmes will receive double the normal mileage awards when flying on TAM during May.

Members of most established oneworld member airlines’ frequent flyer programmes will receive double their regular mileage awards when flying on US Airways between 1 April 2014 and 30 June 2014.

For full details, exceptions and requirements, see individual airlines’ frequent flyer websites

What the CEOs say

oneworld Governing Board Chairman, and IAG Chief Executive, Willie Walsh said: “By adding TAM Airlines and US Airways, oneworld will consolidate its leading role within Latin America and on flights between the region and both the United States and Europe. We already have strong and long-standing relationships with the American Airlines and LATAM Airlines groups. These two new partners bring outstanding quality and scale to the alliance, further strengthening its position as the best option for frequent international travellers”

oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby added: “Welcoming on board TAM Airlines, the leading airline in Latin America’s biggest economy, and US Airways, one of the world’s 10 biggest airlines, today is a major milestone for oneworld. We believe it represents the biggest single day of growth yet for any global airline alliance, confirming oneworld’s position as the world’s fastest growing and most highly rated global airline alliance.”

TAM Chief Executive Marco Antonio Bologna commented: “We made the best choice for the LATAM Airlines Group. With oneworld, our passengers will have even more benefits on their journeys, with better connections and more options for destinations. We made a seamless transition and now is the time to celebrate this milestone with our customers and our new partners. We wish everyone in oneworld a warm welcome to Brazil.”

American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker stated: “American Airlines is proud to have been a founding member of oneworld – and has played a leading role in developing oneworld into the position it enjoys today, as the undisputed alliance quality leader. Since February 2013, when American Airlines and US Airways announced our intent to merge our two great airlines, our goal has been clear: to restore American as the greatest airline in the world. Our membership in oneworld is just one of the ways we’re doing that as we bring our entire merged airline into the same global alliance, another crucial step in our progress toward fully integrating our two carriers.”

TAM’s affiliate in Paraguay, TAM Airlines (TAM Mercosur), will join oneworld soon, which means that all passenger airlines in LATAM Airlines Group will be part of oneworld.

Frequent flyers with oneworld Ruby status will be able to check in at TAM Business Class desks at its Sao Paulo hub when the airline moves to the new Terminal 3 there soon. Because of space constraints at the existing Terminal 2, this benefit will not be offered by TAM at this airport in the meantime.