Would you like to receive elite status benefits, such as lounge access, with Oneworld airlines including Qantas, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines and British Airways? If you already have status with an airline outside the Oneworld alliance – or even if you don’t – there are currently several Oneworld status matches and other shortcuts available.
By achieving status with any Oneworld airline, you’ll receive the benefits of that status when flying with Qantas or any other Oneworld carrier. Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald are the top two Oneworld status tiers and are equivalent to Qantas Gold and Platinum, respectively. Benefits of these tiers include airport lounge access, additional baggage allowances and the ability to skip most airport queues.
The following airlines are part of the Oneworld alliance:
Here are three current Oneworld status match opportunities that you should know about…
Oneworld Status Match via LATAM Pass
LATAM Airlines, a Oneworld airline based in South America, is once again accepting status match requests. The process is not entirely straightforward, and there is a chance your LATAM status match request may be declined. But if you qualify, this could be worth a try.
To be eligible for a LATAM Airlines status match, you’ll need to already hold an equivalent status tier with another airline. You’ll also need to have taken at least one LATAM Airlines flight within the past year. If you live in Australia or New Zealand, this can be easily achieved using LATAM’s daily Sydney-Auckland flight. LATAM also has many flights to, from and within South America, as well as a fifth-freedom route within Europe from Madrid to Frankfurt.
The LATAM Pass frequent flyer program has the following status levels:
- Gold (Oneworld Ruby, equivalent to Qantas Silver)
- Platinum (Oneworld Sapphire, equivalent to Qantas Gold)
- Black (Oneworld Emerald, equivalent to Qantas Platinum)
- Black Signature (Oneworld Emerald, equivalent to Qantas Platinum One) – note, LATAM will not status match to this tier.
According to Loyalty Lobby, the best way to request a LATAM Pass Oneworld status match is via the contact form on the LATAM Airlines website. If you are able to send a request in Spanish, this may improve your chances of success. Include the following items with your request:
- Proof of your existing status with another airline (such as a photo of your membership card)
- A screenshot of your frequent flyer account activity statement
- Proof that you’ve taken at least one LATAM Airlines flight in the past 12 months
The LATAM Pass frequent flyer program is most useful if you regularly fly with LATAM Airlines. For everyone else, it’s probably not a good idea to use this as your main program. Status is ordinarily quite difficult to achieve, and LATAM Pass miles are difficult to redeem. But if you would find the Oneworld status benefits useful, it wouldn’t hurt to request a LATAM status match and hope for the best.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: LATAM/Oneworld status match
Qantas Status Challenge
Qantas also has an ongoing status match challenge for frequent flyers. Qantas won’t match other Oneworld airlines, but they do offer a Oneworld status match if you’re a frequent flyer with a competing airline such as Virgin Australia, Etihad, Singapore Airlines or Air New Zealand. If you’re eligible, you can request a Qantas status challenge by contacting the Qantas Frequent Flyer Service Centre.
If you’re approved for a status challenge, you’ll have 90 days to achieve the following target:
- Gold status challenge: Earn 200 status credits on Qantas flights
- Platinum status challenge: Earn 400 status credits on Qantas flights
You’ll only receive the benefits of your new status after completing the challenge, and your status will be valid until the end of your next membership year.
Find out more about the Qantas status match: Qantas Status Challenges
American Airlines AAdvantage Status Challenge
If you don’t already have status with another airline, the American Airlines status challenge could be for you. For a fee, you can start an American Airlines status challenge for 90 days. You can opt-in to receiving the benefits of AAdvantage status during the challenge period. And you’ll get to keep your status until January in the following year if you meet a certain target within the 90-day period.
The beauty of the American Airlines status challenge is that you don’t even need to set foot on an American Airlines plane. The challenge could be completed by flying Qantas (and a small selection of other American partner airlines).
Read more about getting a Oneworld status challenge via American Airlines: American Airlines Instant Status Pass Guide
