Qatar airways to join Oneworld on 30th October 2013

[here2go]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Maybe we are all wrong-
The Exciting Centennial of Philippine Aviation: Hello Frankfurt!

Yay - Transit in Manila!

 

[Danger]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

I'd like it if oneworld member elects like MH would join to add some certainty to the alliance. It seems they've been going to join for years and it's not the only one. With the demise of Mexicana and others on the rocks, some assurance is needed.

 

[SteveJohnson]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Maybe we are all wrong-
The Exciting Centennial of Philippine Aviation: Hello Frankfurt!

This is why I laugh at how AFF spins on so many rumours!

Did you even bother to check the veracity of that article?

A hobbyist blog, hosted on blogspot (so not even serious enough to have its own domain name), runs the headline "PAL to go Europe after Toronto, Awaits ICAO audit this month, and to join Oneworld Alliance".

Wow, so PAL is joining OneWorld! But what is the blogger's source for this?

It's not mentioned at all, and only at the very end of the article does the blogger write "Cruz said that PAL is heading for Oneworld Alliance and is currently in the process of upgrading its IT with Sabre ticketing reservation system, which could pave the way to a future membership with Oneworld scheduled for 2014. PAL membership to the alliance is sponsored by Cathay Pacific."

So the Sabre upgrade is a speculative 'could pave the way for future OneWorld membership', and we still don't have any source for what Cruz is alleged to have said.

Do a quick search on Google and there's just ONE article on this, not the stack you'd expect if PAL had actually made the announcement, and that article (Philippines Airlines long haul plans will depend of Europe and the USA) is clearly the source for the blogger's piece. And in this, OneWorld isn't mentioned until the very end and then as follows:

Regarding alliances, PAL is currently upgrading its IT with Sabre, which could pave the way to a future membership with Oneworld. PAL works already in close cooperation with Cathay Pacific and would feet at best into the Oneworld network. But it might take another year or two before a concrete announcement.

So there's NO statement from PAL that it's joining OneWorld or even heading for OneWorld, and only a mention that PAL is buddies with CX, not that CX is PAL's OneWorld sponsor, and that "it might take another year or two before a concrete announcement."

But this doesn't stop an amateur aviation enthusiast blogger from saying that PAL is joining OneWorld or that CX is its sponsor!

 

[docjames]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Tipping it's not Kingfisher....

 

[drron]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Hey SteveJohnson did I say I thought it was a serious article?

 

[samh004]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Hey SteveJohnson did I say I thought it was a serious article?

FWIW I thought you were having a laugh

That being said, doesn't mean PAL isn't looking at it down the track, just not sure they'd add much?

 

[browski]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

If Sri Lankan Airlines can get a gig then Philippine Airlines are specials.

 

[beardoc]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Two articles confirming:

Qatar Airways joins oneworld alliance - FT.com
Qatar Airways to join oneworld alliance: sources | Reuters

but still QR is saying it's not:

Qatar Airways Open to Joining

 

[Oneworldplus2]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

but still QR is saying it's not:

Qatar Airways Open to Joining

I can't find the article, but l'm sure that the QR CEO (al-Baker) told Boeing (or Airbus) that they couldn't make/build planes during negotiations told them to sod off, only to place orders with them the next day. Put simply, l would believe Alan Joyce more than al-Baker, which is scary.

(Google only turned up this article)

 

[serfty]

Qatar Airways has no plans to join oneworld alliance | Reuters

Asked if the carrier would join oneworld, which includes British Airways, owned by IAG, Baker said: "No, we will not. It's all rumours."

Either several news entities are rehashing the same speculation as fact or Akbar Al-Baker, the QR chief, is not being strait.

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

 

[whatmeworry]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

If it is QR joining, the QR chief is probably playing hard-ball to maximise the T&C's for joining OW.

 

[beardoc]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Analysis on the potential QR joining: With Qatar Airways as new member, oneworld seeks to re-gain momentum but may become more divisive | CAPA - Centre for Aviation

 

[Danger]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Ooooh. Qatar flies to Seychelles. xONEx fans know what that means!

 

[moa999]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

I expect a Seychelles repricing if that be the case! unfortunately!

 

[beardoc]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Ooooh. Qatar flies to Seychelles. xONEx fans know what that means!

Interestingly there are no SEZ entries for RTW fares anymore with Expertflyer (or at least none that I can see) - have the SEZ fares been removed?

 

[Danger]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Oh. I didn't know that. I was referring to the handy tool created by a Flyertalk member but that may well not be up to date.

 

[moa999]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

SEZ don't show up on FT and weren't listed when oneworld last accidentally posted all the fares on the rule sheet.
I think the wandr.me source pulls from somewhere else that still has it in the database at last price

 

[drron]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

so here is an article that raises even another possibility-
http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093566130/Etihad-Airways-wants-Air-Berlin-to-codeshare-with-Air-France

Linking Air Berlin with Air France would not necessarily put the German carrier's membership in the Oneworld alliance into question. However, it would shift the carrier's network priorities to align even more with the broader Etihad strategy, and raise the question of how much additional value the alliance membership brings.

Hogan described Oneworld alliance as secondary. He put more hopes on bilateral partnerships than on large alliances like Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance.

And another I found where the Cheif planning officer says Qatar is looking at the Alliances-

Qatar Airlines is looking at all three of the alliances, Chief Planning Officer Michael Swiatek said in Istanbul last month.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...o-joining-any-alliance-ceo-al-baker-says.html

Thank goodness monday is getting closer.

 

[fersea]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

I would like a middle eastern airline to become part of Oneworld so I could go there on my RTW trip

Bigger worry is will Qantas stay in OW and thus still have the 140k RTW award (yes I know it is not strictly RTW)

 

[markis10]

re: [Confirmed] Qatar May be Invited to Join One World

Delta and Alaska also have an announcement scheduled for Monday.