In 2018, Fiji Airways became the first (and to this day, only) Oneworld Connect member.
Oneworld Connect is basically a step down from full Oneworld alliance membership. It’s designed for smaller carriers that perhaps don’t yet meet all the requirements for full Oneworld membership, in instances where both the airline and the alliance would still benefit from the extra connectivity.
At the time, Fiji Airways fit that bill. It didn’t qualify for full alliance membership because, for example, it didn’t yet have a frequent flyer program. This will change later this year, when Fiji Airways adopts American Airlines AAdvantage as its loyalty program and finally becomes a full Oneworld alliance member.
Although Oneworld frequent flyers can enjoy some extra benefits when travelling with a Oneworld Connect airline, it’s all a bit confusing. Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members get some of the usual reciprocal Oneworld benefits, but only if they have status from specific airlines. Lounge access is also a bit of a mixed bag.
The full list of benefits depends on whether you have status with one of the members who sponsored Fiji Airways into Oneworld Connect. Those are American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.
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Status benefits on Oneworld Connect airlines
When flying on a Oneworld Connect airline, all Oneworld Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald frequent flyers (equivalent to Qantas Silver, Gold and Platinum status) can receive the following benefits:
- Priority check-in
- Priority boarding (Sapphire and Emerald only)
According to the Fiji Airways website, the following additional benefits are exclusively on offer to frequent flyers with Qantas, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and British Airways:
- Ability to earn frequent flyer points and status credits, and to redeem points for reward flights
- Through check-in of passengers and their baggage on connecting itineraries
- Lounge access at “key airports” when connecting between Fiji Airways and either Qantas, British Airways or Cathay Pacific (for Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members)
These benefits are not available to frequent flyers of other Oneworld members, such as Malaysia Airlines or Alaska Airlines elites.
The lounge access benefit is confusing
According to an FAQs document published on the Fiji Airways website, Qantas Gold and Platinum members flying Fiji Airways on an FJ flight number can access the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge in Nadi. But frequent flyers of non-sponsor Oneworld airlines would not get access, unless flying Business Class.
That PDF document also contains a range of examples and scenarios of the Oneworld Connect benefits that would be available on different types of itineraries. After reading that document, I’m now even more confused than before.
Officially, Qantas Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members need to be booked on a QF-coded Fiji Airways flight to get lounge access at other airports. But I recently flew Fiji Airways in Economy Class from Sydney to Nadi, on an FJ flight number, and Qantas welcomed me into its First Lounge as a Qantas Platinum member.
What you DON’T get on Oneworld Connect
Even if you have status with a Oneworld sponsor airline, like Qantas, you don’t receive the following benefits that would normally be given to Oneworld frequent flyers flying a full Oneworld member:
- Access to preferred or reserved seating
- Priority waitlisting when on standby
- Alliance-wide lounge access (Sapphire & Emerald benefit)
- Extra baggage allowance (Sapphire & Emerald benefit)
- Priority baggage (Sapphire & Emerald benefit)
- Access to security/immigration fast-track lanes at selected airports (Emerald benefit)
I did notice the lack of full Oneworld benefits acutely when flying Fiji Airways earlier this month on two separate flights. I actually really enjoyed my flights overall – Fiji Airways is a good airline. But the lack of additional baggage allowance was a bit of a problem for me.
While I usually travel light, on this particular trip I happened to need a bit more luggage allowance. My Oneworld status didn’t count for anything here, and Fiji Airways would have charged me $220 per flight to check in a second suitcase on my Economy Value ticket.
For some reason, though, the ground staff in Nadi did add a “priority” tag to my checked bag when I checked in for the second flight. I don’t believe they were supposed to do this. I certainly wasn’t complaining, but in the end it made no difference anyway as my bag was not even close to being the first to arrive on the belt at the destination.
It’s good that Fiji Airways will soon become a full Oneworld member
As you can see, the current Oneworld Connect benefits are somewhat lacklustre and confusing for Oneworld frequent flyers who are used to consistent recognition when travelling across the alliance.
I was chatting with the Fiji Airways staff in Sydney when I checked in for my first flight, and they mentioned that they were really looking forward to Fiji Airways finally joining the alliance properly in a matter of months. They were hopeful that this would end a lot of the confusion, and unfortunately sometimes disappointment, for passengers.
Could Fiji Airways be the last Oneworld Connect member?
Once Fiji Airways “upgrades” to full Oneworld alliance membership, there will no longer be any Oneworld Connect members.
It’s possible that Oneworld could give this status to another entrant airline in the future – perhaps, for example, one like MIAT Mongolian Airlines or RwandAir. Personally, though, I would prefer that Oneworld just admits newcomers as full alliance members in the future.
Don’t get me wrong – the half-baked Oneworld Connect benefits are better than nothing. But the whole arrangement just seems a bit unsatisfying for Oneworld frequent flyers who are used to a premium travel experience.
Trying to work out which benefits I would get flying Oneworld Connect reminded me a bit of the experience flying a Virgin Australia partner with Velocity status. And not in a good way.
