Russia’s S7 Airlines has temporarily left the Oneworld alliance until further notice.

S7 Airlines is describing this as a mutual decision, with a notice on its website saying:

S7 Airlines and oneworld have agreed to a suspension of S7 Airlines’ membership in the alliance effective 19 April 2022, until further notice. Earning and spending miles is available as usual, with some exceptions described below.

Previously known as Siberia Airlines and based in Novosibirsk, S7 Airlines is a privately owned Russian airline with a large domestic network. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and consequent sanctions and airspace bans, it also flew to a range of international destinations across Europe and Asia. It joined the Oneworld alliance in 2010.

From a practical standpoint, this doesn’t change much for most Australian frequent flyers. It already has not been possible to redeem Qantas points for S7 flights for weeks – likely due to Russian airlines losing access to Global Distribution Systems (GDS).

This change does mean that Oneworld benefits no longer apply if you happen to be flying with S7 Airlines. It also means that members of the S7 Priority loyalty program will no longer have access to Oneworld priority benefits if flying with other alliance members. They can also no longer redeem their points on other Oneworld airlines.

Some Oneworld airlines including American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and Alaska Airlines had already formally suspended their agreements with S7 Airlines.

The Oneworld website has removed all references to S7 Airlines, but the Qantas website has not yet been updated.

It is not yet clear when, or if, S7 Airlines would return as a Oneworld alliance member.

Aeroflot, which is majority-owned by the Russian government, is still officially part of the SkyTeam alliance. But some individual SkyTeam member airlines, such as Delta, have suspended their bilateral partnerships with Aeroflot.

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.