LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador to Join oneworld
07 Noviembre 2006 - 4:29PM
PR Newswire (US)
VANCOUVER, Canada, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- oneworld(R) is
strengthening its position as the leading airline alliance serving
Latin America with the addition of two more airlines in the region
-- LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador. The two airlines -- members of
the LAN Airlines group -- will become affiliate members of oneworld
as soon as joining technicalities can be completed. All parties
have committed to ensure this takes place as early as possible in
2007. Both airlines will then offer oneworld's full range of
services and benefits. This means their frequent flyers will be
able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all other oneworld
carriers, with top-tier members able to gain access to the 400
airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance's airlines.
Members of other oneworld airlines will be able to earn and redeem
awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on both LAN
Argentina and LAN Ecuador. The two airlines' networks will also be
covered by oneworld's extensive range of alliance fares. "I'm
delighted to welcome LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador on board
oneworld," said oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch. "Both
offer a level of service to match the best in the world, in keeping
with oneworld's overall emphasis on quality. With our extensive
presence in Latin America already, their addition strengthens
oneworld's position as the leading alliance serving this region."
"It is with great pride that I announce the addition of LAN
Argentina and LAN Ecuador to oneworld," said LAN Airlines Chief
Executive Enrique Cueto. "The high quality and safety standards of
the service they provide to passengers have earned them membership
in this prestigious alliance formed by the world's top airlines.
Without any doubt this constitutes a clear recognition of our on
going commitment to our customers and our determination to deliver
an excellent quality product that meets the highest standards of
international safety." With Chile-based LAN Airlines a full member
of the alliance since June 2000, along with its domestic subsidiary
LAN Express and Peruvian airline LAN Peru as affiliate members, the
latest additions mean oneworld will have five Latin American
airlines in its grouping. The two new affiliates will considerably
broaden the alliance's network within Latin America through the
addition of a domestic schedule within Argentina and regional
international service to and from Argentina and Ecuador, besides
expanding its links between the region and North America and
Europe. LAN Argentina will also add four destinations to the
oneworld map -- Iguazu (IGR), Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), Rio
Gallegos (RGL), and El Calafate (FTE). oneworld partner American
Airlines has extensive service to Latin America, serving more than
15 countries in the region. Additionally, Iberia has the most
direct flights between Europe and Latin America, and British
Airways also flies to several cities in South America. The addition
of LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador also builds further on oneworld's
position as the leading Spanish-speaking alliance. The two airlines
received the green light to join oneworld at a recent meeting of
the alliance's Governing Board. With the other members of the LAN
group already part of oneworld, bringing LAN Argentina and LAN
Ecuador on board oneworld will be simpler and speedier than adding
completely new recruits to the grouping. The LAN Argentina and LAN
Ecuador addition accelerates what was already oneworld's biggest
expansion program in its history, with Japan Airlines, Malev
Hungarian and Royal Jordanian preparing to join early next year,
taking the alliance's network to nearly 700 destinations in almost
150 countries. In addition to LAN Airlines, American, Iberia and
British Airways, oneworld's other existing members include Qantas,
Cathay Pacific and Finnair, plus a dozen affiliates. Another five
affiliates will join with Japan Airlines' addition to the alliance.
About LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador LAN Argentina launched
passenger and cargo service in June 2005. Today it operates from
Buenos Aires to Cordoba, Mendoza, Iguazu, Bariloche, Comodoro
Rivadavia and Rio Gallegos. Additionally, starting Nov. 7, LAN
Argentina will launch flights to El Calafate and Ushuaia. It also
operates daily service from Buenos Aires to Miami. LAN Argentina
operates a fleet of three Airbus A320s, four Boeing 737-200s and
two Boeing 767-300s. LAN Ecuador launched passenger and cargo
service in April 2003. Today it operates from hubs at Quito and
Guayaquil to Buenos Aires, Madrid, Miami, New York and Santiago,
with Airbus A320s and Boeing 767-300s. The LAN alliance --
including LAN Airlines, LAN Express, LAN Peru, LAN Argentina and
LAN Ecuador -- offers "a united spirit of reliability and charm
that provides passengers with the highest level of service and
safety with the complete travel experience throughout the skies of
the Americas." Through its own operations, the LAN alliance serves
56 destinations worldwide -- 15 in Chile; 11 in Peru; nine in
Argentina; two in Ecuador; 10 in other Latin American and Caribbean
countries; three in the United States (Los Angeles, Miami and New
York); two in Europe (Frankfurt and Madrid); and four in the South
Pacific. Within Latin America, the LAN alliance serves Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Currently, the LAN alliance
operates 75 passenger aircraft and nine dedicated freighters,
carrying some 8 million passengers in 2005. LAN recorded net profit
of US$146.6 million in 2005 on total revenue of US$2.5 billion.
About oneworld oneworld enables its members to offer their
customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide
on its own. These include a broader route network, opportunities to
earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined
oneworld network, and more airport lounges. Together, its existing
members serve more than 600 destinations in some 135 countries.
oneworld is the only alliance to enable passengers to fly
throughout its network, on any combination of carriers, using just
electronic tickets. oneworld was voted the World's Leading Airline
Alliance for the fourth year running in the 2006 World Travel
Awards, based on votes cast by some 170,000-travel professionals,
including more than 110,000 travel agents in 200 countries.
DATASOURCE: oneworld CONTACT: Michael Blunt, Corporate
Communications of oneworld, +44-20-8738-5173, or +44-7711-997487,
or ; or Corporate Communications of LAN, +562-565-3975; or Media
Relations of Aer Lingus, +353-1-886-2573, or ; or Corporate
Communications of American Airlines, +1-817-967-1577, or ; or Press
Office of British Airways, +44-20-8738-5100, or ; or Corporate
Communications of Cathay Pacific, +852-2747-8282; or Corporate
Communications of Finnair, +358-981-84970; or Communications of
Iberia, +34-91-587-7462, or ; or Corporate Communications of
Qantas, +61-2-9691-3742 Web site: http://www.aa.com/
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