tl;dr – My prediction is slowly but surely coming true.
Several moons ago, when the news of the Alaska-Hawaiian merger dropped, I stated that the oneworld alliance would soon rule the Pacific. Heavy hitters in Alaska (plus Hawaiian), Qantas, American, Japan Airlines (JAL), and Cathay Pacific already gave the alliance a leg up in intra-Pacific and Transpacific airlines. This week, news dropped that Philippine Airlines (PAL) has officially accepted an invitation to join the oneworld alliance and will become a full-fledged member in 2027.
Somewhat lost in that big announcement was the fact that you can now use Qatar Avios (and via transfers, all other Avios) to book flights on Philippine Airlines. This comes on the heels of its partnerships with Southwest Airlines and Qantas.
Just the second full alliance member based in Southeast Asia, the addition of PAL will significantly boost the alliance’s connectivity in Southeast Asia and Oceania. For me, this addition is super intriguing. PAL is set to receive several new A350s and boasts flights to some very hard-to-reach places, such as Palau (Koror – ROR), Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby – POM), and the Northern Mariana Islands. Imagine now being one stop from Jellyfish Lake?
Additionally, Philippine Airlines’ long-haul destinations include metropolises all over Australia, China, Japan, and the rest of Asia, but also popular connection points like Doha and Dubai. This is huge for building one-directional itineraries around the world.
My two favorite destinations in the world are the South Pacific and South America. While this addition to oneworld doesn’t help for the latter, it’s a huge step in making some beautiful bucket list destinations in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific more accessible.
