Mexico and Central America’s leading airline Mexicana will become part of oneworld®, the world’s leading quality airline alliance, on Tuesday 10 November, offering oneworld’s full range of services and benefits from then.

Its subsidiaries MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink will join oneworld at the same time, as affiliate members.

So, from 10 November 2009 members of the MexicanaGO frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem mileage awards on all oneworld partners, who include some of the biggest and best airlines in the world – American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian and almost 20 affiliated airline. Russia’s leading domestic carrier S7 Airlines is on track to join during 2010.

MexicanaGO Conquer and Explore cardholders will have oneworld Emerald and Sapphire status respectively, gaining them access to some 550 airport lounges worldwide offered by the alliance’s airlines.

All MexicanaGO members will soon be sent new membership cards, bearing the oneworld logo, to ensure they receive their alliance benefits from 10 November.

Also from 10 November, members of the established oneworld airlines’ frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other oneworld benefits on Mexicana and its two affiliates.

The networks of Mexicana, MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink – covering 67 destinations and 14 countries in Central, North and South America and Europe, including 37 points in Mexico – will from then be covered by oneworld’s full and extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

For Mexicana, joining oneworld will strengthen its competitive offering and its financial position. For oneworld, adding Mexicana will expand the alliance’s network in Mexico and Central America, and enable it to build further on its positions as the leading airline grouping serving Latin America and the leading Spanish-speaking alliance.

Oneworld is currently the only global alliance with any airline members based in South America – through LAN Airlines and its affiliates LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru. American Airlines is the leading airline serving the region internationally, and Iberia is the leading carrier between Latin America and Europe.

Mexicana with MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink will add 26 destinations to the oneworld map – 24 in Mexico plus Edmonton (Canada) and Oakland (USA).

Oneworld’s established airlines already serve 13 gateways in Mexico, which is the world’s 11th most populous country, the 13th biggest economy and the eighth most popular tourist destination, attracting more than 21 million foreign visitors a year. Mexicana’s addition will expand the alliance’s coverage across the country to 39 destinations.

Mexicana’s addition will extend the alliance’s coverage of Latin American to almost 150 destinations. Globally, it will take the oneworld network to approaching 700 destinations in nearly 150 countries, with a combined fleet of some 2,250 aircraft operating more than 8,000 flights a day, carrying 325 million passengers a year, with annual revenues of US$100 billion.

Iberia has been supporting Mexicana through its 18-month alliance implementation project, as its oneworld sponsor airline, with working groups covering some 35 streams of activity.

Work is well advanced in linking up Mexicana’s IT systems to those of oneworld’s established members. This has been eased by Mexicana switching its main platform earlier this year to Amadeus Altea, which is already used by seven other oneworld airlines.

Projects are also nearing completion to bring Mexicana’s various internal processes and procedures into line with the alliance’s requirements, and extensive employee training and communications programmes are now underway at the Mexicana and the alliance’s existing members, to ensure they are ready to provide oneworld’s customer services and benefits across the expanded alliance from 10 November.

Mexicana and its affiliates have been participating since 1 September 2008 in the Global Explorer round-the-world fare, which includes all oneworld members along with some other carriers which are not part of the alliance.

Oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch added: «oneworld is very selective about who we invite on board to join us as a new member. We only consider airlines with brands that match the quality of our established partners, who share our priorities of safety, customer service and profitability and who can expand our existing combined network in key regions, rather than simply replicating what we already offer.. As the leading carrier in Mexico and Central America, Mexicana more than ticked all these boxes.

Mexicana Chief Executive Officer Manuel Borja said: «As a member of oneworld, we will be able to offer our customers more choice and convenience, a much more extensive global network, more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer rewards, more lounges, more customer service support and better value – services and benefits beyond the reach of any individual airline or bilateral partnership. For Mexicana and our employees, this will strengthen our position in an increasingly competitive marketplace.»

Iberia Chairman and Chief Executive Antonio Vázquez said: «Iberia has been honoured to act as Mexicana’s sponsor into oneworld, a process that has reinforced the excellent relations between both airlines. We look forward to welcoming another quality airline on board the world’s leading quality airline alliance. Mexicana will considerably strengthen oneworld’s long established position as the leading airline alliance in the Spanish-speaking world and in Latin America, making it easier for more customers to reach more places more easily and for better value with some of the world’s best airlines.»