Big news for Europe's skies today: Finnair has announced its intent to partner with oneworld alliance members American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia on a transatlantic joint business. Once Finnair joins the partnership later this year, customers in North America and Europe will have increased choice of flights and services as well as more convenient connections to flights across the Atlantic.
As part of the joint business, Finnair will add its (AY*) code to selected American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights between North America and Europe (EU, plus Norway and Switzerland). American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia will add their respective (AA*), (BA*) and (IB*) code to Finnair’s daily flights between New York and Helsinki. All together, the joint business will operate up to 102 daily round trips between North America and Europe, serving 42 gateways on either side of the Atlantic. Customers will also have access to a further 163 onward connections in North America and 126 in Europe.
Benefits for customers of the four airlines include:
- Coordinated schedules on joint business routes, providing customers with more flight choices and more convenient times
- Members of the four airlines' frequent flyer programs – Iberia Plus, American Airlines AAdvantage, British Airways Executive Club and Finnair Plus – will be able to earn points or miles on the new codeshare flights
- Dedicated support teams for customers transferring at seven of the airlines' hubs: New York JFK, London Heathrow, Madrid, Chicago, Miami, Dallas and Los Angeles.
- Online check-in and boarding pass printing with either the airline operating the flight, or the website of the airline used to book travel
“Our participation in this venture will significantly increase the portfolio of available destinations to Finnair’s existing customers, as well as open up Northern Europe to a whole new network of potential travelers,” says Allister Paterson, Finnair’s Senior Vice President, Commercial. “Fare combinability between the four carriers also brings more ticket flexibility to customers, as the fares and conditions are identical between the airlines. A business traveler soon will be able to combine American, British Airways, Iberian and Finnair routes flexibly when flying between Europe and North America.”