A P A C AWA R D S


B E S T A IR L IN E A L LIA N C E


I N A SI A - P A CI F IC


ONEWORLD WORDS DOMINIC KEITH


BUSINESS TRA VELLER ASIA-P ACIFIC


readers have voted Oneworld the best airline alliance in the region – and it’s not hard to see why. Asia-Pacific is home to highly


regarded Oneworld member carriers, including Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines (JAL), which are two airlines well known the world over for delivering superior service across all cabin classes, and offering excellent lounges. What’s more, nicely complementing


these two Oneworld premium carriers in our region is a list of other great member airlines including Australia’s Qantas, Malaysia Airlines, Fiji Airways and SriLankan Airlines. On top of this, Oneworld’s Asia-


Pacific footprint is flanked by other member carriers including Qatar Airways and Oman Air to the west, and


‘The network serves more than 900 destinations in 170 countries’


Alaska Airlines and American Airlines to the east across the Pacific. The Oneworld network serves more


than 900 destinations in 170 countries with hundreds of airport lounges; many of them – arguably some of the best – are located in Asia-Pacific region. Between just Cathay, JAL, Qantas


and Malaysia Airlines, travellers can sample some of the finest lounges in the alliance network, including


ABOVE: Oneworld Lounge, Incheon International Airport


Cathay’s recently revamped Hong Kong business lounges, and the excellent Oneworld Emerald first class lounges in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. This is another major differentiator between Oneworld and the two other alliances: that coveted extra third tier, Oneworld Emerald, that gives travellers access to the alliance members’ elusive first class lounges. Read our interview with Nat Pieper, CEO of Oneworld, on page 37.


MALAYSIA AIRLINES’ ENRICH frequent-flyer programme has been voted the best in the region. This is largely because of how easy the programme makes it to attain the coveted Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald status tiers. While your mileage may vary depending on your travel patterns, class of travel


and distance, the Enrich programme often makes it a lot easier for passengers to reach the higher loyalty tiers, doing so with less flying than would be required on competing programmes in the region. This is especially true for long-haul travellers. To illustrate,


to qualify for Enrich Gold (equivalent to OW Sapphire),


70 BUSINESS TRAVELLER ASIA-PACIFIC


B ES T


F R EQ U E N T -


F L Y E R P R OG R A M M E I N A SI A - P A CI F IC


MALAYSIA AIRLINES WORDS DOMINIC KEITH


travellers must earn 60 status points in a calendar year, or 100 status points for Enrich Platinum (OW Emerald). So how do you get there? Well, it’s relatively easy if you are a regular on Malaysia Airlines’ flagship service between Kuala Lumpur and London’s Heathrow. On this route, a business class round-trip earns 20 status points, including on the


most discounted fares, while a round-trip in economy class will net you 16 status points. This means


that the Enrich programme could give you OW Sapphire status with just three round-trips a year to London in business, or just under four in economy. No other


frequent-flyer programme in Asia-Pacific lets travellers off the hook that easily.


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025


IMAGES COURTESY OF ONEWORLD


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