Are airline 'alliances' actually useful for passengers?

[tuapekastar]

Airline alliances | Star Alliance | Oneworld | Are they useful? | The Age

When the first two big global alliances formed about 15 years ago, it was sold as a seamless travel experience where you could change airlines as easily as changing planes within the same airline.

Of course, it didn’t always work like that in practice. Travellers complained about missing airport lounges and other missing perks that had been promised.

I think RTW fares seem to have far more flexibility and choice within alliances. Partnership RTW fares seem IME to be restricted to just 2 or 3 airline choices (e.g. VA/SQ or VA/VS) - or perhaps I'm just not looking in the right places.

 

[samh004]

I think the main benefits to the customer haven't changed in a very long time, and all 3 alliances need to reinvent some of their benefits to attract more customers. Things like arrival lounges being a benefit, or standards for what a J lounge gives and what an F lounge gives, or even luggage allowances across the board. Some of those things other alliances already have, but the model seems to have been the same for too long.

 

[anat0l]

I don't really know what, from a passenger point-of-view, has been disadvantageous through my being a member of an alliance carrier.

The biggest plus for me, at least for oneworld, has been able to have a predetermined list of airlines where I can gain lounge access. The policy is fairly consistent - there are a couple of exceptions explained by (a) North America (b) lounges which are not included on the oneworld lounge list.

On top of that, the advantage of being able to use premium check-in desks as an elite is a good one too; again, this only relies on the list of airlines in the alliance.


That all said, on paper, if you stick to the gazetted benefits then the alliance doesn't offer much per se except for what is exactly gazetted (so, for example, extra baggage is not an alliance benefit in oneworld). Is it basically treating all members in the alliance as one big airline? Hell no, not even close to it.

It doesn't help much that many of the newest additions to any of the major alliances have been a bit ineffectual. Nothing wrong with the participation, but they don't seem to be well set in with the existing logistics and flights of the rest of the alliance. All they have mostly done is realigned some of their platforms, and ensuring some connections to major hubs, but that's it.


Multiple bilaterals are probably better but that doesn't directly address some of the points raised as "alliance problems" in the article, e.g. consistent rates of earn and burn of points, as well as ensuring lounge access at all serviced points (viz. third party lounges - I know this is not a problem for Velocity, but other bilateral systems are not necessarily this astute). Also, a bilateral - like Virgin - relies on you being in the position of greatest benefit, i.e. with Velocity. Even though EY and SQ are connected indirectly through the bilateral, as an EY elite you have no rights on SQ. Of course, EY can always set up a bilateral with SQ themselves.


Whichever model is chosen, there will always be the same kinds of issues. The sizes of the alliances and the inconsistency and apathy of effective implementation probably undermines the long-term alliance model, but that's not to say it is (necessarily) fundamentally flawed.

 

[beardoc]

The article completely ignores the xONEx and other RTW fares, which are a massive benefit of particularly Oneworld.

 

[Awesom Andy]

As a regular visitor to the CX HKG lounges as a QF OWS, I'm not complaining.
But of course, nothing is really as seamless as the alliances first suggested, but when you try to standardise everything, an alliance would become a bit more like the European Union. The rules don't work for everybody, and some people may need to be bailed out - repeatedly.

 

[harvyk]

Well they are useful for airlines. When I fly to the US, by default I then fly AA. When I've flown to HKG, I've then flown CX. I didn't even consider looking outside OW... Perhaps I should of, but the reality was that I'd at least get something from CX (eg J check in) and I'd get lounge access with AA, despite never stepping foot on either of these airlines planes before the first time, I was treated in a way I'd come accustom to when flying.

A few years ago, as a PS+QP, I flew AirNZ... It was almost a major shock to the system to become "just a pax". No lounge, no J check in, nothing beyond a seat, dinner, and a movie. (Technically it was my form of protest against QF for ruining QF25/26, I think QF took note for some reason as I then started getting Op-Up after Op-Up)

 

[JohnK]

I like Alliances and more importantly the Oneworld Alliance.

You really notice the benefits being able to book something like a Oneworld award on QF. The lounge access is nice and from memory the luggage allowance was honoured on all airlines. I was travelling with 2 checked bags and a carry bag but did go via the USA. Looking to get a few more booked before things turn sour.

The other option is to credit to airlines not in an alliance and only offer a FF program with some partners who do not even fly to the destinations I want and if they do then expect a 6 hour flight on a 737 via PER or costly award redemptions.

 

[coyote25]

I like Alliances and more importantly the Oneworld Alliance.

You really notice the benefits being able to book something like a Oneworld award on QF. The lounge access is nice and from memory the luggage allowance was honoured on all airlines. I was travelling with 2 checked bags and a carry bag but did go via the USA. Looking to get a few more booked before things turn sour.

The other option is to credit to airlines not in an alliance and only offer a FF program with some partners who do not even fly to the destinations I want and if they do then expect a 6 hour flight on a 737 via PER or costly award redemptions.

Totally agree JohnK has someone who has done 3 OW RTW Y Awards and is currently in the QF/BA SIN lounge as a result of my OW RTW J Award. Great value awards that encourage you to fly the other OW partners. Take and the lounge access at far away places around the world equals thumbs up, at least for me.

 

[Awesom Andy]

And here I was, just 20 hours earlier, I was using my flying on CX and accessed a BA lounge based on my QF status. This would've been much more difficult to achieve if alliances weren't around.