Award Winning Malaysia Airlines All Set To Join Award Winning oneworld Alliance

This year, Malaysia Airlines won the World’s Best Cabin Crew’ award for the seventh time in eleven years, with its in-flight satay dish also voted as the ‘Best Airline Signature Dish’ by Skytrax, the UK based world's leading airline and airport review organisation. In addition Skytrax awarded Malaysia Airlines the ‘5-star airline’ status this year, an award that was made possible through its consistent 40 years of exclusive Malaysian Hospitality delivery to its customers.

Likewise, oneworld been named Best Airline Alliance for the third year running by Global Traveler in the leading business travel magazine's GT Tested Reader Survey 2012 Awards whilst also being the current holder of the World Travel Awards' World's Leading Airline Alliance title, retaining that award for the ninth year running. It was also voted the ‘Best Airline Alliance ‘ by the Australian Business Traveller's debut awards.

Speaking on this development after attending the oneworld Governing Board Meeting in London today, Malaysia Airlines’ Group Chief Executive Officer Encik Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said, “We are on the last lap of the path towards becoming a full-fledged member of a fast growing award-winning alliance. Almost all system interface and fares standardization requirements for this membership have been completed. These are exciting times for both Malaysia Airlines and oneworld, which already has attracted Sri Lankan Airlines as well as Qatar Airways to join this alliance after us.”

“With our Business Plan showing positive results since its launch last December, this is an opportune time for our induction into this global alliance. By 1 February next year, this membership will strengthen our competitive position considerably, enabling our customers to enjoy a truly global network together with our partners who include some of the best and biggest airlines in the world. This will also enable us also to tap into all the financial benefits that come from being part of a global alliance, through additional passenger feed and cost reduction opportunities. We are indeed very pleased and proud to join what is clearly the world’s top quality airline grouping on 1 February,” he added.

Malaysia Airlines will start offering oneworld’s full range of services and benefits from 1 February 2013 and will be the second carrier in the alliance operating the A380 after Qantas, its oneworld entry sponsor. Its Frequent Flyer members of Enrich will be able to earn miles also by traveling on oneworld carriers and enjoy greater redemption options on both Malaysia Airlines as well as on oneworld member carriers.

The national carrier’s membership will substantially expand the alliance’s network in South East Asia, where it will add 14 destinations and one country – Brunei – to the oneworld map. More significantly, it will strengthen the alliance’s connectivity between many key business cities in Asia and other parts of the world.

Its addition will expand oneworld’s global coverage to some 840 destinations in 156 countries, served by some 9,000 departures a day operated by a combined fleet of some 2,500 aircraft, carrying nearly 340 million passengers a year, with annual revenues of US$ 110 billion.