903 oneworld Alliance

We speak with a oneworld Alliance VP about airline alliances in general, and oneworld in particular. In the news: a mid-air near miss at Atlanta, NTSB and families call on Congress to act on the DCA accident recommendations, a civilian plane crash and military GPS jamming, adaptive-cycle jet engines and sixth-generation combat aircraft, and the unleaded avgas transition plan.

Guest

Roger Blackburn, Vice President – Commercial and Loyalty, oneworld Alliance.

Roger Blackburn serves as the Vice President – Commercial and Loyalty for the oneworld Alliance. He leads the commercial team and oversees corporate revenue, events, and alliance fare products, as well as the development of oneworld’s loyalty proposition. A member of oneworld’s leadership team for the past six years, Roger has led several key alliance initiatives, including the creation of oneworld’s first two branded lounges.

In our conversation with Roger, we learn about the value that airline alliances provide to the member airlines, and what value accrues to the flying public. We look at criteria for membership in an alliance, network fit, commercial value, and alliance governance, as well as loyalty programs and lounges.

For reference, here are the three major global airline alliances:

Star Alliance, founded in 1997 by Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS, Thai Airways, and United.

oneworld, founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.

SkyTeam, founded in 2000 by Delta, Air France, Aeroméxico, and Korean Air.

Aviation News

Two Delta Air Lines Jets in Mid-Air Near Miss at Atlanta Hartsfield as Air Traffic Control Direct Departing Aircraft into Path of Other Plane

This was a mid-air near-miss at ATL with two Delta Air Lines flights: Flight DL-1568 from Pittsburgh to Atlanta operated by a Boeing 737-900, and Flight DL-2472 from Atlanta to Rochester, New York, an Airbus A321.