It has been an interesting week for members of the Oneworld Alliance. Last Saturday, British Airways celebrated its return to Abu Dhabi, expanding their Middle Eastern network; and opening the door to an Oneworld Sapphire run that had been shut for 4 years. On Thursday, Alaska Airlines announced a bunch of new routes from their California hubs in Los Angeles and San Diego. One day later, British Airways topped it off by joining American Airlines in Chicago O’Hare’s Terminal 3 – and adding a third daily service from London to the Windy City.
British Airways Joins American in Chicago, Adds Third Daily Flight
British Airways will make it much easier to connect for passengers travelling from the United States to London via Chicago. The airline is going to relocate its departures from Chicago O’Hare’s Terminal 5 to Terminal 3, where American Airlines hosts its domestic and international operations. This eases transition times for the chronically delayed national inbounds from all over the US and Canada. Sadly, this won’t work in the opposite direction, as British Airways arrivals will still take place at Terminal 5, which handles most international airlines’ inbounds.
In addition to that, there will be even more chances to connect, as British Airways adds a third daily nonstop service between O’Hare and Heathrow. Not only does this open up more chances to take another flight before or after the transatlantic passage, it also gives travellers on delayed feeders another back-up option. The airline has yet to announce the equipment for the additional daily rotation. BA currently uses varying members of their Boeing 777 fleet on one, and varying Boeing 787 family planes on their existing flights.
Combined with American Airlines’ 4 daily services between Chicago and London (all Boeing 787-9), there are now seven daily Oneworld services between the two cities. Competitor United Airlines of the Star Alliance uses a Boeing 767-300ER on the same route thrice a day.
Alaska Airlines Adds Three Routes, Increases Frequencies from Southern California
The astonishing ascend of Alaska Airlines continues. After taking over Virgin America and joining Oneworld Alliance in the past decade, the carrier has become an absolute powerhouse on the US West Coast. In October 2024, the airline expands its route network out of Los Angeles LAX and San Diego SAN airport, with 7 daily flights to 3 destinations.
Departing from Los Angeles, an Inuit baring plane will find its way to Reno, Nevada two times a day. The biggest little in the world is located close to the Californian border and is famous as a smaller and worn down alternative to Las Vegas. It’s also a convenient gateway to both Lake Tahoe and Nevada’s capital, Carson City. In addition to that, Alaska also adds a daily rotation to the Tri-Cities airport near Pasco, Washington – enforcing their regional presence. Along that, there will be some frequency increases out of LAX, with the airline bumping up nonstops to Seattle (13 daily flights), Portland (8) and Las Vegas (6), among others.
The third new route is a four times daily service between San Diego and Las Vegas, connecting two tourist hotspots. The airline has yet to announce equipment for these flights – but it will most likely be their vast array of Boeing 737NG planes or their Boeing 737MAX fleet, which is infamously holey.