Philippine Airlines to join Oneworld in late 2027

Philippine Airlines (PAL) will become a member of the Oneworld alliance towards the end of 2027, bringing new benefits to the 15 other Oneworld airlines and their frequent flyers.

Oneworld loyalists will be able to book Philippine Airlines flights not only across the Philippine archipelago but to over 40 international destinations.

Those flights will also be threaded into Oneworld’s family of Round The World tickets, from the popular Oneworld Explorer to the lesser-known Circle Pacific.

The Manila-based carrier represents “the perfect fit for us to get a hub in a part of the world where we weren’t that strong in the past,” says Oneworld CEO Ole Orvér.

Oneworld’s Asia-Pacific roster now includes Fiji Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, alongside foundation members Cathay Pacific and Qantas.

“Where Southeast Asia used to be sort of a weakness of ours, it’s becoming more of a strength, so we’re super-happy about that,” Orvér tells Executive Traveller.

Philippine Airlines' new A350 business class.

Also read: Oneworld CEO hopes “this year” for alliance-wide upgrades

New partnerships and possibilities

Philippine Airlines already has partnerships with Qantas, Qatar Airways and Alaska Airlines, although these are limited in scope.

Its full entry into the alliance will trigger points earning and redemption capabilities across all member airlines, along with status recognition and perks for frequent flyers.

Philippine Airlines already enjoys a limited points-based partnership with Qantas.

As to when Philippine Airlines will join the Oneworld family, “I think the second half of next year is realistic,” says Christoph Gaertner, PAL’s Vice President of Revenue Management and Alliances, adding that it will “probably take 12 to 15 months” starting from June 2026.

“The process is quite deep and a lot to work through,” Gaertner tells Executive Traveller on the sidelines of a media event in Honolulu marking Hawaiian Airlines’ entry into Oneworld. 

PAL is now steadily working though “a delivery requirement document which has 220 or so pages.”

“It covers all the different areas starting with marketing, loyalty, revenue management, safety and communications,” even down to “how cabin announcements have to change once we join Oneworld.”

A new Mabuhay Miles tier?

Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay Miles loyalty program will be aligned to the Oneworld tier structure, so that a traveller’s status with any Oneworld airline delivers familiar perks on PAL.

Mabuhay Miles Elite will be equivalent to Oneworld Ruby, such as Qantas Silver, while Mabuhay Miles Premier Elite will line up against Oneworld Sapphire, such as Qantas Gold.

Philippine Airlines is now considering a top-level Mabuhay Miles tier to align with Oneworld Emerald.

“That’s something that we are looking into and discussing internally, on how we can align Mabuhay Miles with Oneworld,” Gaertner says. “It’s not a question of if we do it, but how we do it… that’s just part of the requirements to join the alliance.”

It’s not yet known if Mabuhay Miles’ Million Miler level, which is a lifetime tier earned after notching up one million miles flying on PAL, will map to Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald.

Also read: Oneworld CEO on IndiGo, Starlux membership

David Flynn travelled to Honolulu as a guest of Hawaiian Airlines and Oneworld.