oneworld Members, Priority Tiers and Lounge Access

What oneworld is and how you get access

oneworld is an alliance of airlines and runs no frequent flyer program of its own. A status therefore comes only through the program of a member airline.

Once you reach a higher status there, oneworld assigns a Priority tier automatically. The alliance knows the tiers Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby. For the competition, see the pages of Star Alliance and SkyTeam.

oneworld members at a glance

The table shows the airlines that oneworld lists as members, with what the alliance says about each. A date appears only where the source gives one.

Two more airlines are not active members.

• Philippine Airlines appears on the alliance page as a future member, with the invitation to join issued in June 2026.
• The membership of S7 Airlines has been suspended since April 19, 2022, until further notice.

oneworld Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby

What a tier brings depends on how the alliance describes it.

• Emerald brings access to first and business class lounges, first class priority check-in and fast track at select airports.
• Sapphire brings access to business class lounges, business class priority check-in and priority boarding. Preferred seating and priority on waitlists and standby come on top, and there the operating airline’s rule applies.
• Ruby offers business class priority check-in, preferred or pre-reserved seating and priority on waitlists and standby, each under the rules of the operating airline.

The alliance itself sums up the two upper tiers this way: lounge access and extra baggage allowance, with fast track added for Emerald.

Lounge access with oneworld

Through status, Emerald and Sapphire get lounge access with oneworld.

• Emerald customers may use first and business class lounges on all eligible flights, and Sapphire customers business class lounges.
• The alliance speaks of nearly 700 airport lounges that the Priority tiers open up.

Whether a particular lounge at your departure airport is included is best clarified before the trip.

Extra baggage allowance

• Under the weight system, Emerald gets 20 kg on top of the ticket’s allowance. Where the piece system applies, one more bag comes at no charge.
• Under the weight system, Sapphire gets 15 kg on top of the ticketed economy allowance.

British Airways has two exceptions. On Hand Baggage Only and Basic fares, the extra baggage rights do not apply, and priority baggage handling is not offered on its flights at present.