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Here are the routes, planes, services, and other changes that caught my eye for 2026.
oneworld
- Hawaiian Airlines joins on April 22nd
- The alliance needs a new CEO
- A unified tech platform for member airlines is due
- Interest in India1
Alaska
- First-ever international flights from Seattle to London, Rome, and Reykjavík
- Retreat from San Francisco, expansion in Portland and San Diego
- Free Starlink wifi for Atmos members2
American
- Six new routes to Europe, including the only direct flight from the US to Budapest
- 16 new domestic routes including five from Phoenix and three from Chicago
- Two new gates at Chicago after losing five to United
- More A321XLRs and B787-9Ps on transcontinental and international routes
- Retrofitted B777-300ERs
- Free Viasat wifi for AAdvantage members3
- 100th anniversary
British
- New international and European routes, including more flights to Bangkok and Miami, and first-time flights between Glasgow and San Sebastián
- New First class suites on the A380
- More B787-10s
- Free Starlink wifi for everyone
- Fewer hot breakfasts on European flights
- At last, a new app
Cathay
- A return to Seattle for the first time in more than five years
- New Business class on San Francisco flights
- Renovated The Wing, First lounge at Hong Kong
- A first-ever lounge at JFK alongside a move to the new T6
- 80th anniversary
Fiji
- New 3x weekly route between Nadi and the Gold Coast
- A new CEO
Finnair
- New route from Helsinki to Melbourne via Bangkok with fifth freedom rights
- A return to Toronto after 11 years
- Summer flights between Helsinki and Florence, Valencia, Catania, and Kos, and 12 new short-haul routes across Europe
Iberia
- New routes between Madrid and Toronto; New York on the A321XLR
- Expansion in Brazil: new routes between Madrid and Fortaleza and Recife, more flights to Rio, more seats
- Free Starlink wifi for everyone
JAL
- New routes from Tokyo to Delhi and Okinawa to Taipei
Malaysia
- Daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Adelaide and resumed flights to Chengdu
- All flights into Australia on the A330neo
Oman
- New routes from Muscat to Singapore, Copenhagen (via Baghdad), and Taif
- Retiring the B737-800 and 900-ER
Qantas
- New routes between the Gold Coast to Auckland; Sydney to Samoa (via Auckland), and Port Moresby
- New lounges: refurbished Business lounge in Los Angeles,4 new lounge in Hobart, and refurbished regional lounges
- Free wifi on international routes flown by the A330, B787, and A380
- Project Sunrise test flights
Qatar
- More flights between Doha and Shanghai, and Singapore, and an expansion in Saudi Arabia
- Fewer flights between Doha and San Francisco
- A first-ever lounge in the US at JFK alongside a move to the new T1
Royal Air Maroc
- Nine new routes including Casablanca to Los Angeles
Royal Jordanian
- New flights from Amman to Almaty, Belgrade, Dallas, Hamburg, and Munich
- New Business class on the B787-9
SriLankan
- Debt-reducing restructuring after the Sri Lankan government failed to find a buyer
—
- If there is a new member airline from India, it will be IndiGo. The only other major airline, Air India, is a Star Alliance member. IndiGo partnered with four SkyTeam members in June, but it also has ties with American, British, JAL, Qantas, and Qatar. ↩︎
- Alaska and American are following the same playbook for wifi: it’s free because a cellular network is sponsoring it, and you’ll only get it if you’re a member of the airline’s loyalty program. I hope they’ll spare members of each other’s programs or non-US oneworld airlines from having to sign up for an account that will never get used. ↩︎
- Ditto. ↩︎
- The concept photo suggests that the iconic Eames Lounge Chairs aren’t coming along for the ride. ↩︎
