Finnair has joined the transatlantic joint business founded by fellow oneworld® alliance members American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia. As of tomorrow, July 2, Finnair customers flying to North America can book flights to dozens more North American cities on one single ticket.

Customers of the other three airlines now also have better access to 13 cities in Finland and the rest of Europe, thanks to efficient Nordic and Baltic connections from Finnair’s Helsinki hub.

Earlier today, Finnair announced its intention to join the joint business agreement between oneworld members Japan Airlines and British Airways on traffic between Japan and the European Union. Both moves are examples of Finnair pursuing tighter cooperation within the oneworld alliance to improve network connectivity and better serve the needs of intercontinental customers.

The transatlantic joint business, first undertaken in October 2010 by American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia, enables customers the following benefits when flying between North America and the European Union (plus Switzerland and Norway):

- The ability to mix and match flights on all four carriers for the most convenient scheduling and best pricing

- Smoother connections for onward destinations through coordinated schedules and oneworld Global Support centres in Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid Barajas, Miami and New York JFK

- Ability to book transatlantic codeshare flights for Finnair, American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia and via any of the airlines’ websites

- Greater benefits for Finnair Plus, Executive Club, Iberia Plus and AAdvantage loyalty program customers, including better opportunities to obtain and use miles on your transatlantic flight

- Integrated customer support – online, through call centres and at theairport

- Greater connectivity on all four airlines in case of disruption

As part of the transatlantic joint business, Finnair has added its (AY*) code to selected American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights between North America and Europe. American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia have also added their respective (AA*), (BA*) and (IB*) code to Finnair’s daily flights between New York and Helsinki. All together, the joint business now operates up to 102 daily round trips between North America and Europe, serving 42 gateways on either side of the Atlantic. Customers also have access to a further 163 onward connections in North America and 126 in Europe.

More flying Finns

Because of Finnair’s comprehensive European route network, besides New York and Chicago Finns now have the ability to book efficient, competitively priced one-stop connections to dozens more North American destinations via stopovers in such European cities as London, Madrid and Milan. Finland and the Baltic Rim is now much more accessible for North American travellers as well.

“The transatlantic joint business has been a big win for European consumers flying to America and vice versa, and now Finland will benefit too,” says Finnair CEO Pekka Vauramo. “Finland is now only a one-stop journey away to many more North American cities, which is great news for Finnish firms doing business in the US, Canada or Mexico, and for leisure travellers as well. By the same token I look forward to more North American business and leisure travellers discovering the unique charms of Finnair and Finland as a result of this partnership.”

“This is an historic day as we welcome Finnair - an airline with a long and proud history - into the transatlantic joint business,” says American Airlines’ Chairman and CEO Tom Horton. “American Airlines is excited to see our transatlantic partnership grow and develop and we are confident that the addition of Finnair will only enhance and strengthen this relationship.”

“The addition of the Helsinki hub to our joint business network will bring faster and easier connections for customers on hundreds of city connections between Europe and North America,” says Willie Walsh, CEO of International Airlines Group (IAG). “Finnair is a great airline and we are delighted to now be able to offer their service to British Airways and Iberia customers.”

For further media information please contact:

Andrew Baber

Fleishman-Hillard                      

P: (02) 9025 9286

E: andrew.baber@fleishman.com.au

About British Airways

• British Airways has a worldwide route network that covers more than 150 destinations in 75 countries
• British Airways operates a daily flight from Sydney to London via Singapore’s Changi Airport, the World’s Best Airport as announced at the 2013 World Airport Awards
• British Airways operates 14 return services a week between Hong Kong and London
• British Airways operates 14 return services per week between Singapore and London
• British Airways operates a daily return service between Bangkok and London
• In August 2009, British Airways celebrated its 90th anniversary. The airline has carried more than 1.2 billion customers on its extensive network and is recognised as one of the world’s elite carriers
• British Airways is one of the world's largest international airlines carrying approximately 36 million customers around the world every year
• British Airways has been operating in Australia for 77 years
• Australian flights operate from the multi-million pound refurbished Terminal 5, British Airways’ home at Heathrow that is capable of handling 30 million customers a year
• In September 2012, British Airways was recognised as “Best Airline” by readers of Business Traveller. The airline also took home “Best Business Class” and “Best Frequent Flyer Programme”
• In May 2013, Heathrow T5 was ranked by Skytrax as the World’s Best Airport Terminal for the second year running, based on surveys of 12 million frequent travellers. T5 also won the World’s Best Airport Shopping award