This South Pacific Carrier Will Become Oneworld’s Latest Member Airline

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On June 3, the Oneworld global airline alliance announced that Fiji Airways will join as its 15th full member airline. The transition—scheduled for June 2025—is expected to go smoothly, as Fiji's flag carrier has been a Oneworld connect partner for five years, which is just below full membership status.

This announcement follows Oneworld’s 25th anniversary and the recent opening of exclusive lounges at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) and Seoul-Incheon International Airport (ICN). It also coincides with a surplus of award flight availability to and from Fiji, which can be easily booked through select partner programs.

Here’s everything you need to know about Fiji Airways’ forthcoming full Oneworld membership—along with tips on how to secure free tickets to Fiji and the South Pacific right now.

Fiji Airways 101

Based at Nadi International Airport on the main Fijian island of Viti Levu, Fiji Airways operates flights to 26 destinations across 15 countries and territories. Its fleet comprises 21 aircraft, including Airbus A350s, Airbus A330s, and Boeing 737s. Notably for North American travelers, Fiji Airways provides daily direct flights between Los Angeles and Nadi, five weekly flights to and from San Francisco, three weekly flights to Vancouver, and weekly service to Honolulu. From Nadi, passengers can also connect to other popular destinations in Oceania, such as Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia.

Fiji Airways and Oneworld

As a current Oneworld connect partner, Fiji Airways is set to become the 15th full member of the Oneworld global alliance by June 2025. It will join existing members including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan Airlines, and upcoming member Oman Air. Once the membership is finalized, Fiji Link, a subsidiary of Fiji Airways, will also become an affiliate airline of Oneworld, enhancing the alliance's domestic presence in Fiji and expanding regional connectivity to more Pacific Island nations like Tonga and Vanuatu.

As a Oneworld connect partner, Fiji Airways has been able to offer select alliance benefits to frequent fliers of partner programs for the past five years, with specifics varying by partner. However, once it becomes a full Oneworld member airline, Fiji Airways will provide the complete range of Oneworld benefits to customers of all its partner airlines, including the ability to fully earn and redeem miles with Fiji Airways and accumulate miles toward elite status. Additionally, travelers with Oneworld Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby status will enjoy priority check-in, boarding, and lounge access when flying with Fiji Airways.

How to book free flights to Fiji now using miles

While the details of full membership will be finalized in the next 12 months, award flights on Fiji Airways can currently be booked through the frequent flyer programs of various Oneworld airlines, such as Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and British Airways. Generally, the best strategy for securing award seats on Fiji Airways is to book as far in advance as possible—ideally nearly a year ahead. This approach increases your chances of obtaining coveted business-class tickets using points.

Even for economy seats, it’s essential to plan ahead by several months. At the time of writing, there is a remarkable availability of economy seats for most days on the direct flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Nadi (NAN) between September 2024 and early May 2025. Conversely, the only business-class seats we found required searching all the way to May 2025. Here’s a look at the mileage cost for a one-way flight between LAX and NAN with select Oneworld partners currently available.

One highlight from this information is booking a Fiji Airways flight using British Airways Avios. To begin, economy flights on Fiji Airways are priced cheapest with British Airways Avios, coming in at 22.5 percent lower than American AAdvantage. Furthermore, Avios are considered the most flexible frequent flyer currency available and are arguably the easiest to acquire. The current sign-up bonus on the British Airways Visa Signature® Card is 85,000 Avios after making $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Avios serves as the frequent flyer currency for airlines like Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, and Finnair, allowing you to transfer Avios between British Airways and these programs at a 1:1 ratio with ease. This means you can also obtain the Iberia Visa Signature® Card in addition to the BA Visa, earn another 85,000 Avios after spending $5,000 within the first three months, and then transfer your Iberia Avios to British Airways.

Additionally, points from loyalty programs such as American Express, Chase, and Capital One can be converted into British Airways Avios. The standard conversion rate is typically 1:1, but there have been lucrative bonuses in the past, including a 30 percent boost from Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways Avios in September 2023 and a similar 30 percent bonus from American Express Membership Rewards in July and August 2023.

While British Airways' mileage rates for business class are generally higher compared to other airlines, its award calendar extends three weeks further. For instance, you can book award seats on Alaska and American up to 331 days in advance, while British Airways allows bookings up to 354 days ahead. Since Fiji Airways frequently releases business-class seats 354 days prior, they are often sold out by the time they appear on American and Alaska's booking systems. Therefore, consider obtaining a British Airways Visa Signature Card or a low-fee card that transfers points to Avios (like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card with a $95 annual fee) to secure your spot in business class with the newest member of the Oneworld alliance.

While the offers mentioned above were accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any moment and may no longer be available.