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Philippine Airlines to Become the 16th Member of Oneworld.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has announced that it will join the Oneworld alliance after receiving an invitation from the Oneworld governing board. The alliance is a natural fit for PAL, given its existing partnerships with plenty of member airlines, including American Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qatar Airways.
PAL is the flag carrier of the Philippines, with hubs in Manila and Cebu, with routes to 29 destinations across the Philippines as well as a further 40 destinations in Asia, North America, Australia, and the Middle East. The network will add 31 new destinations to the Oneworld map and a much-needed presence in Southeast Asia.
Though you can already earn and redeem Avios with PAL via the new partnership with Qatar, Oneworld membership opens up opportunities, including more earning and spending opportunities. You’ll be able to earn miles with other Oneworld loyalty programmes, such as The British Airways Club, on PAL flights and redeem miles for PAL flights once the airline is fully integrated.
Your Oneworld status will also be recognised with PAL, so you can improve your travel with extras like priority check-in, lounge access, and extra baggage allowance where applicable, across the entire network. Mabuhay Miles programme members will enjoy reciprocal opportunities.
No joining date has been given, but it takes around 18 months for an airline to integrate into an alliance, and many airlines experience setbacks and delays.
Recent Oneworld additions include Fiji Airways and Oman Air in 2025, followed by Hawaiian Airlines in 2026.
PAL Holdings, Inc. President Lucio C. Tan III said:
“This is a defining and transformative moment for Philippine Airlines. Becoming a member of the Oneworld Alliance and strengthening Southeast Asia’s representation within the group significantly brings the Philippines and the region closer to the world like never before. Together with our partners, we will deliver greater choice, consistent journeys, and a world-class travel experience that reflects the warmth of Filipino hospitality.”
Ole Orvér, chief executive officer, said:
“Philippine Airlines is a globally respected carrier with a strong commitment to innovation and customer service that aligns with Oneworld’s reputation for delivering a premium experience across the travel journey. This decision is an endorsement of Oneworld and its global customer offering. We look forward to welcoming Philippine Airlines into the alliance.”
You can read our review of Philippine Airlines here
Earn an Easy 1,000 Bonus Avios on Your Next Hilton Stay
If you’re likely to stay at a Hilton property before the end of August, here’s one to make the most of! Hilton has brought back its partnership offer with Qatar Airways, where members can earn 1,000 bonus Avios points for stays completed by 31st August.
To qualify, you’ll need to register for the promotion, have a Qatar Privilege Club account, and set Qatar Airways Privilege Club as your preferred airline partner in your Hilton profile before your stay. You can do this via the ‘Travel Preferences page’; make sure you set Qatar as your ‘Preferred’ partner, not just a partner.
Existing bookings count, although reward stays are excluded, and the bonus can only be earned once.
The bonus Avios will be awarded on top of your usual Hilton points. Whether you already have a Hilton stay booked or are planning one during the promotion period, make sure you remember to sign up. It’s essentially 1,000 extra Avios for something that takes a few minutes.
You can also still benefit from this promotion alongside other offers, such as bonus points on stays until mid-August or the separate AMEX statement credit offer of £50 after spending £200 (check your card). You could also combine it with discounted rates available through Hilton’s Summer Sale.
Points can take up to 8 weeks to be credited to your Qatar Privilege Club account. You can then spend them with Qatar or transfer them to BA, and potentially onwards to programmes like Finnair Plus or Aer Lingus AerClub via Combine my Avios.
Register for the promotion here
View more info via Hilton here
Virgin Atlantic 70% Buy Points Bonus
Virgin Atlantic has re-launched its popular 70% bonus when you buy or gift Virgin Points before 7th July 2026.
The bonus structure is as follows:
- Under 5,000 points: no bonus
- 5,000-39,000 points: 20% bonus
- 40,000-79,000 points: 40% bonus
- 80,000-124,000 points: 60% bonus
- 125,000-200,000 points: 70% bonus
You can purchase up to 200,000 Virgin Points per year in increments of 1,000 points. Points are priced at £15 per 1,000, but you’ll also need to factor in the £15 one-off transaction fee. If you’ve yet to buy points and go for the full 200,000 points, you’d receive 340,000 points for £3,015, so you’re looking at a rate of £8.87 per 1,000 points vs the usual rate of £15.08 for the same number of points.
There are many incredible ways to use Virgin Points, from redemption flights where every seat is available to purchase with points to cabin upgrades. There are also opportunities to spend points with partners such as Air France, KLM and Delta. You can also transfer points across to Virgin Red, where they can be used for things like Virgin Experiences and Virgin Hotel stays.
Redemptions can be surprisingly good value with this offer, especially if you purchase cheap Saver Reward Seats. For example, a Saver one-way fare from Heathrow to New York in Upper is 29,000 points + £720. Purchasing the required points would cost around £390, bringing the total redemption cost to £1,110. That’s compared to £2,232 for the same flight booked with cash, a saving of £1,122. That’s with purchasing a relatively small number of points rather than taking advantage of the full 70% bonus, which would reduce the cost even further.
Once purchased, points should show in your account within 24 hours, though the transfer is usually instant.
If you’re planning a trip with Virgin soon, make sure you work out whether purchasing points to redeem would be cheaper than paying cash.
1 comment
One world needs another European airline. Seriously lacking here so we have an alternative. BA and Iberia act like the same airline. No competition.
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