Egyptair will launch twice weekly services on the Cairo - Zanzibar route commencing 4th September 2026. The 2,565 mile Boeing 737-800 route will operate to the following schedule: MS819 Cairo 2335 - Zanzibar 0620+1 Fridays/Sundays MS820 Zanzibar 0720 - Cairo 1230 Saturdays/Mondays Flights will offer Business and Economy Class Cabins and can be flown as part of all Star Alliance Round The World tickets.
Round The World News Blog
Philippine Airlines To Join Oneworld
Oneworld and Philippine Airlines (PR) have announced that the airline has begun the process of becoming a full Oneworld member. Expected to be fully integrated in late 2027, Philippine Airlines flights will become eligible on Oneworld Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer Round The World tickets. With a main hub in Manila and secondary hub in Cebu, 41 International routes and 32 Domestic destinations will be added to the Oneworld network.
Air New Zealand Adds Christchurch – Perth Service
Air New Zealand will commence 3 x weekly service on the Christchurch - Perth route from 30th November 2026 to the following schedule: NZ239 Christchurch 1745 - Perth 1945 Mon/Wed/Fri NZ240 Perth 2115 - Christchurch 0815+1 Mon/Wed/Fri Operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft offering Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins, the service will be valid as part of all Star Alliance Round The World tickets.
Air New Zealand Adds Christchurch – Tokyo Service
Air New Zealand will commence 3 x weekly service on the Christchurch - Tokyo Narita route on 28th November 2026. The Boeing 787-9 service will offer Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and can be used as part of all Star Alliance Round The World tickets. Schedules are as follows: NZ51 Christchurch 1235 - Tokyo Narita 2020 Tue/Thu/Sat NZ50 Tokyo Narita 2140 - Christchurch 1250+1 Tue/Thu/Sat.
Swiss Adds Zurich – Bangalore Service
Swiss will commence 5 x weekly service on the Zurich - Bangalore route on 27th October 2026. The Airbus A330-300 service will offer First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and can be used as part of all Star Alliance Round The World Tickets. Schedules are as follows: LX140 Zurich 1320 - Bangalore 0255+1 Except Mon/Wed LX141 Bangalore 0450 - Zurich 1050 Except Tue/Thu
Malaysia Airlines Adds China Services
Malaysia Airlines has announced two new Boeing 737-MAX8 services to China. From 1st July 2026:MH522 Kuala Lumpur 2105 - Shenzhen 0115+1MH523 Shenzhen 0245 - Kuala Lumpur 0645 From 8th July 2026:MH520 Kuala Lumpur 2000 - Changsa 0105+1MH521 Changsa 0205 - Kuala Lumpur 0650 Services on both routes operate daily and will offer Business and Economy Class cabins. Flights can be booked as part of all Oneworld Round The World tickets.
ITA Airways Joins Star Alliance
As of today ITA Airways (AZ) is an official Star Alliance member and ITA Airways flights can be booked as part of all Star Alliance Round The World tickets. The airline operates a major hub at Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and a smaller hub at Milan Linate (LIN). Operating a fleet of 106 aircraft the airline serves 58 airports in 29 countries offering Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins.
BA Announce New London – Melbourne Service
British Airways will commence daily operation on the London Heathrow - Kuala Lumpur - Melbourne route in January 2027. The Boeing 787-9 service will offer First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and can be booked as part of all Oneworld Round The World tickets. Passengers can book the London - Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Lumpur - Melbourne sectors individually or London - Melbourne throughout. If booking London - Melbourne this will use one flight sector despite the stopover in Kuala Lumpur.
Air Canada Goes Year Round On Manchester – Toronto
Air Canada has announced year round service on the Manchester - Toronto route with a 4x weekly Airbus A321XLR winter service offering Business and Economy Class cabins. Flights will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from the UK, returning on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The expansion of the previous Summer only route will offer an excellent year round option for Star Alliance Round The World travellers.
Thai Airways Adds Bangkok – Amsterdam Service
Thai Airways has opened reservations for daily service on the Bangkok - Amsterdam route commencing on 1st July 2026. The 5,712 mile Airbus A350-900 service will offer Business Class and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: TG936 Bangkok 0535 - Amsterdam 1240 TG937 Amsterdam 1415 - Bangkok 0635+1 The service can be used as part of all Star Alliance Round The World tickets.
Singapore Airlines Adds Riyadh Service
Singapore Airlines will return to the Singapore - Riyadh route commencing on 2nd June 2026 with a 3x weekly service operated with Airbus A350-900 aircraft. Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins will be offered on the 4,148 mile service which can be used as part of all Star Alliance Round The World tickets.
TAP Air Portugal Announce Athens Service
TAP Air Portugal have announced service resumption on the Lisbon - Athens route to commence on 1st July 2026. The back of the clock service will operate year round with a combination of A320neo and Embraer 190 aircraft offering Business and Economy Class cabins. The new route complements Star Alliance partner Aegean Airlines services for much of the year and can be used as part of all Star Alliance Round The World Tickets.
Air Canada Adds Seasonal Sapporo Service
Air Canada has announced 3 x weekly Boeing 787-8 service on the Vancouver - Sapporo New Chitose route to commence on 17th December 2026. The service will offer Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and can be used on all Star Alliance Round The World tickets. This will be the only scheduled service between North America and Hokkaido.
Westjet Announce Calgary – Sao Paulo Service
Westjet has announced a 3 x weekly Calgary - Sao Paulo Guarulhos Boeing 787-9 service to commence on 8th November 2026. This service is a gamechanger for the Oneworld Global Explorer Round The World ticket as it will allow routings including North and South America without touching the USA.
LOT Polish Airlines Adds San Francisco Service
LOT Polish Airlines have announced 4 x weekly service on the Warsaw - San Francisco route to commence on 6th May 2026. Thus far flights have only be announced until 22 October 2026. The route will be operated with Boeing 787-8 aircraft on Wed/Thu/Sat/Sun and will offer Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins. Flights are valid on all Star Alliance Round The World tickets.
Qatar Airways Adds Ha’il Service
Qatar Airways will commence 3 x weekly service on the Doha - Ha'il route commencing on 5th January 2026. Schedules are: QR1228 DOH 1430 - HAS 1630 Mon/Thu/Sat QR1229 HAS 1730 - DOH 1925 Mon/Thu/Sat Flights will be operated by A320 aircraft offering Business and Economy Classes and will be valid on Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer Round The World Tickets.
Turkish Airlines Adds Timisoara
Turkish Airlines will commence 5 x weekly service on the Istanbul - Timisoara route commencing on 1st April 2026. The Boeing 737-800 service will offer Business and Economy Class cabins and will operate 5 x weekly to the following schedule: TK1013 Istanbul 0740 - Timisoara 0925 Tue/SatTK1015 Istanbul 1910 - Timisoara 2055 Wed/Fri/Sun TK1014 Timisoara 1015 – Istanbul 1210 Tue/SatTK1016 Timisoara 2145 – Istanbul 2335 Wed/Fri/Sun Timisoara is served by Lufthansa Cityline from Munich and Istanbul offers worldwide connections. The new route can be booked as part of all Star Alliance Round The World tickets.
Royal Jordanian Seasonal Hamburg Route
Royal Jordanian Airlines operate seasonal service on the Amman - Hamburg route from 28th March - 3rd October 2026. The 2 x weekly A320neo service will offer Business and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: RJ147 Amman 1050 - Hamburg 1450 Wed/SatRJ148 Hamburg 1550 - Amman 2150 Wed/Sat The route can be used as part of Oneworld Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer Round The World tickets.
Royal Jordanian Adds Munich
Royal Jordanian Airlines will re-commence service on the Amman - Munich route from 27th March 2026. The 3 x weekly A320/A320neo service will offer Business and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: RJ123 Amman 1105 - Munich 1420 Wed/Fri/SunRJ124 Munich 1535 - Amman 2045 Wed/Fri/Sun The route can be used as part of Oneworld Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer Round The World tickets.
United Adds Newark – Seoul Service
United Airlines will introduce service on the Newark - Seoul Incheon route commencing on 04 SEP 26. The daily, 8,254 mile Boeing 787-9 service will offer Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: UA285 Newark 1035 - Seoul Incheon 1520+1UA286 Seoul Incheon 1715 - Newark 1800 The route can be used as part of all Star Alliance Round The World tickets.
United Adds Washington – Keflavik Service
United Airlines will operate seasonal service on the Washington Dulles - Keflavik route commencing on 21 May 2026. The Boeing 757-200 service will operate daily offering Business Class and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: UA398 Washington Dulles 2255 - Keflavik 0850+1UA399 Keflavik 1130 – Washington Dulles 1355 The route can be used as part of all Star Alliance Round The World ticket.
United Adds Newark – Split Service
United Airlines will operate 3 x weekly seasonal service on the Newark - Split route commencing on 30 April 2026. The Boeing 767-300ER service will offer Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: UA305 Newark 1700 - Split 0745+1 Tue/Thur/Sat UA306 Split 1000 - Newark 1405 Wed/Fri/Sun The route can be used as part of all Star Alliance Round The World ticket. Split is also a hub for Star Alliance Croatia Airlines.
United Airlines Adds Newark – Santiago de Compostela
United Airlines will operate a seasonal Newark - Santiago de Compostela service commencing 27 May 2026. The Boeing 737-8MAX service will operate 3 x weekly offering Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: UA222 Newark 1915 - Santiago de Compostela 0815+1 Wed/Fri/Sun UA221 Santiago de Compostela 1000 - Newark 1150 Thu/Sat/Mon The service can be used on Star Alliance Economy Class and Premium Economy Class Round The World Tickets.
United Adds Newark – Bari Service
United Airlines will operate 4 x weekly seasonal service on the Newark - Bari route commencing on 01 May 2026. The Boeing 767-300ER service will offer Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: UA380 Newark 1645 - Bari 0745+1 Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun UA381 Bari 0945 - Newark 1400 Mon/Tue/Thur/Sat The route can be used as part of all Star Alliance Round The World tickets.
United Adds Newark – Glasgow Service
United Airlines will operate a seasonal Newark - Glasgow service commencing 8 May 2026. The Boeing 737-8MAX service will operate daily and will offer Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: UA230 Newark 2215 - Glasgow 1010+1 UA231 Glasgow 1400 - Newark 1635 The service can be used on Star Alliance Economy Class and Premium Economy Class Round The World Tickets.
Aegean Airlines Add Two Services
Aegean Airlines will commence service on the Thessaloniki - Istanbul and Thessaloniki - Prague routes commencing on 24 November 2025. Thessaloniki - Istanbul will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Thessaloniki - Prague will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Both services will operate with A320 aircraft offering Business and Economy Class cabins and will be valid on all Star Alliance Round The World tickets.
American Airlines Resumes Phoenix – Anchorage
American Airlines will resume seasonal service on the Phoenix - Anchorage route after a 4 year gap. Services will operate from 21 May 26 - 08 Sep 26 to the following schedule: AA1298 Phoenix 2035 - Anchorage 0129+1 AA1350 Anchorage 2355 - Phoenix 0624+1 Operated by A321neo aircraft offering Business and Economy Class cabins and will be valid as part of Oneworld Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer Round The World Tickets.
Japan Airlines Resume Tokyo Narita – Delhi Service
Japan Airlines will recommence service on the Tokyo Narita - Delhi route commencing on 17th January 2026. The daily Boeing 787-8 service will offer Business and Economy Class cabins and will operate to the following schedule: Tokyo Narita 2015 - Delhi 0300+1 Delhi 0435 - Tokyo Narita 1510 The service can be used on both Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer tickets and complements Japan Airlines' existing service from Tokyo Haneda to Delhi. Picture by Guohua Song
British Airways Announce St Louis
British Airways has announced a new 4 x weekly London Heathrow - St Louis service to commence on 19th April 2026. Operated by Boeing 787-8 aircraft, the new service will offer Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins and will be valid on all Oneworld Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer tickets. Schedules are as follows: BA221 London Heathrow 1625 – 1930 St Louis 2357BA220 St Louis 2200 – 1205+1 London Heathrow 2357
EVA Air Brings Premium Economy To Vienna
Star Alliance member EVA Air has announced the introduction of it's Premium Economy Cabin on the Taipei Taoyuan - Vienna route from 2nd November 2025. The 3 x weekly non-stop service operates to the following schedule: BR65 TPE 2335 - VIE 0645+1 357 BR66 VIE 1205 - TPE 0640+1 146 This opens up an excellent new opportunity for ERWSTAR1/2/3 tickets. The 4 x weekly service via Bangkok will continue to be operated without Premium Economy.
Cathay Pacific Returns to Hong Kong Seattle Route
Cathay Pacific have announced a resumption of service on the Hong Kong - Seattle route, with a 5 x weekly Airbus A350-900 service to commence on 30th March 2026. Offering Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class seating, the new service will operate to the following schedule: CX852 HKG 1330 - SEA 1010 X5/7 CX853 SEA 1215 - HKG 1645+1 X5/7 The new service can be booked as part of both Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer Round The World tickets and joins Boston, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, New York JFK, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver on Cathay Pacific's North American network.
Malaysia Airlines Adds Chengdu Service
Malaysia Airlines will commence service on the Kuala Lumpur - Chengdu Tianfu route from 9th January 2026. The new route, with a Ticketed Point Mileage of 1,924, will be operated by Boeing 737-MAX8 aircraft offering Business and Economy Class and will operate daily to the following schedule: MH526 Kuala Lumpur 1925 – 0015+1 Chengdu TianfuMH527 Chengdu Tianfu 0115 – 0620 Kuala Lumpur The route can be flown using Oneworld Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer tickets.Photo by Snow Chang
American Airlines Add Miami – Bimini Service
American Airlines will commence service on the Miami - Bimini route commencing on 14th February 2026. With a Ticketed Point Mileage of just 63 miles, the route will be served 3 x weekly by an Envoy Air Embraer 175 offering a Business and Economy Class. This will be the first time that Bimini, described as a place where Ernest Hemingway's favourite seaside island meets the Lost City of Atlantis, has been able to be reached using Oneworld Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer tickets.
Singapore Airlines Brings First Class To Auckland
From 1st May 2026 Singapore Airlines will switch aircraft on its daily Singapore - Auckland services from Airbus A350-900 to Boeing 777-300ER. The significance for Star Alliance Round The World Travellers is that the 4 Class Boeing 777-300ER will be used offering a First Class Cabin and available to book as part of FRWSTAR* itineraries. There are only four First Class seats per aircraft so availability will be limited.
Qantas Adds Indian Ocean Islands Services
Qantas will commence service from Perth to Christmas Islands and Cocos Islands from 3rd November 2025. This will be the first time that the islands have been available as destinations on a Round The World ticket. Flights will be operate by Airbus A320 aircraft in an all Economy Class configuration and will operate Perth - Cocos Islands - Christmas Island - Perth on Mondays and Perth - Christmas Island - Cocos Islands - Perth on Fridays.
Air China Adds Seasonal Hangzhou – Hanoi Service
Air China will operate a seasonal 4 x weekly Hangzhou - Hanoi service commencing 25th October 25 and running until 27th March 2026. The 1095 mile route will be operated with Airbus A320 aircraft offering Business and Economy Class and can be booked as part of any Star Alliance Round The World ticket.
Lufthansa Resumes Munich – Riyadh Service
Lufthansa today announced a resumption of service on the Munich - Riyadh route with a 3 x weekly Airbus A350-900 service commencing on 26th October 2025. Offering Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class service and will be a boon to Star Alliance Round The World flyers and rollercoaster enthusiasts as the world's largest rollercoaster at Six Flags Qiddiya is scheduled to open before the end of the year.
Alaska Airlines Adds Seven New Services
Oneworld member Alaska Airlines today announced seven new West Coast Embraer 175 routes which will offer Business and Economy Class service which can be used as part of Global Explorer and Oneworld Explorer fares. Burbank - Eugene, Burbank - Pasco, Burbank - Redmond and Palm Springs - Santa Rosa services commence on 26th October 2025. San Diego - Sun Valley commences on 18th December 2025. Boise - Ontario and Spokane - Sun Valley commence on 7th January 2026.
Avianca Adds New Bogota – Belem Service
Star Alliance carrier Avianca today announced a 3 x weekly Bogota - Belem A320 service to commence on 27th October 2025. The service will offer Business and Economy Class cabins. For Star Alliance Round The World flyers Belem is connected with Lisbon and Bogota offers connections across the entire Avianca network plus Copa Airlines to Panama City and United Airlines to Houston and Newark.
South African Airways Adds Cape Town – Mauritius Service
South African Airways today announced a new Cape Town - Mauritius A320 service to operate from 9th December 2025. The new route will operate 2 or 3 x weekly depending on the season and will offer Business and Economy Class service. Star Alliance now links Mauritius with Cape Town, Istanbul, Johannesburg and Mumbai. The Mauritius - Mumbai route offers Star Alliance Round The World flyers a link between Areas 2 and 3.
Ethiopian Airlines Open Five New Routes In July
Ethiopian Airlines added five new destinations from Addis Ababa in July opening up new route opportunities for Star Alliance Round The World flyers. The new services link Addis Ababa with Abu Dhabi, Hanoi, Hyderabad, Porto and Sharjah and will operate with a mixture of Boeing 737-8 and Boeing 787 aircraft offering Business and Economy Class cabins. The Hanoi and Hyderabad routes open new bridges between Area 2 and Area 3 for Star Alliance Round The World flyers.
New Qantas Perth – Johannesburg Service Opens Shorter Global Explorer Routings
Qantas will commence service on the Perth - Johannesburg route on 7th December 2025 with a 3 x weekly A330-200 service offering 28 Business Class and 243 Economy Class seats. This will be particularly useful for travellers using Global Explorer fares as South Africa could previously only be reached from Sydney, leading to huge backtracks if passengers wanted to visit Western Australia or the Northern Territory in Australia.
New Qantas Perth – Auckland Service A Boon To Oneworld Explorer Flyers
Qantas will bolster their Western Hub in Perth with a 3 x weekly Airbus A330-200 service to Auckland commencing on December 8th 2025 and offering 28 Business Class and 243 Economy Class Seats. This is an especially useful link for Oneworld Explorer flyers since no restrictions have been placed on the use of this 3,317 mile service and it can be flown in both directions. Mileage hawks will be all over this, as for instance KUL-AKL-PER-AKL-NAN-SYD-DFW is now a valid routing.
New Air China Service Opens Up Uzbekistan For Star Alliance RTW Flyers
Air China's new three times weekly Urumqi - Tashkent Boeing 737-800 service has opened up Uzbekistan for Star Alliance Round The World tickets. Depart Istanbul (Area 2) for Tashkent (Area 3) with Turkish Airlines. Continue with Air China from Tashkent to Urumqi for onward Air China connections to Chengdu or Xining. This also works in reverse order.
Qantas Add Perth – Hobart and Newcastle Flights
QANTAS today announced new 3 x weekly Newcastle (NTL) and Hobart (HBA) - Perth services to be operated by all-Economy Class QANTASLink A319 aircraft. These flights, commencing in September 2025, are primarily aimed at the FIFO mining sector in Western Australia, however the Perth - Hobart service is a brilliant addition for Oneworld Explorer LONEX flyers. Only one trans-Continental flight from SYD/MEL/BNE/CBR - PER (or vice versa) is permitted on these tickets. However fare rules have not been updated to include Hobart - Perth so suddenly MEL-PER-HBA-SYD becomes possible, or if you really want to rack up the miles then SYD/MEL/BNE/CBR-PER-HBA-PER-SYD/MEL/BNE/CBR becomes possible. PER-HBA services will not operate during May, June and August.Flights will be operated using Single Class Airbus A319 aircraft.
LOT Polish Airways Adds Warsaw – Malta Route
LOT Polish Airlines has commenced a 4 x weekly Warsaw Chopin - Malta service. Operated by a mix of Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-MAX8 aircraft the route offers Business Class and Economy Class and offers a new connection to Malta for Star Alliance Round The World Tickets. Star Alliance already connects Malta directly with Athens, Frankfurt, Istanbul Munich and Zurich.