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PAL is joining oneworld — here’s what it means for your miles

Sep 1, 2026 · 3 min readBy KasKasan Buddies

Philippine Airlines is set to join the oneworld Alliance in 2027, expanding the destinations where Mabuhay Miles can be earned and redeemed while adding new travel benefits for Filipino passengers.

  • This is the biggest news in Philippine aviation in years — and if you have a credit card that earns miles, it directly affects you.
  • On June 6, 2026, at the International Air Transport Association's 82nd Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Philippine Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become the 16th member airline of the oneworld Alliance.
  • PAL's entry makes it only the second full member airline based in Southeast Asia — enabling access to a truly global network of nearly 1,000 destinations across more than 170 countries and territories.

Philippine Airlines is set to join the oneworld Alliance in 2027, expanding the destinations where Mabuhay Miles can be earned and redeemed while adding new travel benefits for Filipino passengers.

  • This is the biggest news in Philippine aviation in years — and if you have a credit card that earns miles, it directly affects you.
  • On June 6, 2026, at the International Air Transport Association's 82nd Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Philippine Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become the 16th member airline of the oneworld Alliance.
  • PAL's entry makes it only the second full member airline based in Southeast Asia — enabling access to a truly global network of nearly 1,000 destinations across more than 170 countries and territories.

This is the biggest news in Philippine aviation in years — and if you have a credit card that earns miles, it directly affects you.

On June 6, 2026, at the International Air Transport Association's 82nd Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Philippine Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become the 16th member airline of the oneworld Alliance.

PAL's entry makes it only the second full member airline based in Southeast Asia — enabling access to a truly global network of nearly 1,000 destinations across more than 170 countries and territories. 

Full integration and membership are expected to be completed sometime during 2027. But the moves you make now — starting today — will determine how much you benefit when that door opens.

What oneworld means for Filipino travelers:

oneworld is one of the three major global airline alliances, alongside Star Alliance and SkyTeam. Its current members include some of the most prestigious airlines in the world: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan Airlines, Fiji Airways, Royal Air Maroc, and Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines. 

What this means for PAL passengers and Mabuhay Miles holders once full membership is complete:

Earn Mabuhay Miles on partner airlines. Every flight you take on British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and all other oneworld members will earn Mabuhay Miles — not just PAL flights. Your miles accumulate across an entire global network.

Redeem Mabuhay Miles on partner airlines. Those miles you have been saving? You will be able to use them on oneworld partner airlines — opening award redemptions to London, Tokyo, Sydney, New York, Doha, and hundreds more destinations you cannot fly to on PAL today.

Elite status recognition across the alliance. oneworld elite perks will apply on PAL — including priority check-in, lounge access, and preferred seat assignments — and PAL elite status will be recognized across all oneworld member airlines.

PAL also brings 31 new destinations to the oneworld network — including domestic Philippine routes that no other oneworld member currently serves. Filipino passengers connecting internationally will have more seamless itinerary options than ever before.

The new route that matters most:

PAL President Richard Nuttall confirmed the planned launch of a new nonstop Manila to Chicago (ORD) service, expected to start on November 9, 2026 — with two additional new destinations in the pipeline pending permits. The Chicago route alone opens a major new US gateway for PAL, complementing existing flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

How to start earning miles now — before 2027:

The window between now and full oneworld membership is your accumulation window. Every Mabuhay Mile you earn today will be worth more the moment PAL completes its integration — because the network you can redeem on expands dramatically overnight.

The practical earning strategy for KKBuddies:

Use a miles-earning card for your highest spend categories — groceries, fuel, dining, and online shopping — so that every inflation-driven peso you spend is also building your travel fund. At typical earn rates of 1 mile per ₱30 to ₱50 spent, a household spending ₱30,000 per month on a miles card accumulates 600 to 1,000 Mabuhay Miles monthly — or 7,200 to 12,000 miles per year — passively, without booking a single flight.

A Manila-Tokyo economy redemption on PAL requires approximately 20,000 to 30,000 Mabuhay Miles. With consistent card use and the expanded oneworld earn network coming in 2027, that target becomes achievable faster than most Filipinos realize.

PAL Holdings President Lucio C. Tan III called the development "a defining and transformative moment for Philippine Airlines," adding that it "brings the Philippines and the region closer to the world like never before."