FINNAIR is set to become a fully fledged member of Oneworld in September.
The airline already has a wide-ranging agreement with Oneworld founder British Airways, but has limited deals with other members.
Cathay Pacific, Canadian Airlines, Qantas, American Airlines and Iberia are currently exploring how to integrate their services into Finnair’s network.
These include codesharing from the UK, airport co-operation at Heathrow and reciprocal frequent flyer agreements.
Finnair’s UK marketing development manager Dorita Dahl-Foreman said the airline considered Oneworld as vital for giving it access to new markets.
However, she added: “Oneworld will be a sub-brand as we want to remain independent.”
Dahl-Foreman refused to confirm the September start date.
By using Finnair, BA and other Oneworld partners will become more competitive with rival SAS and its Star Alliance partners to Scandinavia and eastern European destinations.
The BA deal sees Finnair codesharing with the UK carrier from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester to Helsinki. The agreement has been improved this summer in the run-up to Finnair becoming a full Oneworld member.
Earlier this month, Finnair added an extra Manchester-Stockholm-Helsinki flight to give a double-daily operation.
The airline also returned to Gatwick, after a year’s absence, to offer double-daily flights to the Finnish capital in co-operation with BA.
Finnair also serves Helsinki thrice-daily from Heathrow.
This route has also been improved with the introduction of larger capacity Airbus A321 instead of MD-80s.
Further route enhancements in the UK are expected. Dahl-Foreman said Scottish destinations were under consideration.
Two years ago Finnair launched Dublin-Helsinki flights. These are expected to be codeshared with Aer Lingus when the Irish carrier joins Oneworld at the end of 1999.
n Finnair has started including aviation medical information on its Web site. Advice includes facts on flying when pregnant, air filtration and destination tips. The address is www.finnair.co.uk