B/C/J Independent

Tag · 9 pieces

Oneworld

Every piece on the journal carrying the oneworld tag, most recent first.

06 MAY 2026 loyalty

British Airways Executive Club & Avios 2026: Status, Reward Flight Saver, and the Surcharge Problem

British Airways Executive Club is a programme of striking contradictions in 2026: the Companion Voucher is arguably the best single benefit in any Western frequent-flyer scheme, while the fuel surcharges on BA-operated redemptions remain the worst. We work through the elite tiers, the Avios ecosystem shared with Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Qatar, Reward Flight Saver, the famous 2-for-1 voucher, partner sweet spots on Qatar Qsuite, Cathay, JAL, and Alaska, and how the programme compares to AAdvantage, Aeroplan, LifeMiles, and Miles & More.

By Jonas Reinholt · 22 min read

08 APR 2026 lounges

Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Lounge Hong Kong — A 2026 Review

The Pier Business at HKG: 31,000-plus square feet, Studioilse residential design, the Noodle Bar, the Foodhall, the Coffee Loft, the Bureau. Five visits in March and April 2026. The longer-form review of CX's flagship business lounge.

By Rhys Fitzgerald · 22 min read

24 FEB 2026 airlines

Oman Air Business Class on the 787-9 — A 2026 Review

Oman Air's 787-9 Business Studio — six former First Class suites, plus the Apex Suite Business cabin — is the bet that brought the airline into oneworld in 2025, and the MCT hub is finally getting the attention it deserved.

By Karoline Vestby · 22 min read

19 FEB 2026 loyalty

JAL Mileage Bank 2026 — A Program Teardown

We worked a JAL Mileage Bank balance for six months, booked F on JL5 JFK-HND, and stress-tested the JGC tactic. The 2026 teardown of the distance chart, oneworld sweet spots, status, and the Marriott bottleneck.

By Naomi Kawakami · 19 min read

14 FEB 2026 lounges

JAL First Class Lounge Haneda — A 2026 Review

The JAL First Class Lounge at HND Terminal 3 on the fourth and fifth floors. Three visits across February 2026. The Champagne Bar, Sushi Tsurutei, the Dining Room, the showers, and where this lounge actually sits in the oneworld league table.

By Naomi Kawakami · 22 min read

22 JAN 2026 lounges

Qantas First Lounge Sydney — A 2026 Review

Six visits to the Marc Newson-designed Qantas First Lounge at Sydney T1 between November 2025 and April 2026 — Neil Perry restaurant, the spa, the Lallier pour, and what the room has and has not lost in nineteen years.

By Marcus Cheng · 26 min read

17 JAN 2026 loyalty

Alaska Mileage Plan 2026: The Distance-Based Chart, Two Years In

Alaska Mileage Plan operates a fifth the size of American AAdvantage and a quarter the size of United MileagePlus, and the March 2024 move to a unified distance-based partner chart was the most consequential structural change in the program's history. Two years in, the headline sweet spots are gone — Cathay First JFK-HKG is no longer 70,000 miles — but the program still punches above its weight on the specific partners and distance bands that survived the transition.

By Jonas Reinholt · 25 min read