Alaska Airlines intends to join the Atlantic Joint Business and the Pacific Joint Business, folding the Seattle-based carrier into revenue-sharing agreements that already link American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair and their oneworld partners across two oceans.

Alaska and American announced the plan on September 29, 2026. The move would place Alaska inside two of aviation's deepest immunized alliances: the Atlantic Joint Business, formed in 2010, which coordinates transatlantic operations among American, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Aer Lingus and LEVEL; and the Pacific Joint Business, established shortly after, which pairs American and Japan Airlines across the trans-Pacific network.

Regulatory review comes first. Alaska said it anticipates filing for approval and antitrust immunity with the US Department of Transportation in the coming months, and will seek parallel clearances from international regulators. Until those approvals land, membership remains an intention rather than a done transaction — a distinction that matters in antitrustimmunity proceedings, which have historically drawn scrutiny of slot concentrations and capacity commitments at hub airports.

The commercial logic for Alaska is straightforward. The carrier, which absorbed Hawaiian Airlines in 2024, lacks a broad long-haul network of its own beyond a limited intercontinental operation. Joining the joint businesses would give Alaska's loyalty members and corporate accounts seamless access to the combined transatlantic and trans-Pacific footprints of five carriers, without Alaska having to commit widebody capacity of its own.

"Alaska Accelerate is about building a stronger, more global airline for our guests, and expanding our partnership with American is an important step in that strategy," said Andrew Harrison, Alaska's Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "Joining these joint businesses would put Alaska on equal footing with its competitors by giving our guests more seamless access to international destinations while preserving the care, loyalty benefits and premium experience they expect from Alaska."

The reference to "equal footing" points at the competitive gap Alaska faces against Delta and United, both of which operate immunized joint ventures across the Atlantic and Pacific and capture connecting international traffic at their Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco gateways. For American, adding Alaska deepens feed into its gateway hubs — particularly for Pacific operations where American's standalone footprint is thinner than Delta's or United's.

American's Chief Commercial Officer, Nat Pieper, welcomed the development and said he was "excited" to build on the carriers' long-standing partnership. "Together, with our joint business partners in the Atlantic and Pacific, we are enhancing a global network that gives customers greater access, convenience and choice," Pieper said.

International Airlines Group, parent of British Airways and Iberia, endorsed the expansion. "Alaska Airlines is a highly regarded partner and we welcome its intention to join the AJB," said Julio Rodríguez Contreras, IAG's Chief CCO. "For more than 15 years, the Atlantic Joint Business has delivered greater choice, better connectivity and a more seamless travel experience across the North Atlantic. Alaska Airlines will further strengthen the partnership and help expand travel options on both sides of the Atlantic."

The announcement builds on an existing commercial relationship among Alaska, American and their oneworld counterparts — a partnership Alaska formalized when it joined the alliance in 2021 following its acquisition of the former American partner Virgin America's market position on the West Coast.

Nothing changes for passengers or partner carriers until regulators act. Should the Department of Transportation grant immunity, Alaska would gain a structural answer to its long-haul competitiveness question, and the joint businesses would add a fourth and second member respectively on each ocean — reshaping West Coast connectivity options for transatlantic and transpacific travelers.