Flag carrier Swiss International Air Lines has taken another step towards joining the oneworld alliance by agreeing to link up with British Airways' frequent-flier programme.
The airline yesterday said it had already reached agreement with BA on the issue, with completion of the deal requiring only approval of the European Union.
Swiss had been tipped to join oneworld by Peter Buecking, the Vancouver-based managing partner of oneworld and former Cathay Pacific executive, during a visit to Hong Kong in June.
Mr Buecking had said that while expansion of oneworld's membership was not high on the agenda, he hinted Swiss could be a candidate if it managed to complete partnerships with critical alliance members.
About the same time, Swiss officials admitted it was targeting membership in oneworld within the next year.
The airline has a code-sharing partnership with American Airlines, another oneworld member, and has been negotiating to join its frequent-flier programme.