SriLankan Airlines will officially join oneworld on May 1, 2014, and will become the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent to enter a global airline alliance. The 100,000 members of SriLankan’s FlySmiLes program, and the 150 million members of the other oneworld member airlines’ programs, will now be able to earn and redeem on all other oneworld member airlines, including the two newest members, TAM and US Airways. The SriLakan Airlines membership brings two new destinations to the oneworld network–Sri Lanka’s new Hambantota International (in Southeast Sri Lanka) and India’s Tiruchirapalli.

Bottom line: SriLankan Airlines is the largest international airline serving the Maldives and has a strong presence in Southern India. The airline serves 32 destinations from its Colombo base across 20 countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, including Bangkok, Singapore, Doha, Hong Kong, London Heathrow, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow Domodedovo and Tokyo Narita.