Mexico's largest airline now aboard the Oneworld alliance

(Mexicana)

Mexico's flag carrier, Mexicana airlines, joined the Oneworld alliance on November 10, extending the partnership's reach in the Americas.

Mexicana, with its main hub in Mexico City, brings to the alliance 67 destinations in 14 countries in Central, North and South America and Europe, including 37 points in Mexico.

The company's affiliates, MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink, will also be included in the new agreement.

Oneworld, which boasts nearly 100 million members in its frequent flyer programs, is the third largest network of carriers after Star Alliance and SkyTeam. On November 8, Oneworld was named the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the seventh consecutive year at the 2009 World Travel Awards.

Mexicana will now integrate into Oneworld's network confederation, which usually entails cooperation to standardize frequent flyer programs, usage of common passenger terminals, code sharing (which increases flight options for consumers by permitting passengers to book legs of a flight on different airlines with one ticket) and other services.

Established in 1921, Mexicana is North America's oldest airline and the world's third oldest airline operating under the same name, after KLM and Qantas.