Shares in Air Berlin PLC rose Tuesday following the announcement of its alignment with the Oneworld Alliance, buoyed by hopes that becoming the first discount carrier to join a major cooperative between global airlines will boost the company’s profitability.

At 1407 GMT, they were trading up 2.1% or EUR0.07 at EUR3.58, while the overall DAX was up 0.3%.

The move should bolster Air Berlin’s competitive position, particularly at home against Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA.XE), as well as its bottom line, UniCredit Analyst Uwe Weinreich wrote in a note.