Delta, Virgin to launch trans-Pacific codeshare
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Delta Air Lines and Virgin Australia have announced plans to launch a codesharing agreement on flights between the US and Australia from November 2011. As part of the airlines’ recently approved joint venture, codeshare service will be available for sale from today (19 September), for travel effective 6 November 2011.
Under the agreement, Delta will add its code to all flights between Los Angeles and the Australian cities Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, operated by V Australia. V Australia will add its code to Delta’s service between Los Angeles and Sydney.
In addition, flights operated by V Australia will now arrive at Delta’s Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport. This will allow for quicker connections to Delta flights, as well as offering access to new customs and immigration facilities in Terminal 5.
“The start of trans-Pacific codesharing and arrival co-location at T5 in Los Angeles mark the first major steps toward establishing our joint venture, which will provide significant benefits for our customers,” said Charlie Pappas, Delta’s Vice President of Alliances. “Together, Delta and Virgin Australia will offer a leading network and a superior travel experience for our customers flying between the US and Australia.”
Virgin Australia’s Group Executive, Merren McArthur said; “Since receiving US government approval in June, Delta and Virgin Australia have moved quickly to deliver the consumer benefits that are enabled by our joint venture. The joint venture will allow us to offer more choice and a more seamless travel experience from November, providing guests with three trans-Pacific services per day and allowing us to spread our respective departure times out of Sydney to improve connections.
“The next milestone will be the expansion of the existing domestic codeshare on each airline’s domestic network, further improving connectivity of our services and giving Virgin Australia guests access to 250 destinations across the United States, Canada and Mexico,” Ms McArthur said.
Following the US Department of Transportation’s approval of antitrust immunity for Delta and Virgin Australia on trans-Pacific flights in June, the two airlines have been working closely on expanding codesharing, coordinating products and services and extending frequent flyer programme benefits and lounge access. The joint venture is intended to create an integrated network able to serve thousands of city-pairs in North America and the South Pacific.
The trans-Pacific codesharing agreement is the latest expansion of the partnership between the two airlines. In May, Delta and Virgin Australia announced an enhanced codeshare that added Delta’s code to Virgin Australia flights to five destinations in Australia, and added Virgin Australia’s code on Delta service to four new cities in the US.
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