Korean Air and Delta Air Lines to expand codeshare agreement

Korean Air is planning to expand a codeshare deal with US-based airline Delta Air Lines, offering customers access to more than 100 US and Canadian destinations and over 30 cities across Asia.

As part of the deal, Korean Air will put its code on a total of 156 flights operated by Delta on its US and Canadian routes beyond Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York-JFK.

The South Korean airline will include its code to Delta’s flights to Sao Paulo, Brazil, from both Atlanta and New York-JFK.

Subject to government approvals, the new codeshare deal will be put into place by the last quarter of this year.

Korean Air COO Walter Cho said: “Our expanded partnership with Delta allows our customers to travel more conveniently with more options between Asia and the Americas, strengthening our position as the world’s largest transpacific airline.

“Travellers will benefit from the combined network strength of Korean Air and Delta, resulting in greater schedule flexibility and increased frequency.”

Under the deal, Delta will add its code on flights operated by Korean Air in 32 cities beyond Seoul-Incheon, South Korea, as well as Korean Air-operated flights from Houston and San Francisco to Seoul-Incheon.

Additionally, Korean Air will place its code on Delta’s new flight from Atlanta to Seoul-Incheon, which will begin operations from next year.

Delta Air Lines international president Steve Sear said: “We believe the new Delta service between Atlanta and Seoul, in conjunction with an enhanced partnership with Korean, solidifies our joint position as leading carriers in the US-Asia market.

“Incheon International Airport is one of the premier gateways to Asia and the strength of our combined hubs and flight offerings gives customers a significantly enhanced portfolio of destinations for travel.”

Korean Air currently has a codeshare agreement with 35 airlines operating on 260 routes worldwide.