KLM to codeshare on Etihad Australian flights.
Etihad has just announced a major new agreement with Air France-KLM, covering extensive codeshare arrangements as the first phase of a “much larger strategic partnership”.
The wide-ranging pact will see EY and AF/KLM offering joint codes on destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, while Air France has also announced a new codeshare deal with airberlin, in which Etihad holds a 29% stake.
“This deal, Etihad Airways’ fortieth codeshare, marks a momentous milestone for both airline groups and offers countless opportunities to develop an unrivalled commercial relationship,” said ceo James Hogan.
The AF-airberlin pact will see customers of either carrier flying seamlessly on all routes operated by each other between France and Germany, while initial Etihad codeshares will see the EY code placed on AF flights between Paris and Bordeaux, Copenhagen, Madrid, Nice and Toulouse.
Etihad will also codeshare on KLM flights from Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi, Billund, Cardiff, Newcastle, Oslo and Stavanger.
AF will code on Etihad flights to the Seychelles, the Maldives, Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu and Islamabad, while the KL code will be placed on Etihad services to Islamabad, Colombo, Lahore, Sydney and Melbourne.
“The agreement opens up many new markets for our passengers in Europe and reinforces the importance of strategic commercial partnerships as one of the key enablers for accelerated growth of our network,” Hogan said.
Future areas of cooperation will include integration of frequent flyer programs as well as potentially joint procurement and collaboration on maintenance and repair operations.
More information in tomorrow’s Travel Daily.