ATLANTA, Oct. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, signed a codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines. The agreement builds on the airlines’ existing interline relationship and will expand the choice of destinations for Saudia guests between North America and the Arabian Peninsula. The carriers applied to the necessary codesharing authorities today and will start selling codeshare itineraries once all government approvals have been received.
The codeshare agreement will enable greater connectivity between the United States and the Middle East.
Saudia guests will gain access to 12 destinations in the U.S. beyond Delta’s hubs at JFK and LAX airports. Delta customers will gain access to 9 destinations in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East beyond the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh.
Saudia and Delta guests will enjoy enhanced travel experiences between the airlines' respective destinations, serving both tourism and business sectors.
Saudia and Delta are both members of the SkyTeam alliance. Frequent Flyers will continue to earn and redeem miles on both airlines, while SkyTeam Elite Plus travelers benefit from SkyPriority services.
Arved Von Zur Muehlen, Chief Commercial Officer at Saudia, stated, "Signing this codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines reflects Saudia's commitment to expanding its flight network, providing seamless travel experiences and enhancing its global connectivity. This provides Saudia’s guests with more travel options, promoting the local tourism sector and allowing international visitors to discover the diversity of the Kingdom's attractions."
He added, "This partnership between two legacy airlines fosters greater collaboration between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States, opening up new possibilities for commercial and tourism relations. We look forward to furthering our cooperation and exploring additional opportunities with Delta."
Perry Cantarutti, Senior Vice President Alliances at Delta, said: “Saudia’s growing Jeddah hub and extensive network bring Delta customers closer to greater access to destinations across one of the world’s most important economic regions. Strengthening our partnership responds to customer demand for more travel choice between the Gulf and North America.”
About Saudia:
Saudia (Saudia Airlines) is the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Established in 1945, the company has grown to become one of the Middle East’s largest airlines.
Saudia has invested significantly in upgrading its aircraft and currently operates one of the youngest fleet. The airline serves an extensive global route network covering around 100 destinations across four continents, including all 28 domestic airports in Saudi Arabia.
A member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO), Saudia has also been a member airline in SkyTeam, the second largest alliance, since 2012.
Saudia was recently recognized as the World’s Most Improved Airline 2024 by Skytrax, marking the third time it has received this accolade, alongside 14 other distinguished awards. Saudia has also been awarded the "World Class Airline 2024" for the third consecutive year at The APEX Official Airline Ratings™ awards. Additionally, also ranked top among global airlines for best on-time performance (OTP) according to a report by Cirium. For more information on Saudia, please visit www.saudia.com
About Delta:
Delta is America's most-awarded airline thanks to the dedication, passion and professionalism of its people. In addition to the awards from J.D. Power and Cirium, Delta has been recognized as the top U.S. airline by the Wall Street Journal; among Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies; the World's Most Admired Airline and one of the Best 100 Companies to Work For according to Fortune; and as one of Glassdoor's Best Places to Work. In addition, Delta has been named to the Civic 50 by Points of Light for the past seven years as one of the most community minded companies in the U.S.
Connect with Delta on Delta News Hub, delta.com, via @DeltaNewsHub on Twitter and Facebook.com/delta.
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