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Cape Town – State-owned airline South African Airways (SAA) has signed another codesharing agreement, this time with US-based carrier JetBlue.
The announcement, a bilateral codeshare agreement, is basically an expansion of the two carriers' existing partnership first inked in 2010. It will allow JetBlue to sell tickets to SAA’s African routes on SAA aircraft.
SAA has had an arrangement in place with JetBlue since 2011, placing its “SA” code on JetBlue-operated flights from its US gateways to destinations including Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida.
JetBlue now intends to place its “B6” code on South African Airways-operated flights between the US and Johannesburg as well as Dakar, Senegal and on connecting flights to select destinations beyond Johannesburg.
The agreement is pending regulatory approval from the department of transport as well as the US department of transportation.
The move between SAA and JetBlue is the latest in a string of agreements the national carrier has finalised this year as part of a turnaround strategy aimed at keeping the airline financially sustainable.
Earlier this year SAA also commenced codeshare services with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, as well as India's Jet Airways.
Codesharing arrangements allow for significant cost savings as an airline doesn’t have to use its own equipment to service a route it can still sell to passengers. The operator also gets a cut from the ticket revenue. SAA will be hoping to attract more US passengers on its flights with this move.
SAA currently flies nonstop daily between New York and Johannesburg’s O R Tambo International Airport, and daily from Washington to Johannesburg via Dakar’s Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport.
“South African Airways’ partnership with JetBlue has been a successful one from the start, and so we’re pleased that it has now grown into a bilateral codeshare arrangement,” said Manoj Papa, SAA's acting general manager: commercial.
"We are excited to expand our successful relationship with South African Airways through this new codeshare via Washington and JFK, where JetBlue is the number one domestic airline," said JetBlue vice-president of network planning and partnerships Scott Laurence.
"South African Airways has been a terrific travel partner for JetBlue, consistently delivering a great experience for our customers.”
JetBlue operates one of America's youngest airline aircraft fleets, including 187 Airbus A320 aircraft and Embraer 190 aircraft.
- Fin24
*Follow James-Brent Styan on Twitter at @jamesstyan.
The announcement, a bilateral codeshare agreement, is basically an expansion of the two carriers' existing partnership first inked in 2010. It will allow JetBlue to sell tickets to SAA’s African routes on SAA aircraft.
SAA has had an arrangement in place with JetBlue since 2011, placing its “SA” code on JetBlue-operated flights from its US gateways to destinations including Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida.
JetBlue now intends to place its “B6” code on South African Airways-operated flights between the US and Johannesburg as well as Dakar, Senegal and on connecting flights to select destinations beyond Johannesburg.
The agreement is pending regulatory approval from the department of transport as well as the US department of transportation.
The move between SAA and JetBlue is the latest in a string of agreements the national carrier has finalised this year as part of a turnaround strategy aimed at keeping the airline financially sustainable.
Earlier this year SAA also commenced codeshare services with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, as well as India's Jet Airways.
Codesharing arrangements allow for significant cost savings as an airline doesn’t have to use its own equipment to service a route it can still sell to passengers. The operator also gets a cut from the ticket revenue. SAA will be hoping to attract more US passengers on its flights with this move.
SAA currently flies nonstop daily between New York and Johannesburg’s O R Tambo International Airport, and daily from Washington to Johannesburg via Dakar’s Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport.
“South African Airways’ partnership with JetBlue has been a successful one from the start, and so we’re pleased that it has now grown into a bilateral codeshare arrangement,” said Manoj Papa, SAA's acting general manager: commercial.
"We are excited to expand our successful relationship with South African Airways through this new codeshare via Washington and JFK, where JetBlue is the number one domestic airline," said JetBlue vice-president of network planning and partnerships Scott Laurence.
"South African Airways has been a terrific travel partner for JetBlue, consistently delivering a great experience for our customers.”
JetBlue operates one of America's youngest airline aircraft fleets, including 187 Airbus A320 aircraft and Embraer 190 aircraft.
- Fin24
*Follow James-Brent Styan on Twitter at @jamesstyan.
