CALGARY – WestJet Airlines and Delta Air Lines said Tuesday they have signed a code-share agreement that will allow travellers to transfer more seamlessly from one airline’s network to the other’s, expanding a partnership the two carriers reached last year.
Under the agreement’s first phase, Delta will place its code on WestJet flights to more than 15 cities, while the WestJet code will be placed on Delta flights in five markets. Those flights are currently available for purchase for service beginning Jan. 23.
“We are pleased to welcome Delta Air Lines’ customers aboard our WestJet flights and offer our guests new opportunities to access Delta’s extensive network,” said John MacLeod, the WestJet vice-president in charge of network management and alliances.
Last year, WestJet and Delta signed an interline pact, an agreement between airlines that usually paves the way for code-sharing.
That partnership allowed customers to buy connecting flights on one ticket, receive boarding passes for all legs of their journeys at their first check-in and tag back through to their final destination.
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Airlines link-ups like the one WestJet signed with Delta allow both to funnel more passengers into their networks and increase revenues.
“Our code-share partnership with WestJet means an array of expanded travel options in the U.S. and Canada for our customers, with easy access to the airline’s extensive Canadian network and trans-border service between Canada and the United States,” said Charlie Pappas, Delta’s vice-president of alliances.
The Delta code will be placed on WestJet flights between the following destinations:
• Toronto and Edmonton, Halifax, Kelowna, B.C., Ottawa, Regina, Thunder Bay, Vancouver, Calgary, Charlottetown and St. John’s
• Calgary and Las Vegas, Kelowna, Regina, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Victoria
• Vancouver and Honolulu, Las Vegas and Kelowna
• Edmonton and Kelowna and Victoria
• Winnipeg and Montreal
• Halifax and St. John’s
The WestJet code will be placed on Delta flights connecting Detroit to Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City and Toronto, as well as between Toronto and Boston.
“We very much look forward to adding more code-share destinations to our Delta partnership in the near future,” said MacLeod.
In another move that would help WestJet compete more effectively with its chief rival, Air Canada, the airline announced Monday it is considering launching a new short-haul regional carrier.
The move would require WestJet to add smaller planes to its fleet, which consists of only Boeing 737s, and allow it to tap into smaller such as Lethbridge, Alta., or Hamilton.
WestJet shares rose a penny to $11.67 in afternoon trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
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