ATLANTA and SEOUL, March 29,
2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and
Korean Air have reached an agreement to deepen their historic
partnership, with an expanded trans-Pacific network that will
increase travel choices and boost competition between the U.S. and
Asia.
The airlines signed a memorandum of understanding to implement a
joint venture arrangement, which will offer customers access to the
most comprehensive route network, industry-leading airline
products, world-class airport facilities and a seamless customer
experience.
Highlights of the agreement, subject to regulatory approvals,
include:
- The intent to create a fully integrated trans-Pacific joint
venture arrangement, with both airlines sharing the costs and
revenues on flights and coordinating schedules for seamless,
convenient connections.
- A combined network, serving more than 290 destinations in the
Americas and more than 80 in Asia, providing customers of both airlines
with more travel choices than ever before.
- Enhanced frequent flyer benefits, providing customers of both
airlines the ability to earn and redeem miles on Delta's
Sky Miles and Korean Air's SKYPASS
programs.
"This agreement deepens our longstanding partnership with Korean
Air and will provide the global access and seamless service our
customers demand," said Delta CEO Ed
Bastian. "We look forward to providing customers of both
carriers with industry-leading service between the U.S. and
Asia."
"This Joint Venture will benefit our customers by providing more
convenient connection schedules and widen their opportunities in
earning mileages," said Korean Air's Chairman and CEO, Yang Ho Cho. "With this agreement, we will
reinforce Incheon airport's position as a major international hub
in North East Asia and support the growth of Korea's aviation
industry."
Upon the signing of the final joint venture arrangement, Delta
and Korean Air will work together to implement all aspects of the
enhanced co-operation including expanded codesharing, frequent
flyer programs and joint growth in the trans-Pacific market, with
co-location at key hubs with seamless passenger and baggage transit
experience.
Delta will be launching new nonstop service between Atlanta and Seoul in June
2017, a flight that complements Korean Air's existing
service, providing customers in the U.S. with greater access to
destinations across Asia.
At the same time Korean Air will continue to expand its U.S. –
Korea network in summer 2017 with the introduction of a third
roundtrip between Los Angeles and
Seoul, as well as a second flight
between San Francisco and
Seoul.
For further information about Delta Air Lines or Korean Air log
onto delta.com or koreanair.com.
About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves more than 180
million customers each year. In 2017, Delta was named to Fortune's
top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most
admired airline for the sixth time in seven years. Additionally,
Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline
survey for an unprecedented six consecutive years. With an
industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection
carriers offer service to 323 destinations in 57 countries on six
continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000
employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800
aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global
alliance and participates in the industry's leading transatlantic
joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint
venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance
partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights,
with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los
Angeles, Minneapolis/St.
Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita.
Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities,
global products and services, and technology to enhance the
customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional
information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as
delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, and
Facebook.com/delta.
About Korean Air
Korean Air, is one of the world's top 20 airlines and carried more
than 24 million passengers in 2015. Korean Air operates over 460
flights per day to 132 cities in 46 countries on six continents
with a fleet of 175 aircraft including ten A380s.
With its modern aircraft and over 20,000 professional employees,
Korean Air offers customers convenience and comfort. Korean Air's
award-winning offerings of Korean and international meals and
state-of-the-art inflight entertainment system provide passengers
with a memorable inflight experience.
The airline is a founding member of the Sky Team airline
alliance, which together with its 20 members, offers its 665
million annual passengers a worldwide system of more than 17,343
daily flights covering 1,062 destinations in 177 countries.
Korean Air introduced the double-decker A380 aircraft to its
fleet in 2011 and made the interior more spacious than any other
airline, with just 407 seats spread across three classes, with the
top deck dedicated to 'Prestige' business class. The design also
features the world's first onboard 'Duty Free Showcase' and three
bar lounges.
More on Korean Air's programs, routes, frequencies and partners
is available at www.koreanair.com.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/delta-and-korean-air-to-expand-partnership-300430889.html
SOURCE Delta Air Lines