Nearly every week while working the Information Desk I’m asked when the #Finnair flight from Helsinki or the #KLM flight from Amsterdam will be landing. These particular airlines do not serve #RDUAirport but they do codeshare with our two international carriers #AmericanAir and #Delta on their respective flights from London and Paris.
So what’s a codeshare? It’s a common business arrangement in the industry. The US Department of Transportation says a codeshare is “a marketing arrangement in which an airline places its designator code on a flight operated by another airline, and sells tickets for that flight.” At Raleigh, we’ll see Finnair and #BritishAirways listed on the Flight Information Display System (FIDS) along with American Airlines which actually operates the flight from London. Similarly, we’ll see KLM and #AirFrance listed on the FIDS along with Delta Airlines which is the carrier making the flight from Paris.
Codeshares were the first direct, and most visible, result of the airline alliances now common in the industry. These are, in effect, agreements between airlines to pool their resources which gives them greater ability to compete against other carriers. From the passenger perspective, we see benefits with our various frequent flyer programs. You can enroll in one program and earn miles and or points while flying any of their airline partners. Your status is also recognized and rewarded by all the airlines in that particular alliance which tends to mean that benefits have become standardized. As a result, you can book reward flights on a worldwide basis since all members of the alliance will accept your miles or points. (Whether or not you can actually use them when you wish is another matter along with the programs’ constant devaluations. But all that for another post.)
Another distinct advantage for the traveler involves lounge privileges. If you’re flying on an international First or Business Class ticket, you may stop by any of the partner lounges worldwide. For example, if you’re flying on a Business Class ticket from Paris to Raleigh on Delta #231, you may visit any of the Air France business lounges in Paris as Delta does not operate its own Sky Club in that city. I have enjoyed this benefit on many occasions in many countries flying many different airlines. I’m not a big fan of Duty Free Shopping and have found the peace and quiet of the lounges to be a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the crowded airport concourses and departure gates.
An additional convenience of these alliances for passengers involves Round the World (RTW) ticketing Booking such a trip either eastbound or westbound is a complex business but may easily be accomplished online in all classes of service. Again, when flying such an itinerary, passengers may accumulate frequent flyer mileage in their primary program while traveling on all carriers within a particular alliance.
The first truly global aviation alliance, and by far the largest, is the Star Alliance. Headquartered in Frankfurt, this group was founded in 1997 by five international carriers, including #AirCanada, #Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines (#FlySAS), #ThaiAirways and #UnitedAirlines. The Star Alliance slogan is “The Way the World Connects.” Today it includes 28 member airlines with a fleet size greater than 4,500 aircraft operating more than 18,800 departures on a daily basis. Each member airline maintains its own individual style and cultural identity but provide coordinated travel on a truly global basis which includes eligible access to over 1,000 Star Alliance lounges.
Under the One World alliance umbrella, 15 global airlines have come together to provide connections worldwide. This alliance was founded in 1998 by American Airlines, British Airways, #Qantas, #CathayPacific and Canadian Airlines (which left the alliance several years later after its merger with Air Canada). It’s headquartered in New York City and sports a fleet size of about 3,500 aircraft serving 1,000 global destinations with approximately 650 lounges in its network. From your departure to your arrival, this alliance offers its most frequent customers priority check-in, fast track through security, access to lounges and preferred boarding, along with shared frequent flyer benefits.
SkyTeam was the third and latest global airline alliance. It was founded in the year 2000 by four carriers, including Delta, #Aeromexico, Air France and #KoreanAir. There are now 19 member airlines in this alliance which offers seamless travel with over 14,500 daily departures to more than 1,150 airports in over 175 countries. SkyTeam serves approximately 630 million passengers per year and offers access to a combined network of about 750 airport lounges all over the world. Like the other alliances, when flying with different SkyTeam airlines in the same reservation, just provide your frequent flyer number when booking and miles will automatically be credited to your account of choice.
I hope this post has answered any questions you may have had about codeshares or airline alliances. If not, or if you would like further details regarding anything mentioned here, please let me know.
Until next time..safe travels.
Very informative and Helpful!