American Airlines and Qantas, members of the oneworld® Alliance, today announced the next phase of their deepening commercial relationship, expanding the number of routes on which the airlines will codeshare between major cities across North America and Australia.
Qantas will codeshare on American Airlines flights to 28 new destinations from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), American's largest hub. American Airlines will begin codesharing on Qantas services between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth as well as domestic services from Brisbane to Adelaide, Canberra, Cairns, Melbourne and Perth.
The expansion comes ahead of the launch of direct Qantas services from Sydney to DFW, on May 16, and will give Qantas customers unparalleled access to a wide range of major cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. New destinations include Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville and New York (Newark) - as well as Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver.* Members of both airlines' loyalty programs - the American Airlines AAdvantage® program and Qantas Frequent Flyer program - are able to accrue and redeem miles/points across the combined networks of both carriers.
As announced earlier this year, Qantas and American Airlines will shortly seek regulatory approval for closer collaboration from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and other relevant authorities.
Group Executive Qantas Airlines Commercial, Rob Gurney, said, "The new codeshares will help maximize the benefits of the new DFW service for passengers and underpin the enhancement of the Qantas-American Airlines relationship. This is an important step for Qantas as we prepare to begin flying to Dallas/Fort Worth and seek to deepen our relationship with American Airlines.
"With the addition of 28 new codeshare cities, Qantas' network out of DFW will total 54 destinations when we commence services in May, providing unprecedented choice and convenience for Australians visiting the USA. Similarly, the Australian American Airlines and Qantas Expand Codeshare Cooperation and Deepen Commerical Relationship March 10, 2011 Page 2 tourism industry will have the opportunity to tap into a huge market of potential US visitors.
"Expanding our codeshare arrangement with American Airlines allows us to capitalize fully on DFW's position as a major hub airport for business and leisure travel.
As well as most major US cities, Qantas customers will be able to travel through DFW to Canada and Mexico, including such destinations as Toronto, Vancouver, Cancun and Mexico City.
"We have worked closely with American Airlines over many years, and with the commencement of services to Dallas/Fort Worth we look forward to taking our partnership to a new level," Mr Gurney said.
Virasb Vahidi, American's Chief Commercial Officer, said, "Our expanded codeshare relationship with Qantas makes it easier and more convenient for our customers to travel on the global networks of both airlines. We are pleased to give our respective customers unprecedented access to destinations across North America and Australia. We are focused on delivering more choices, easier connections and a better overall travel experience, and this expanded relationship with our valued partner, Qantas, is a great example of those efforts." Mr Vahidi added, "Our strengthened relationship will further enhance our position in the growing trans-Pacific market, as well as in the respective home markets of each carrier, and make oneworld a stronger global alliance. We look forward to more opportunities to deepen our relationship with Qantas in the future." The new codeshare destinations will be progressively made available for sale over the next month.
