Categories: Travel News

Delta Announces WestJet Partnership, Quietly Goes Global

Delta Air Lines is continuing to expand with a new merger with WestJet, the companies announced Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Delta Air Lines and WestJet announced a joint venture that would expand Delta’s footprint further into Canada. The company has recently been expanding on four different continents through joint ventures and buying minority stakes, so the Canadian expansion was just a matter of time. Once the deal is approved by regulators, the two companies will be able to share their revenue and profits.

Delta and WestJet have worked on a code-sharing agreement in the past. If this new deal is approved, it will be Delta’s eighth international airline partnership. So far the airline works together with Air France-KLMVirgin Atlantic, Aeromexico, China Eastern Airlines, and Korean Air, among others.

Partnership consolidation is big business in the airline industry. Currently, around 88 percent of flights to Europe from North America are operated by American Airlines just announced its intention to buy a stake in China Southern Airlines.

“Most markets around the world have room for one or two major carriers,” Samuel Engel, aviation practice head at consulting firm ICF, told CNBC. “[Delta is] making sure that they’re not the loser in the game of musical chairs.”

[Photo: Shutterstock]

Article Source
The Jet Set

Recent Posts

Breeze Makes Push to Keep Spirit’s Slots Away From Major U.S. Airlines

Breeze Airways formally petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration to prevent major U.S. airlines from acquiring…

7 hours ago

Duct-Taped Passenger Claims He Doesn’t Remember Mid-Flight Outburst

An American Airlines passenger duct-taped to his seat claims he has no recollection of his…

4 days ago

The Goldilocks Genome

What if the medication that’s supposed to save your life is actually putting you at…

4 days ago

JetBlue Faces $5 Million Lawsuit Over Seat Selection Allegations

A proposed class-action lawsuit has been filed against JetBlue Airways, alleging that a passenger paid…

5 days ago

Passenger Removed From Flight After Undressing and Behaving Indecently

Authorities removed a passenger from an American Airlines flight at Miami International Airport after she…

1 week ago