There is nothing new about codeshare agreements, but they seem to be gaining favor in the post-pandemic environment, where airlines with smaller fleets and bigger ambitions can quickly and relatively cheaply expand their international networks. On Monday, Canadian carrier WestJet announced it was expanding its existing codeshare partnership with Korean Air to add more transpacific destinations and give Korean Air passengers direct access to Calgary and beyond.
The expanded codeshare is possible due to the May 17, 2024, launch of WestJet’s new seasonal Calgary – Seoul route, which will operate up to three times weekly using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. WestJet customers arriving in Seoul will be able to seamlessly connect to Korean Air flights to Bangkok (BKK), Da Nang (DAD), Hanoi (HAN), Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Hong Kong (HKG) and Singapore (SIN) with one ticket, baggage transfers and earning WestJet dollars throughout.
Photo: WestJet
Korean Air will start selling flights on the new route, and its customers will have a nonstop flight from Seoul to Calgary, Canada’s gateway to Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains, a world-renowned area with its mountain trails and the beautiful Lake Louise. Korean Air currently operates two nonstop services to Canada from Seoul to Vancouver and Toronto, and its passengers now have access to WestJet’s network from those three major hubs.
WestJet is gearing up for a busy Summer this year by adding around 15% more capacity than it operated for summer 2022.
Photo: Korean Air
WestJet Vice President of Commercial Development and Strategic Partnerships Jeff Hagen said that the timing of this codeshare expansion is ideal, as the airline is preparing to launch flights between Calgary and Seoul. He added that WestJet is enhancing connectivity to more destinations in Asia for its guests and WestJet Rewards members from one of the world’s busiest cities, and Korean Air’s global hub.
“Our longstanding reciprocal partnership with Korean Air opens up exciting opportunities for leisure and business travellers to more locations in the Asian continent and offers new guests in Asia access to all of Canada through our global hub in Calgary.”
Westjet is already operating nonstop flights to Asia, using the 787-9 Dreamliner from Calgary to Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT). The three-times-weekly service resumed on April 4, 2024, and will increase to daily service in May for the Summer 2024 season.
Korean Air is set to add an entirely new aircraft type to its fleet!
In January, WestJet announced it is acquiring five brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8s, adding to its significant existing aircraft commitments. The new MAX 8s are expected to arrive early in 2025 and will be provided under leasing deals with China Development Bank Financial Leasing (three aircraft) and international aircraft lessor Avolon (two aircraft).
Photo: Alex JW Robinson | Shutterstock.
Combined with its existing orders, WestJet said it will receive as many as 22 new 737 MAX airplanes before the end of 2025 and up to 62 of the same type before the end of 2028, giving it the largest narrowbody orderbook of any Canadian airline.
The codeshare partnership between Korean Air and Westjet began in June 2012 and has continued to expand since then. It now covers Korean Air’s flights from Seoul to Vancouver and Toronto, WestJet’s domestic routes within Canada, and flights to and from the United States via Vancouver and Toronto. The latest expansion increases the codeshare network to 36 routes and offers a world of opportunities for WestJet customers.
From its global hub at Incheon Airport, Korean Air serves 110 cities in 39 countries on five continents with a modern fleet of 160 aircraft and more than 20,000 employees. The South Korean carrier is a founding member of the SkyTeam Alliance and has grown into one of the largest transpacific airlines through its joint venture with Delta Air Lines.
What do you think of codeshare services? Let us know in the comments.
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