Qantas and American Airlines expand codeshare

Qantas and American Airlines have announced an expansion to their partnership that will see the Flying Kangaroo codeshare on an additional nine AA services, including four new destinations. As of November 27, the new codeshare will apply to AA flights from Los Angeles to Lihue, Kona, Maui, Atlanta, San Antonio and Tampa. Similarly, flights from Dallas/Fort Worth to Richmond, Tuscon, and Albuquerque will come under the agreement. Stephen Thompson, Qantas' executive manager of international sales, said the expanded coverage will improve connectivity for Qantas customers travelling across the US. He said: "Qantas customers now have access to over 130 codeshare city pairs across North America, Canada and Mexico from our Los Angeles and Dallas gateways, more opportunities to earn frequent flyer points and have their luggage checked straight through to their final destination." Despite having suffered from record losses earlier this year (see news, August 28), Qantas has stressed that the US continues to be one of its most important markets, with the carrier operating direct A380 services between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth. The thrice-weekly Sydney to Honolulu service has seen a capacity upgrade with the A330 replacing the B767. And, flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles will also increase from a daily service to ten per week starting next year. qantas.com.au, aa.com Clement Huang