Nearly a year after Emirates and Gulf Air announced plans for a codeshare, the two carriers signed a deal on November 9 to commence the codeshare partnership starting this December.
The expanded partnership will result in Gulf Air place its marketing code “GF” on Emirates operated flights beyond Dubai to several destinations including Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, Algeria, Tunis, Bali, Hanoi, HoChi Minh City, Taipei and Sao Paulo.
The partnership will also offer customers benefits including combined ticketing and check-in, a unified policy for transfers of baggage, and competitive single fares on a multi-airline journey when connecting on Emirates.
Captain Waleed Al Alawi, Gulf Air chief executive officer, said: “Our relationship with Emirates Airline has always been strong and today we are reaching a higher level of collaboration with many more opportunities in the horizon between the two carriers. This partnership will empower both of us to offer a more elevated experience to passengers and widen their travel options.”
Emirates currently has codeshare cooperation agreements in place with 26 airline partners and two rail companies around the world, expanding its network reach to over 300 cities. The latest agreement with Gulf Air was signed on the first day of the Bahrain Airshow.
Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, added: “We are pleased to partner with Gulf Air to offer their customers greater access and strong connection opportunities to unique destinations on our network, complemented by Emirates’ signature in-flight service and hospitality throughout their journey from Dubai.”
Other recent major codeshare agreements signed by Emirates include those with Air Canada, Indonesia’s Batik Air and United. Air Canada and Emirates launched a codeshare partnership, with aims to provide customers with access to 46 points across North America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Meanwhile, Emirates’ codeshare with Batik Air, a member carrier of the Lion Air Group, will allow its passengers access to 25 Indonesian points on a single ticket and with one baggage policy. With United, Emirates has signed a codeshare and interline arrangement. United has said that it will launch a new direct flight between New York/Newark and Dubai starting March 2023.
