It’s an thrilling time at Scandinavian Airways (SAS). The airline has simply emerged from chapter safety, and now has an funding from Air France-KLM, and has additionally left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam. Coinciding with this, the airline is making a bunch of modifications, starting from launching flights to Seattle, to introducing enterprise class on flights inside Europe, to more and more specializing in Copenhagen as a world hub.
With SAS now being in SkyTeam, Delta and SAS have introduced nearer ties, although handle your expectations for now.
Delta & SAS launch enhanced partnership
As of September 25, 2024, Delta and SAS have signed a a codeshare settlement, which comes simply weeks after SAS joined SkyTeam. The codeshare settlement is meant to enhance connection alternatives for purchasers between North America and Scandinavia.
Delta highlights how this new codeshare settlement presents reciprocal frequent flyer advantages, together with the power to earn and redeem Delta SkyMiles and SAS EuroBonus miles throughout each carriers. Nevertheless, that needs to be doable purely primarily based on them each belonging to SkyTeam, so it doesn’t appear to me like this codeshare settlement is altering that, particularly.
This codeshare settlement will give Delta clients flying from North America entry to 50 locations in Northern Europe, through SAS’ hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm, whereas SAS clients flying from Europe will get entry to greater than 150 locations in North America, through Delta’s hubs in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle.
For these not acquainted, a codeshare settlement primarily permits an airline to position its “code” on the flight of one other airline, primarily advertising that flight. So because of this on Delta’s web site you’ll begin to see SAS flights with Delta flight numbers, and vice versa. It’s a better degree of cooperation than an interline settlement or mutual alliance membership, nevertheless it’s not as shut as a three way partnership.
Whereas SAS flies to an excellent variety of Delta’s hubs, the inverse isn’t true. Even with Delta’s transatlantic announcement for 2025, there wasn’t a single flight to one among SAS’ hubs.
Will SAS be a part of the SkyTeam transatlantic three way partnership?
It’s value preserving in thoughts what the long run play is for SAS to affix the SkyTeam transatlantic three way partnership, which in any other case consists of Air France-KLM, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic.
A three way partnership is sort of like a merger in a specific market, because it permits airways to coordinate fares, schedules, and extra. Whereas there are some shopper advantages to joint ventures, they’re additionally the equal of eliminating a competitor out there.
For SAS, becoming a member of the SkyTeam transatlantic three way partnership could be an enormous deal, because it ought to assist the provider’s yields throughout the Atlantic. It’s additionally not shocking to see that the opposite carriers need SAS to affix the three way partnership, each because of the helpful geography that SAS opens up, and in addition given the fairness investments between these airways (Delta has a stake in Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic, and Air France-KLM has a stake in SAS).
What stays to be seen is that if that three way partnership finally ends up getting authorities approval. These are typically scrutinized fairly shut, and for good purpose, given the influence they’ve on competitors.
Backside line
Delta and SAS are launching a codeshare settlement. With this, Delta will be capable of market some SAS flights by way of its reserving channels, and vice versa. That is minor within the scheme of issues, on condition that each airways belong to the identical alliance. The larger deal shall be if/when SAS joins the SkyTeam transatlantic three way partnership.
What do you make of the brand new Delta & SAS codeshare settlement?