Alaska Airlines, Delta will announce alliance on Monday

BREAKING NEWS!

“Alaska Airlines passengers may gain more direct flights to more international destinations, in what the airline is calling “a major marketing alliance,” to be announced Monday.

The new agreement is with Delta Airlines, which merged with rival Northwest Airlines after getting antitrust approval Oct. 29. Both Delta and Northwest already had code sharing agreements with Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, which meant flights could be booked straight either of the carriers on Alaska.

One benefit for Alaska from the merger is that Delta is now moving some aircraft from redundant routes within the U.S., into less-served and more lucrative international routes, said Steve Danishek, president of TMA Inc., a Seattle-based industry consultant and agent.

These will include Valencia, Spain; Monrovia, Liberia; Cape Town, South Africa, and direct flights to Tokyo from Atlanta, New York and Salt Lake, he said.

“What it means for Alaska is good news on the feed side, because they can now feed to many more destinations,” Danishek said. “It’s just more options for Alaska, for the mileage holders here.””( via bizjournals.com/seattle) by Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle) – by Steve Wilhelm

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