CHICAGO, Sept. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, United
Airlines and Airlink, a South African airline, announced a new
codeshare agreement that will offer customers more connections
between the U.S. and Southern
Africa than any other airline alliance. The new agreement,
which is subject to government approval, will offer one stop
connections from the U.S. to more than 40 destinations in
Southern Africa. Additionally,
United will be the first airline to connect its loyalty program
with Airlink, allowing MileagePlus members to earn and redeem miles
when they travel on Airlink flights. This new cooperation will be
in addition to United's existing partnership with Star Alliance member South African Airways.
"United continues to demonstrate our commitment to Africa, starting three brand new flights to
the continent this year alone including new service to Accra, Ghana; Lagos,
Nigeria and Johannesburg, South
Africa," said Patrick Quayle,
vice president of international network and alliances at United.
"And now through our codeshare agreement with Airlink - which is
the most expansive partnership in Southern Africa - customers will be able to
easily explore more bucket list destinations across the continent
including easy connections to Zambia, Zimbabwe and more."
United has continued to expand its footprint into Africa, with direct service to four African
destinations. Earlier this month, United announced flights between
Washington, D.C. and Lagos Nigeria will begin November 29, subject to government approval.
Earlier this year, United launched new service between New
York/Newark and Johannesburg, South Africa and
between Washington, D.C. and Accra, Ghana, which is expected to operate daily this
December and January. United's popular service between New
York/Newark and Cape Town, South Africa will also
resume on December 1.
"North America is an important
source market for our destinations. This codeshare will make it
easy for our North American customers to reach the Okavango Delta,
Chobe, the Kruger National Park and adjacent private game lodges,
Cape Town, the Garden Route,
Swakopmund and the Copperbelt, among others," said Airlink CEO and
Managing Director, Rodger Foster.
"Similarly, the codeshare means that our customers in the 12
African countries we currently serve, will have fast and seamless
access to all of United's network."
This new codeshare will be implemented upon final government
approvals
Committed to Ensuring a Safe Journey
United is committed to putting health and safety at the
forefront of every customer's journey, with the goal of delivering
an industry-leading standard of cleanliness through its
United CleanPlus SM program. United has
teamed up with Clorox and Cleveland Clinic to redefine cleaning and
health safety procedures from check-in to landing and has
implemented more than a dozen new policies, protocols and
innovations designed with the safety of customers and employees in
mind. To manage entry requirements in different destinations, and
find places to get tests, customer can visit United's Travel Ready
Center.
United Next
United is more focused than ever on its commitment to customers
and employees. In addition to today's announcement, United has
recently:
- Launched an ambitious plan to transform the United
customer experience by adding and upgrading hundreds of aircraft as
well as investing in features like larger overhead bins, seatback
entertainment in every seat and the industry's fastest available
Wi-Fi.
- Announced a goal to create 25,000 unionized jobs by 2026 that
includes careers as pilots, flight attendants, agents, technicians,
and dispatchers.
- Announced that United will train at least 5,000 pilots by 2030
through the United Aviate Academy, with the plan of at least half
being women and people of color.
- Required all U.S. employees to receive a COVID-19
vaccination.
- Became the first airline to offer customers the ability to
check their destination's travel requirements, schedule COVID-19
tests and more on its mobile app and website.
- Invested in emerging technologies that are designed to
decarbonize air travel, like an agreement to work with urban air
mobility company Archer, an investment in aircraft startup Heart
Aerospace and a purchase agreement with Boom Supersonic.
- Committed to going 100% green by 2050 by reducing 100% of our
greenhouse gas emissions without relying on traditional carbon
offsets, including a recent agreement to purchase one and a
half times the amount of all of the rest of the world's airlines'
publicly announced Sustainable Aviation Fuel commitments
combined.
- Eliminated change fees for all economy and premium cabin
tickets for travel within the U.S.
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the
World." In 2019, United and United Express® carriers operated more
than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 162 million customers.
United has the most comprehensive route network among North
American carriers, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los
Angeles, New
York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. For more about how to
join the United team, please visit united.com/careers and
more information about the company is at united.com. United
Airlines Holdings, Inc. is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol
"UAL".
About Airlink
Airlink was established in 1992 and is an independent,
privately-owned, full-service premium airline. Choice and
reliability are Airlink hallmarks, with the airline serving more
than 45 destinations in 12 countries throughout Southern Africa, Madagascar and St Helena Island. Airlink
is ranked as South Africa's most
punctual airline, with its fleet of more than 50 modern jetliners
achieving a 97.70% average on-time performance for the year to
date. Airlink is an International Air Transport Association
(IATA) member and accredited under its safety audit program.
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SOURCE United Airlines