- New partnership will include a range of benefits for
consumers traveling between North
America, the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia and beyond.
- Delta, Riyadh Air to strengthen connectivity and harness
future growth opportunities for both carriers.
- Agreement will enhance competition with an array of new
travel choices for consumers, including future Delta service
between the U.S. and Riyadh.
- Delta will serve as Riyadh Air's exclusive partner in
North America, while Riyadh Air
will be Delta's exclusive partner in Riyadh and beyond.
ATLANTA, July 9, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines, the world's leading premium
airline, and Riyadh Air, Saudi
Arabia's innovative new full-service global carrier, have
signed a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding with the
goal of introducing a broad range of benefits for customers
traveling between North America,
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and
destinations beyond.
The agreement, signed today at a ceremony at Delta's World
Headquarters in Atlanta, serves as
the foundation for a strategic partnership that will enable both
airlines to strengthen connectivity, expand their networks and
drive future growth.
"This partnership with Riyadh Air will further Delta's mission
of connecting the world and open an array of new choices, benefits
and destinations for our customers traveling to and from the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," said
Delta CEO Ed Bastian. "Most
importantly, Riyadh Air shares Delta's commitment to providing an
elevated customer experience, which is why we're looking forward to
building and expanding this partnership in the months and years
ahead. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Riyadh Air
team and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia as they transform the
transportation economy in the Kingdom."
"We look forward to enjoying a very warm and productive
relationship with Delta Air Lines, one of the largest and most
successful airlines in the world. Riyadh Air and Delta Air Lines
share common goals and pursue the highest standards in many areas
including guest experience, loyalty, and sustainability, built upon
great networks and strong connectivity," said Riyadh Air CEO
Tony Douglas.
The agreement envisions a long-term relationship, subject to
regulatory approvals, that includes interline and codeshare
connectivity, as well as a deeper partnership encompassing loyalty,
customer experience, digital transformation and broader aviation
services such as maintenance, repair and overhaul services, ground
handling and training. In the future, the airlines intend to
explore an immunized joint venture to further expand the
partnership and allow collaboration on network planning and growth
in the region. Both airlines are committed to driving the best
sustainability practices throughout their operations as they
transform the future of travel.
The partnership will open new destinations in Saudi Arabia and beyond for Delta customers,
including future nonstop service on Delta between the U.S. and King
Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. It will provide leisure travelers with
a new region of the world to explore while creating new
opportunities for business travelers to Riyadh, a G20 capital city, plus destinations
beyond. And it will offer Delta's leading North American network
for Riyadh Air customers, offering convenient access to hundreds of
destinations in the U.S. and beyond with Delta's famous reliability
and elevated service.
The new partnership comes as large-scale, ongoing investments in
the Kingdom are transforming it into a popular and attractive
destination for both leisure and business travelers. Travel is
central to the nation's long-term economic growth plan, with an
$800 billion investment in the
tourism sector that includes development of luxury resorts on the
Red Sea, the opening of the Diriyah and al-Ula historical site to
visitors, and the hosting of the 2030 Riyadh Expo.
Riyadh Air, which will begin operations in 2025, is committed to
building a premier carrier for customers traveling to and from the
Middle East, with its base of
operations in Riyadh, the capital
of Saudi Arabia. Delta, which will
mark its 100th anniversary next year, is the
most-awarded U.S. airline with an industry-leading global network
and an unrivaled reputation for outstanding customer service and
operational excellence.
"It's fitting that Riyadh Air will begin its journey the same
year that Delta launches our second century of flight," Bastian
said. "We'll have many opportunities to learn from each other and
become better airlines for our mutual customers, our employees, our
investors and our communities as we fly forward together."
ABOUT DELTA AIR LINES
Through exceptional service and the power of innovation, Delta
Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) never stops looking for ways to make every
trip feel tailored to every customer.
There are 100,000 Delta people leading the way to deliver a
world-class customer experience on over 4,000 daily flights to more
than 290 destinations on six continents, connecting people to
places and to each other.
Delta served more than 190 million customers in 2023 -- safely,
reliably and with industry-leading customer service innovation –
and was recognized by J.D. Power this year for being No. 1 in
First/Business and Premium Economy Passenger Satisfaction. The
airline also was again recognized as North America's most on-time airline by
Cirium.
We remain committed to ensuring that the future of travel is
connected, personalized and enjoyable. Our people's genuine and
enduring motivation is to make every customer feel welcomed and
cared for across every point of their journey with us.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta
operates significant hubs and key markets in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Bogota, Boston, Detroit, Lima, London-Heathrow, Los
Angeles, Mexico City,
Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK
and LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de
Gaulle, Salt Lake City,
Santiago (Chile), Sao
Paulo, Seattle,
Seoul-Incheon and Tokyo.
As the leading global airline, Delta's mission to connect the
world creates opportunities, fosters understanding and expands
horizons by connecting people and communities to each other and to
their own potential.
Powered by innovative and strategic partnerships with
Aeromexico, Air France-KLM, China
Eastern, Korean Air, LATAM, Virgin Atlantic and WestJet,
Delta brings more choice and competition to customers worldwide.
Delta's premium product line is elevated by its unique partnership
with Wheels Up Experience.
Whether transporting life-saving pharmaceuticals, organs for
transplant, fresh flowers or seasonal produce, Delta Cargo provides world-class service,
offering industry-leading shipping solutions and transporting over
13 million pieces a year.
Connection is at the heart of what we do at Delta. It's why
we're bringing fast, free Wi-Fi presented by T-Mobile to our entire
global fleet — connectivity at an unprecedented scale. With more
than 650 aircraft equipped with reliable, streaming-quality
connectivity today and more to come, customers can connect during
travel and spend their time in a way that suits them – just like
they would at home.
We believe social responsibility lies at the intersection of our
values and expertise, guiding our work in sustainability, our
communities, and diversity, equity and inclusion, including:
- Working toward a more sustainable, elevated future of travel
with a clear, metrics-based strategy by building coalitions,
leveraging existing solutions and technologies, investing in the
future of sustainable aviation fuel and actively inspiring
next-generation solutions.
- Committing – at every level of our organization – to
actively seeking diversity, boldly pursuing equity, and consciously
promoting inclusion as a necessary business imperative to drive
systemic change that promotes equitable outcomes for all.
Our Close the Gap strategy aims to ensure the representation
of women, Black talent and Latin and Hispanic talent in leadership
roles accurately reflects the broader employee population. Our
talent programs work to remove unnecessary barriers, like
four-year-degree requirements, to certain roles across the
organization to widen internal and external talent pipelines.
Delta's 12 Business Resource Groups influence and drive business
strategies and help create solutions that have a significant impact
on Delta people, customers and the communities we serve.
- Returning 1% of the company's annual net income to the
communities where we live, work and serve. Even more importantly,
Delta people are making a difference in their communities by
devoting their time and talents to a wide array of Delta's
nonprofit and charitable partners.
Delta is America's most-awarded airline thanks to the
dedication, passion and professionalism of its people. In addition
to the awards from J.D. Power and Cirium, Delta has been recognized
as the top U.S. airline by the Wall Street Journal; among Fast
Company's Most Innovative Companies; the World's Most Admired
Airline and one of the Best 100 Companies to Work For according to
Fortune; and as one of Glassdoor's Best Places to Work. In
addition, Delta has been named to the Civic 50 by Points of Light
for the past seven years as one of the most community minded
companies in the U.S.
Connect with Delta on Delta News Hub, delta.com, via
@DeltaNewsHub on Twitter and Facebook.com/delta.
ABOUT RIYADH AIR
Riyadh Air, a PIF company, is a world-class airline. Launched in
March 2023, the airline will be a
digitally led, full-service airline that adopts the best global
sustainability and safety practices across its advanced fleet of
aircraft. Riyadh Air will equip its aircraft with the most
advanced, state-of-the-art features with innovative, best-in-class
cabin interiors and experiences, including next generation digital
in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity solutions. Riyadh
Air will connect guests to over 100 destinations around the world
by 2030 through offering an exceptional guest experience with an
authentic, warm Saudi hospitality at its heart. For more
information please visit our website: www.riyadhair.com.
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SOURCE Delta Air Lines