Delta and Aerolineas Argentinas to Start Codeshare Flights, Frequent Flier Benefits

ATLANTA and BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Aug. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Aerolineas Argentinas today announced a codesharing agreement for flights connecting Miami and Atlanta to Buenos Aires as well as service to 14 U.S. destinations, eight domestic destinations in Argentina, three flights to Canada and flights to Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Codesharing on the flights will start in the fourth quarter of 2011.*

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The airlines also announced the future activation of new reciprocal benefits for their frequent fliers that include accrual and redemption of miles, scheduled to start in 2012.   Aerolineas Argentinas will also join the SkyTeam global alliance in 2012, which will allow the carriers to provide additional customer benefits.

"Since 1997, Delta's presence in South America has grown significantly. Today we offer 95 weekly nonstop flights to eight countries in South America, and a total of 1,083 weekly flights to Latin America and the Caribbean. This new agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas is key to our strategy, and will help us solidify and expand our network to, from and within Argentina and will allow us to provide service to all countries in the Southern Cone," said Delta President Ed Bastian. "A significant step for Aerolineas Argentinas, this codeshare agreement validates the bold and aggressive steps they are taking to offer a world-class network prior to joining SkyTeam in 2012."

"This new agreement offers Aerolineas Argentinas a great opportunity to expand its network in North America, and also will offer Delta customers new destinations throughout Argentina and South America," said Mariano Recalde, president of Aerolineas Argentinas. "The mutual benefits for our passengers are clear, now Aerolineas' customers will be able to access over 300 destinations around the world."

Codeshare flights allow passengers to buy tickets on one or more carriers from a single point of sale, offering greater access to another airline's network.

Delta and Aerolineas Argentinas Codeshare Flights

When implemented in the fourth quarter of 2011, the agreement will connect Delta's daily service from its hub in Atlanta to the Aerolineas Argentinas hub at Buenos Aires and beyond to cities in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.  It also includes flights connecting Aerolineas Argentinas service from Buenos Aires to Miami with flights to 14 cities in the U.S. and Canada on Delta's network.

Delta will sell connecting service on Aerolineas Argentinas flights to eight Argentine destinations: Calafate, Cordoba, Iguazu, Mendoza, Rio Grande, Rosario, San Carlos de Bariloche, and Ushuaia, the capital city of Tierra del Fuego Province. Additional destinations in South America include: Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil; Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Santiago de Chile, Chile; Asuncion, Paraguay; and Montevideo, Uruguay.

Aerolineas Argentinas will sell service to 14 additional U.S. destinations and three Canadian destinations. The U.S. domestic destinations are: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan, Seattle and Washington, D.C.  Aerolineas Argentinas also will put its code on Delta service to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.  

Reciprocal Frequent Flier Benefits

In addition, Delta and Aerolineas Argentinas will introduce reciprocal accrual and redemption benefits for frequent fliers in 2012.  SkyMiles and Aerolineas Plus members will be able to accrue and redeem frequent flier miles on all Delta and Aerolineas Argentinas flights.

The airlines already offer reciprocal access to their lounges: Delta's award-winning Delta Sky Club lounges in 35 airports worldwide and Aerolineas Argentinas' Salon Condor at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires.

About Aerolineas Argentinas

Aerolineas Argentinas, the Republic of Argentina's national airline, is one of South America's leading companies. Aerolineas Argentinas flies to 19 international destinations in America, Europe and the South Pacific. Along with Austral Lineas Aereas, Aerolineas operates flights to 33 destinations in Argentina, with flights to more cities in the Argentinean territory than any other airline. Since March 2010, it provides dynamic links between Argentina and the region through its new hub in Aeroparque. Aerolineas is implementing an ambitious fleet renewal program, which began in 2009 with the addition of 12 Boeing Next-Generation 737-700s and the acquisition of 20 Embraer 190s. In November 2010, the company began the process of joining SkyTeam, one of the most prestigious airline alliances worldwide. For more information about the company, visit www.aerolineas.com

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year, and was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide  in its 2011 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 355 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

*Subject to government approvals.

Terms & Conditions

All SkyMiles program rules apply to SkyMiles program membership, miles, offers, mile accrual, mile redemption and travel benefits.  To review the rules, please visit delta.com/memberguide. Taxes and fees for award travel are the responsibility of the passenger and must be paid at the time the ticket is booked. Award travel seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or in all markets. All Delta Sky Club rules apply to Delta Sky Club use and membership. To review the rules, please visit delta.com/skyclub. Alliance partner airline benefits subject to change and subject to the terms and conditions of each partner. Offers, rules and benefits subject to change without notice.

SOURCE Delta Air Lines