•In February KQ cut New York flights to three a week from five on due to low demand
•KQ marked a great milestone with the launch of a non-stop flight from Nairobi to New York in 2019.
Kenya Airways(KQ) and US-based Delta Air Lines have expanded their codeshare partnership to more U.S. markets and increased flights within Africa.
The new agreement increases customers' travel options to 19 cities in Africa and 25 cities across the U.S. and Canada.
Last year, Parliament backed a Cabinet decision to amend the air services agreement between Kenya and America to allow Kenya Airways expand its network beyond New York, the only U.S. city it currently flies to.
When the two airlines entered into the codeshare partnership in August 2018, Delta’s code placed on Kenya Airways’ flights from Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Accra to Nairobi.
This enhanced connectivity and provided customers with a one-stop seamless travel experience from the United States.
The initial agreement saw Delta place its code on KQ’s services to more than 10 key cities across Africa, including Addis Ababa, Lilongwe, Maputo, Johannesburg and Djibouti city.
From the new deal Kenya Airways will place its code on Delta flights from New York-JFK to Boston, Buffalo, Norfolk, Rochester and Syracuse for customers flying on its nonstop Nairobi- New York-JFK services.
Meanwhile, Delta will add its code to Kenya Airways' additional frequencies between Accra, Ghana, and Freetown, Sierra Leone, Monrovia, Liberia, and Nairobi, Kenya.
Customers will be able to connect from Delta's daily New York-JFK-Accra flights with one ticket and checked-through baggage and benefits will apply for loyalty program members for the additional services.
Customers of the two airlines will continue to enjoy one-stop connections from Nairobi, Accra, and New York to destinations already served by Kenya Airways and Delta in Africa and the U.S.
Among the popular destinations are Columbus, Dallas, Washington and Boston in the U.S., and Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, Mombasa, and Entebbe in East Africa.
Delta and Kenya Airways are members of the SkyTeam Alliance enabling frequent flyers to earn and redeem miles on both airlines, while Elite Plus travelers benefit from the Sky Priority services.
Delta has operated flights to Africa since 2006, and serves Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Senegal and Johannesburg.
Kenya Airways marked a great milestone with the launch of a non-stop flight from Nairobi to New York in 2019. It became the first airline to offer a non-stop flight between East Africa and the United States of America.
Even so in February the national carrier cut New York flights to three a week from five on low demand following an end to a peak season in December last year.
The airline had enjoyed a good season, recording average bookings per flight of over 70 percent in December last year on increased traffic on the route.
The airline already serves Africa, Europe, Middle-East, Indian sub-continent and Asia.
The opening of the US destination completes an essential piece for Kenya Airways’ network, cementing its position as one of the leading African carriers.