By Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Kenya. Last week Kenya Airways (KQ) and the United States-based Delta Air Lines signed a new agreement to expand their codeshare partnership to more U.S markets.
The aim
The two airlines intend to increase flights within Africa. The move will increase customers’ travel options to 19 cities in Africa and 25 cities across the U.S and Canada.
Amendments
In 2021, the Kenyan parliament backed a Cabinet decision to amend the air services agreement between Kenya and America to allow Kenya Airways to expand its network beyond New York, the only U.S it currently flies to.
The codeshare partnership
When two airlines entered into the codeshare partnership in August 2018, Delta’s code was 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.
New cities added
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.
Benefits of Open Skies to Kenya
The opening of the United States destination completes an essential piece for Kenya Airways’ network, cementing its position as one of the leading African carriers. The Airline became a member of SkyTeam in June 2010 and is also a member of the African Airlines Association since 1977.
Additional services
Delta will add code to Kenya Airways’ additional frequencies between Accra, Ghana, 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.
Connections
Passengers 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 has operated flights to Africa since 2006 and serves Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Senegal, and Johannesburg.
Membership
U.S’s 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 Sky Priority services.
The first non-stop flight to NY
In 2019, Kenya Airways marked a great milestone with the launch of a non-stop flight from Nairobi to New York. KQ became the first airline to offer a non-stop flight between East Africa and the United States of America.
Setbacks
In February this year, Kenya airlines reduced New York flights to three travels a week from five due to 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.
About Kenya Airways
Kenya Airways Ltd, commonly known as Kenya Airways. Is the Kenyan flag carrier airline, founded in 1977 after the dissolution of East African Airways. This company was owned by the government of Kenya since it was founded in the 1970s until April 1995 when it was privatized and became a public-private company in 1996.
KQ shares
The government of Kenya is the largest shareholder with 48.9 percent shares, KQ Lenders Company 2017 Ltd owned 38.1 percent (in turn owned by a consortium of banks) followed by KLM. which has 7.8 percent, and the rest of the shares are held by private owners.
Facts about KQ’s decline
KQ has seen a steady decline in service quality onboard and is now a 3-Star airline. Weak areas include numerous operational delays and difficulties for passengers, as well as a poor airport experience in Nairobi. Onboard passenger experience is inconsistent and lacks staff and product quality.
About U.S Delta
Delta Air Lines inc commonly known as Delta is one of the world’s oldest airlines in operation. Delta is one of the U.S’s major airlines and a legacy carrier. The airline, along with its subsidiaries and regional affiliates, including Delta connection. Operates over 5,400 flights daily and services 325 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance.
Delta setback
On 14th September 2005, Delta Airlines filed for bankruptcy, citing rising fuel costs. The company emerged from bankruptcy in April 2007 after lending off a hostile takeover from U.S Airways and its shares were re-listed on New York Stock Exchange.
How reliable is Delta
Delta has been recognized as the best U.S airline and most reliable airline for 2021 by the consumer website WalletHub. The rankings determined that Delta had the lowest rate of constellations, delays, mishandled luggage, and denied boardings among U.S. carriers.
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