Singapore Airlines sign new codeshare pact with United Airlines

Singapore Airlines is continuously focusing on its partnership strategy, and it continues to evolve with each passing day. The airline has this time again taken its partnership strategy to new heights by joining hands with United Airlines through a new codeshare agreement. Though both Singapore Airlines and United Airlines have for long been members of the Star Alliance, but this is for the first time that the two leading international airlines have come close by forging a new partnership.

Singapore Airlines and United Airlines have filed separately before the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) expressing their desire to conduct flight operations starting from July 1, 2016 through a codeshare partnership agreement. Initially, the new codeshare pact will involve eight United Airlines-operated domestic routes beyond Houston. The two carriers have however sought blanket approval for their partnership in order that future extensions could be undertaken, which would be covering United Airlines-operated flights beyond Singapore Airlines’ other U.S. gateways, Singapore Airlines-operated flights beyond Singapore and both the airlines’ flights services in the United States-Singapore market.

Media reports recently said that United Airlines would launch nonstop flights to Singapore starting June this year. The reports further stated that even Singapore Airlines is also planning to resume its nonstop flights services to the United States in 2018. United Airlines and Singapore Airlines have so far been fiercely competing with each other across the Pacific. This rivalry will however be now a thing of the past with new codeshare pact coming into place. Travel experts say that the new agreement is set to be potentially game-changing.

Singapore Airlines has for long been trying to enhance partnerships or sign new ones. The airline’s extensive efforts have also benefitted it immensely resulting in new joint ventures Star Alliance members Lufthansa and Air New Zealand. The U.S. market is considered significant by Singapore Airlines and it has been mostly relying on Virgin America and JetBlue Airways to offer connections on domestic routes to its customers traveling from Singapore.