Monday, June 18, 2007

Continental in alliance with China Southern

China Southern Airlines, the largest airline in China, has entered a code-share partnership with Continental Airlines.

"We look forward to welcoming them into the SkyTeam alliance in the very near future," said Continental CEO Larry Kellner Monday, adding that actual code sharing begins in November.

The plan is for Continental to sell tickets under its own brand on China Southern connecting flights from Beijing, which Continental serves from New York. It also will sell Continental tickets on China Southern's service from Los Angeles to Guangzhou.

"Continental Airlines' cooperation with China Southern will significantly increase China Southern's market share on cross-Pacific and the U.S. domestic market," China Southern Chairman Liu Shao Yong said. China Southern will sell code share tickets on Continental flights across the U.S. Mainland that connect to Los Angeles.

Houston-based Continental (NYSE: CAL - News) is the fifth largest U.S. airline and ranks third for Asia-Pacific capacity. Its service between Honolulu and Guam connects to other flights to Asia.

No comments: