Delta, Kenya Airways Expand Codeshare Agreement

Two SkyTeam members, Delta Air Lines and Kenya Airways, have announced an expansion of their strategic agreement.

Here’s what you need to know about the news.

More Africa Connections for U.S. Travelers

Kenya Airways operates a near-daily nonstop flight from New York (JFK) to Nairobi (NBO), and now the 2 airlines are including the flight in their strategic partnership.

The expansion will see 31 additional single-connect destinations in Africa and another 57 across the U.S. and Canada, making traveling between North America and Africa easier than ever.

“At a time when we are seeing unprecedented demand for travel between North America and Africa, expanding our strategic partnership with Kenya Airways offers our customers more travel options as well as supports our priority to deepen our presence across the African continent,” said Alain Bellemare, president of international at Delta.

According to the 2 airlines, Delta SkyMiles members and Kenya Asante Rewards members will continue to earn reciprocal miles. 

Delta has a significant presence across the African continent and has operated nonstop service to the U.S. since 2006. Delta currently operates flights from Accra (ACC), Cape Town (CPT), Dakar (DSS), Johannesburg (JNB), and Lagos (LOS).

Flying from the U.S. to Africa With Points and Miles

There are several ways to fly nonstop between Africa and the U.S. Aside from Kenya and Delta, here are a few other airlines you can choose from:

• Ethiopian offers nonstop service from Atlanta (ATL) and Washington (IAD) to Addis Ababa (ADD), with the return flight including a stop in Dublin (DUB). The airline also flies nonstop between Washington (IAD) and Lome (LFW).
• United Airlines flies nonstop to Accra, Cape Town, Lagos, and Johannesburg

You’ll find awards as low as 69,000 miles one-way in economy (when booking with United MileagePlus miles) nonstop on United. If you don’t mind a stopover, you can use American AAdvantage miles to book Qatar Qsuites from the U.S. to destinations across Africa for 75,000 miles one-way. Finally, if you really want to fly in style, you can fly Emirates first class from the U.S. to Africa, starting at 150,000 Skywards each way.

Final Thoughts

Delta and Kenya have had a pretty significant partnership (Kenya has been part of SkyTeam since 2007), so this enhancement will only streamline travel between the U.S. and Africa. We hope to hear more updates down the line!