Delta Opens Up Middle East Routes With Saudia Codeshare Agreement

Updated: October 2, 2024, 3:10pm CDT

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Delta, Saudia Sign Codeshare Agreement
Delta’s Position in the Middle East
Final Thoughts

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Delta Air Lines and Saudia, the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have signed a codeshare agreement, bringing the 2 airlines even closer together.

“Saudia’s growing Jeddah hub and extensive network bring Delta customers closer to greater access to destinations across one of the world’s most important economic regions,” said Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s senior vice president of alliances. “Strengthening our partnership responds to customer demand for more travel choice between the [Persian] Gulf and North America.”

Let’s take a look at this new codeshare arrangement and see how it could affect travelers.

Delta, Saudia Sign Codeshare Agreement

Delta Air Lines and Saudia already have a fairly close relationship. They’re both members of the SkyTeam alliance and have an existing interline agreement.

Now, however, they’re taking it a step further with the signing of this codeshare agreement. The new arrangement will expand connectivity on either side of each carrier’s route networks, with Delta flyers able to access 9 new destinations within the kingdom and across the wider Middle East that are served by Saudia’s hubs in Riyadh (RUH) and Jeddah (JED).

Riyadh Skyline night — Saudia operates one of its hubs from Riyadh (RUH). Image Credit: saifaldhaher via Unsplash

For their part, Saudia flyers will have seamless access to 12 destinations served from Delta’s hubs in New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX).

As the 2 airlines are already alliance partners, flyers should notice no difference when it comes to earning and redeeming miles on either airline. Additionally, Sky Priority and SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits remain unchanged.

The application for a codeshare is still pending U.S. government approval. Each carrier has applied with the required authority and will begin selling codeshare itineraries once the appropriate approvals from the respective governments are awarded.

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Delta’s Position in the Middle East

Delta has a notably weaker presence in the all-important Gulf region than its U.S. peers American Airlines and United Airlines. American has a strong partnership with Qatar Airways and serves Qatar’s hub in Doha (DOH) with nonstop flights on its own metal from the Philadelphia (PHL) hub.

United Airlines has a codeshare agreement with Dubai-based Emirates and has added flights on its own metal from its Newark (EWR) hub to Dubai (DXB).

Delta, meanwhile, doesn’t fly to the Gulf with its own metal and has long lacked a strong partner in the region. It clearly wants to change that, however, as it recently signed a strategic partnership with the yet-to-fly Riyadh Air. Inking this codeshare agreement with Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier is a notable next step.

Additionally, Delta has mentioned recently that it’s taking a more serious look at launching flights to the kingdom as it works to gain traction in the area.

Final Thoughts

Delta and Saudia’s new codeshare agreement, along with Delta’s strategic partnership with Riyadh Air, demonstrates that Delta believes its way into the Gulf region runs through Saudia Arabia.

As these moves unfold, flyers can look forward to enhanced connectivity as the 2 airlines work to synchronize their networks and provide more seamless connections to the Middle East and within the United States.