United Inks Codeshare With South Africa-Based Airline Airlink

Being able to book flights to a far-flung destination on just 1 ticket makes for a simpler, less-stressful journey — especially when traveling to off-the-beaten-track destinations in Africa.

Now, thanks to a new codeshare between United Airlines and Airlink, passengers will benefit from simpler transits when heading to South Africa and beyond.

New Partnership Offers Greater Access to Southern Africa

Given that Johannesburg (JNB) sees 5 weekly United flights from Newark (EWR) and is a hub for South African airline Airlink, it makes perfect sense for the 2 airlines to form a solid codeshare alliance.

The transatlantic route is operated by United’s fleet of flagship Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

Once arrived in Johannesburg, United flyers will now have access to more than 40 destinations across Southern Africa.

First and foremost, the new codeshare provides one-stop itineraries to 14 destinations in South Africa, including popular tourist spots like Cape Town (CPT), Durban (DUR), and Port Elizabeth (PLZ).

“Through our codeshare agreement with Airlink — which is the most expansive partnership in Southern Africa — customers will be able to easily explore more bucket list destinations across the continent,” said Patrick Quayle, VP of United’s international network and alliances.

Further afield, Airlink flies non-stop from Johannesburg (JNB) to countries such as Botswana, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, as well as the lesser-explored and exotic lands of Mozambique, Madagascar, and Uganda.

To complete the United/Airlink relationship, the new codeshare will also mean that United MileagePlus members will now be able to earn and redeem miles when flying Airlink flights.

Hot Tip: Learn about the best ways to use your points and miles to fly to South Africa and greater Africa in our step-by-step guides!

Connectivity Across Africa With United

United’s presence in South Africa is going from strength to strength.

The Chicago-headquartered airline recently announced that it would be launching a new, 3-times-weekly route between Washington, D.C. (IAD) and Lagos, Nigeria (LOS) in November 2021. This will complement its recently-launched, 3-times-weekly flights to Accra (ACC) in neighboring Ghana. The frequency of the Washington, D.C. to Accra route will increase to 5 weekly flights during the holiday season of December and January.

To complement the 5-times-weekly connections between Newark (EWR) and Johannesburg (JNB), United has scheduled to restart the popular, non-stop route from its New Jersey hub to the South African capital of Cape Town as of December 1, 2021.

Final Thoughts

Heading off on a dream Tanzanian safari or ticking off your bucket-list Southern African country is now more possible than ever thanks to the new codeshare between United and Airlink.

Better still, you’ll now be able to use your miles to do it.