Emirates and United have activated their codeshare partnership, allowing Emirates customers to enjoy easier access to an expanded choice of U.S. destinations. Starting today, Emirates customers will be able to fly to three of the nation’s biggest business hubs – Chicago, Houston or San Francisco – and connect easily to an expansive network of domestic U.S. points on flights operated by United.

Tickets are available to purchase from today on emirates.com as well as through trade channels including travel agencies. With the launch of the partnership, Emirates customers heading to the U.S., can now look forward to access to more than 150 U.S. cities in the United network, via the three gateways.

Similarly, Emirates customers in the U.S. planning trips to Dubai and beyond have a myriad of choices and can utilise United’s services to easily connect to Emirates operated flights bound for Dubai, via Chicago, Houston or San Francisco. The world just got bigger for U.S. travelers journeying to Emirates’ extensive network beyond Dubai, including many unique destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

On the flights, passengers can enjoy Emirates’ award-winning services and a host of convenient travel benefits afforded by the agreement. Travellers with itineraries on Emirates’ codeshare flights can plan their entire trip on a single-ticket and take advantage of the airline’s  baggage allowance, in addition to convenient bag check-through to the final destination.

Emirates is also enabling its Skywards members to earn and redeem miles on all flights across United’s worldwide network. The partnership unlocks a host of popular destinations accessible from Emirates gateways such as Atlanta, Austin, Denver, Minneapolis and Phoenix. Emirates passengers planning trips to destinations such as Detroit, can fly direct from Dubai to Chicago or Houston, and simply connect on a United flight to the final destination, while enjoying the hassle-free flight benefits. The reciprocal benefits extend to passengers flying out of the U.S. using Emirates services to fly to Dubai, with the same easy access from a vast network of domestic cities and connection at one of the three hubs.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer commented: “We are extremely delighted to activate this historic partnership with United and significantly expand our footprint in the U.S. United’s vast network across the Americas will help us to offer more choice to our customer base from across the globe, and meet demand from across segments including the leisure, VFR, corporate travellers and students who can now connect seamlessly to and from a broader network of more than 150 domestic points.”

Emirates and United have an interline arrangement that allows passengers to easily reach a wider choice of destinations in the Americas outside of the U.S. Emirates customers will be able to choose from dozens more destinations in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, while also enjoying conveniences such as the simplicity of flight itineraries on a single-ticket and smooth connections via the three hubs (Chicago, Houston and San Francisco).

Emirates currently offers services between its hub in Dubai and 12 U.S. cities, as well as five points across Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

More opportunities, more rewards
Under the agreement, Emirates Skywards members can earn miles on flights while traveling across United Airlines’ international and domestic network. The partnership will also enable MileagePlus members to earn miles on select flights in the Emirates network when travelling from Newark (EWR) to Dubai (DXB) on United Airlines and onwards to select destinations operated by Emirates.

The award-winning loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai continues to offer its 30 million members worldwide exclusive privileges. Emirates’ network of 17 points across the Americas includes U.S. destinations Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Washington D.C.’s Dulles International Airport (IAD), Seattle Tacoma Airport (SEA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Orlando International Airport (MCO), Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Miami International Airport (MIA) and Orlando International Airport (MCO). Emirates also flies to Mexico City (MEX), Toronto (YYZ), Sao Paulo (GRU), Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and Buenos Aires (EZE).