Sources have confirmed that United and Emirates will be announcing a codeshare agreement. The carriers sent invites Tuesday for a joint “special event” in Washington, D.C., on 14 September. A codeshare pact would allow each airline to sell tickets on certain flights operated by the other that would give travellers broad connectivity across the airlines’ respective route networks. United would likely gain new markets in Africa, the Middle East, and India, and Emirates significantly more access to the U.S. market.

A codeshare with United would-be Emirates’ second in the United States. Emirates currently has a codeshare agreement with JetBlue and previously had one with Alaska Airlines. The partnership with Alaska Airlines was discontinued after the airline joined oneworld and began working more closely with Qatar Airways. The Gulf carrier currently serves twelve cities in the United States, including every United Airlines hub except Denver.

America recently announced an expansion of its strategic alliance with Qatar Airways, originally announced two years ago. The expansion of the partnership was a new codeshare agreement that expanded to an additional 16 countries. In June, American also launched a new nonstop service from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Hamad International Airport in Doha. This new route established American Airlines as the only United States airline to serve the Gulf region.

Source: Reuters