from DION HENRICK in Cape Town
Western Cape Bureau
CAPE TOWN, (CAJ News) – CONNECTIVITY between the United Kingdom, Europe, North America and more than 15 destinations in Southern Africa is set for a major improvement.
This follows a codeshare partnership between British Airways and Airlink.
With bases in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in South Africa, Airlink is a premium regional airline with a wide-reaching network of cities in 14 countries, including Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The agreement means British Airways’ customers travelling from or transiting through London will be able to connect to their final destination via Cape Town or Johannesburg on a single ticket.
This will offer more choice and flexibility for those travelling on to towns and cities, such as Windhoek in Namibia and Durban in South Africa.
British Airways currently flies twice daily between London Heathrow and Johannesburg, twice daily between Heathrow and Cape Town and three times per week between London Gatwick and Cape Town.
Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Director of Network and Alliances, said their flights to Cape Town and Johannesburg have ever been popular as ever with customers.
“So, we’re pleased to be able to open up more options in the Southern African region,” he said.
“Our partnership with Airlink means that customers will be able to book a full journey on one ticket, allowing seamless travel all the way from London to their final destination.”
Rodger Foster, Airlink’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, said the codeshare is an important next step in the partnership with British Airways, which has a global reach into the most important markets.
“The marriage of our two networks will benefit both British Airways’ and Airlink’s customers, giving them even more choice with a wide range of itinerary options and connectivity possibilities,” Foster said.
Codeshare tickets are now available to book, for travel from February 15. Other Southern Africa destinations are pending government approval and might join the codeshare agreement at a later date.
– CAJ News