Delta Air Lines Signs Codeshare Agreement With Saudia Airlines. Here’s What That Means

Delta Air Lines has announced a codeshare agreement with Saudia Airlines, the official airline of Saudi Arabia. This codeshare agreement has introduced a new flight route that customers can use. Here’s what this new codeshare agreement means.

Delta Air Lines Now Flies to Saudi Arabia

A press release revealed that Saudia Airlines, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, and Delta Air Lines inked a codeshare agreement as of Wednesday, Oct. 2. Customers of Delta will have more options for locations between North America and the Arabian Peninsula thanks to this agreement, which strengthens their current interline partnership. After obtaining all required government clearances, the carriers will begin offering codeshare itineraries.

More connectivity between the U.S. and the Middle East will be possible thanks to the codeshare agreement. Beyond Saudia’s major hubs of Jeddah and Riyadh, nine locations in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East will be accessible to Delta Air Lines passengers. Travelers from Saudi Arabia will be able to reach 12 U.S. locations in addition to Delta’s hubs at JFK and LAX airports.

“Signing this codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines reflects Saudia’s commitment to expanding its flight network, providing seamless travel experiences and enhancing its global connectivity,” said Arved Von Zur Muehlen, chief commercial officer at Saudia, in a statement accompanying the press release. “This provides Saudia’s guests with more travel options, promoting the local tourism sector and allowing international visitors to discover the diversity of the Kingdom’s attractions.”

Both the business and tourism sectors would benefit from improved travel experiences between the destinations served by Saudia and Delta Air Lines. Saudia and Delta both belong to the SkyTeam alliance. On both airlines, frequent flyers will be able to accrue and use miles, and SkyTeam Elite Plus members will receive access to SkyPriority services.

Delta Air Lines Cut Other Routes

Delta Air Lines has introduced this new agreement while also recently cutting other routes from its itinerary.

Last week, the airline announced that it will stop operating flights to Casper, Wyoming, in 2025, according to a report by The Points Guy. The airline confirmed to the outlet that the route has been discontinued.

“Effective Dec. 4, 2024, SkyWest will discontinue its Delta Connection service from Casper, Wyoming. Customers with bookings beyond this date will be contacted directly to modify their travel plans. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” the spokesperson said.

After Dec. 3, 2024, which will be the last day of service, Delta Air Lines will no longer offer daily flights from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) to Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR). The Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft, which has 50 seats, has been flown by regional subsidiary SkyWest Airlines in the past for its Casper operations.

Despite losing the Casper route, the airline is growing in Boston with two new domestic flights to Asheville, North Carolina, and Bozeman, Montana.

Flights to Asheville will operate on Saturdays and Sundays starting on May 10, 2025. This service will be provided by Republic Airways, an affiliate of Delta Connection, using an Embraer E175 regional aircraft. Delta will operate one daily trip in each way between Dec. 21, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025. Subsequently, Delta will provide weekend service from Boston to Bozeman from Feb. 15, 2025, to March 31, 2025, and from June 8, 2025, to Sept. 7, 2025.

Additionally, the airline stated in an updated statement it made on Sept. 19 that it will not be operating flights between JFK and Tel Aviv, a city in the Middle East, until beyond Dec. 31. The choice was initially decided upon in July. Since the alert is subject to further adjustments, affected clients are encouraged to check the status on the special app of Delta Air Lines for more information.