Passengers from Port Lincoln to Port Macquarie and 56 other regional centres can now enjoy a streamlined trip to the United States
Australia’s regional airline, Rex, has entered into an interline service agreement with Delta Air Lines.
Intended to create a streamlined travel experience for passengers flying between Australia and the United States, the new agreement will allow Rex passengers access to 40 cities in America.
What does this interline agreement mean?
The new interline agreement essentially means that customers of Australia’s third-largest carrier can now fly to the United States under one ticket.
Where possible, passengers will also be able to enjoy ease of travel with one baggage drop, meaning that when travelling from Australia, you can check in with Rex and have your luggage meet you in the US.
On the flip side, Delta passengers flying from the Unites States, Canada and Mexico can check in with Delta, and collect their luggage with Rex in Australia, where they will have access to Australia’s domestic and regional network.
Recently finding itself without any Australian connection, the new interline agreement with Rex will allow Delta to regain ties down under.
Rex Deputy Chairman, Hon John Sharp AM said the agreement benefits passengers of both airlines.
“This interline arrangement will make it easier for Australians to visit the U.S. allowing customers to connect onto Delta Air Lines’ U.S. network and for Americans to explore more of Australia with over 58 destinations. We are thrilled to be working with a world-class airline,” he said.
How to book
Flights have been on sale since early this week, but as it stands, customers can only book tickets through an authorised travel agent (either in person or online). This means you can’t book via the Rex or Delta websites just yet.
Regardless of which airline you’re with, Delta will manage the overall booking. We’re expecting many Rex passengers to take advantage of the flights to Los Angeles, which operates 140 flights daily to 53 destinations around the world and serves as one of Delta’s most important hubs.
The daily Delta Sydney to Los Angeles service will soon increase to 10 flights per week from 18 December, meaning there will be even more opportunities for regional Australians to see the city of stars than ever.
A step in the right direction: What’s next?
We can expect this interline agreement to be ‘step one’ in a partnership between the two airlines, meaning that reciprocal benefits could be in the works for Rex passengers.
For this to happen, Rex will need to launch its anticipated loyalty program. Recently, we saw the regional carrier come out with its ‘Bid Up’ feature, which leads us to believe that a frequent flyer program may not be too far off.
Are you going to fly to the US on a Rex/Delta ticket?
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