Northwest, Delta Get OK on Codeshare Expansion

Delta and Northwest received government approval to expand their codeshare program on transpacific flights, beginning Aug. 30, according to the carriers.

The expanded program will augment existing codeshare between the mainland and Honolulu. Northwest will add Delta to three of its Tokyo-Asia routes, and Delta will add Northwest to its daily Atlanta-to-Tokyo departure.

Together, the two airlines carried 1.55 million passengers to Hawaii last year, and both offer service between Hawaii and Los Angeles and San Francisco.

It’s too early to tell what impact the codeshare will have on capacity to Hawaii from California, where the shutdowns of Aloha and ATA airlines already have cost thousands of seats.

Hawaii tourism officials already worry the proposed $3 billion merger deal between the two carriers, anticipated to take place by the end of this year, might mean the loss of air capacity and that the codeshare agreement could help the airlines more easily identify flights to cut in case of a drop in demand.

But if demand remains stable or increases, the agreement also could help the carriers identify routes where they could increase frequencies or provide better connections.