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Delta Air Lines and newcomer, Riyadh Air, announced plans today to enter into a partnership with the airline when it launches in 2025 as well as adding its own flights to the Saudi Arabian capitol. Details are scant, but this is an interesting development.
The two airlines have signed a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding. Its goal is to introduce a host of benefits for passengers traveling between North America and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as other destinations that both serve.
Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, said:
This partnership with Riyadh Air will further Delta’s mission of connecting the world and open an array of new choices, benefits and destinations for our customers traveling to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Most importantly, Riyadh Air shares Delta’s commitment to providing an elevated customer experience, which is why we’re looking forward to building and expanding this partnership in the months and years ahead. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Riyadh Air team and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia as they transform the transportation economy in the Kingdom.”
The agreement will see the two airlines cooperate on everything from interline and codeshare agreements to customer experience, and reciprocal loyalty program benefits. No other details have been provided and I don’t think we’ll see too many for some time since Riyadh Air is not launching until 2025. Delta will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025 and this new partnership aligns with its other initiatives focused on being a premium airline while growing globally. Delta will serve as Riyadh Air’s exclusive partner in North America, while Riyadh Air will be Delta’s exclusive partner in Riyadh and beyond.
This all comes on the heels of Saudi Arabia’s $800 billion investment in the tourism sector. This includes development of luxury resorts on the Red Sea, the opening of the Diriyah and al-Ula historical site to visitors, and the 2030 Riyadh Expo.
Anthony’s Take: I can’t say that I’m clamoring to head to Saudi Arabia or anywhere in the Middle East. We’ll see what develops from this partnership and when Delta provides more details around its own potential flights.
(Image Credits: Delta Air Lines and Riyadh Air.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
