Rapid Travel Chai

Delta and KLM launched codesharing with India’s Jet Airways (see Delta press release) along with the March 27 launch of Jet Airways flights from Amsterdam to New Delhi, Mumbai and Toronto.

New of this partnership first broke last December, though details still are not fully fleshed out for consumers. Delta talks of ‘reciprocal loyalty offerings and lounge access,’ as well as benefits such as through-connecting luggage that seemed commonplace until Delta started capriciously chopping its interline agreements.

There is supposed to be mileage earning, which right now would only apply to Delta or KLM-coded flights operated by Jet Airways. Jet Airways is not a full-fledged Delta partner. No award flights.

Jet has a tangled web of partnerships with alliance and non-alliance airlines. SkyTeam is on the record saying they are courting Jet. SkyTeam CEO Perry Cantarutti noted at the ITB trade fair that Jet additionally works with 5 other SkyTeam airlines, most recently a partnership with Korean from February 2016.

With Air India in Star Alliance, Jet is the other Indian alliance candidate. OneWorld seems content to remain a boutique alliance not intent on full global coverage, more selective in its additions.

I am admittedly East Asia-focused from my China experience, however I maintain there is a case for SkyTeam as the strongest in Asia. Adding Jet would bolster that claim. I have flown Jet several times on India domestic flights and found the experience satisfactory.