Delta and LATAM’s joint venture given the go-ahead

Delta and LATAM have been cleared for plans to develop an unparalleled network connecting the Americas.

The US Department of Transportation granted final approval to the joint venture between Delta and LATAM, which will allow passengers to access more than 300 destinations between the US/Canada and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay).

Once implemented, the approval enables Delta and LATAM Airlines Group, LATAM Airlines Brasil, LATAM Airlines Colombia, LATAM Airlines Peru and LATAM Airlines Paraguay to begin the work of unlocking new customer and cargo benefits – including enhanced service and expanded route offerings – that will add to the codeshare routes and reciprocal loyalty benefits already in place.

“Delta’s partnership with LATAM will help grow the market between North and South America and provide significant and much-needed benefits for customers, and we applaud the DOT for this final approval,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive officer.

“Now, we’ll get to work with LATAM to transform the travel experience for our collective customers and create new opportunities for our employees.”

Roberto Alvo, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group, added: “The approval by the DOT will give rise to the start of work with Delta to deliver more and better benefits to LATAM and Delta customers, such as faster connections, and the joint accrual of miles in frequent flyer programs, among many others. I am sure that, over time, we will be able to offer the best connections, while incorporating a sustainable view of the future.”

Delta and LATAM announced in 2019 that they would form the airline partnership throughout the Americas, with the goal of expanding travel choices across North and South America.

Since then, the partners have achieved a number of milestones that include mutual frequent flyer mile accumulation/redemption; reciprocal elite frequent flyer benefits; shared terminals at hub airports like New York JFK, São Paulo, Brazil, and Santiago, Chile; and mutual access to 53 Delta Sky Club lounges in the United States and five LATAM Lounges in South America, including Delta’s new show-stopping Sky Club in Los Angeles and the new LATAM Lounge Santiago de Chile, the largest customer lounge in South America.

In 2020, Delta and LATAM introduced their first codeshare services in South America, and in 2021 expanded codeshare services to 20 U.S.-South America routes plus connections to a broad range of domestic and regional destinations from their hubs in Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Santiago, Lima, Bogota and São Paulo, improving connectivity between the two regions.

Delta said that more details on the benefits of the partnership will be shared in the coming months.

Featured Image: Delta and LATAM planes (Delta News Hub)

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delta Ed Bastian latam Roberto Alvo