Delta and Korean Air plan to apply for approval to operate a
transpacific joint venture, which would allow them to jointly schedule, market
and operate flights.
If approved by government regulators, the joint venture
would deepen the partnership between the SkyTeam members and allow for a more
complete integration of Delta's network of more than 290 destinations in the
Americas with Korean's more than 80 Asian destinations.
Wednesday's announcement comes on the heels of a move last
fall by Delta and Korean to expand their codesharing to 32 cities in Asia
beyond Delta's Seoul flights and 156 cities in the U.S. beyond Korean Air
flights to Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York. At that time, Delta also said it
would launch Seoul-Atlanta service in June.
Delta currently flies to Seoul from Detroit and Seattle.
Korean Air flies to nine U.S. destinations.
The carriers' plan to operate a joint venture is part of a
larger trend among the Big 3 U.S. network carriers (Delta, United and American)
to expand partnerships with Asian airlines.
On Tuesday, American said it would invest $200 million in
China Southern, making AA a 2.7% owner of China's largest airline.