United Airlines and Air Canada have entered into a joint venture agreement for flights between the U.S. and Canada.
In a news release on Friday that was short on details, the carriers said that the airlines will be able coordinate on scheduling and share revenue on transborder routes. The release didn't say whether the carriers intend to jointly operate flights between the U.S. and Canada, though joint operations are generally a part of antitrust-immune joint ventures.
The airlines have been authorized to form an antitrust-immune U.S.-Canada joint venture since 1997. The carriers attempted to establish that joint venture in 2011 but didn't go through with it after the Canada Competition Bureau forbade joint operations on 14 high-demand routes that the bureau contended would have diminished competition as a result of the partnership.
United and Air Canada already codeshare on flights and offer reciprocal loyalty program accruals, redemptions and benefits.
In their announcement on Friday, the carriers said that their new agreement will lead to more transborder codeshares. The airlines anticipate offering 46 transborder codeshare destinations with more than 400 daily frequencies this year and said there will be opportunities to add more codeshare destinations on domestic routes within the U.S. and Canada.
Neither airline responded to a question about how many codeshare destinations or routes they currently offer.
The carriers said that of the 46 transborder codeshare destinations they intend to offer this year, 38 are to be in the U.S. and eight are to be in Canada.
Air Canada offered further explanation in an email to Travel Weekly, saying that the carriers will expand their cooperation on most routes between the U.S. and Canada, but exclude routes to the warm-weather states of Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii, as well as routes to U.S. territories.
In addition, specific routes designated by the Canada Competition Bureau will be carved out of the new United-Air Canada deal.
"Details are being finalized," Air Canada said.
Delta and WestJet have also sought to implement a U.S-Canada joint venture. The carriers received approval from Justice Department in 2020 for antitrust immunity but withdrew their application after objecting to the conditions of the approval.
United and Air Canada are already part of a transatlantic joint venture that includes Lufthansa.
___
Update: This story was updated on Friday afternoon to add comments from Air Canada about routes that won't be included in the joint venture.