Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

CHINA Southern Airlines (China Southern) will expand its flight network to meet passenger demands by codesharing with American Airlines, according to an agreement signed by the two sides in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, on Wednesday.

The agreement was signed one week after China Southern announced its departure from SkyTeam, an alliance consisting of 20 member airlines with 1,080 destinations worldwide.

The new codeshare routes, according to the company, will be available for purchase soon and both companies expect that, once approved, the first codeshare flight will be able to start service in early 2019.

In an announcement released last week, the Guangzhou-based carrier said it will be leaving SkyTeam on Jan. 1, 2019, and the company is looking to partner with leading airlines around the world to provide quality services to its passengers.

After the signing ceremony, Zhang Lin, assistant president of China Southern Air Holding Co., said, “this partnership with American Airlines is an important move in the company’s initiative to build new international relationships.

The new codeshare agreement will put the AA code on all China Southern flights that fly back and forth from the United States, and vice versa with American Airline flights. Moreover, both carriers will place their codes on each of their extended domestic services. China Southern Sky Pearl Club members will be able to earn and redeem miles throughout American’s network of 6,700 daily flights to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries.”

China Southern Airlines is the country’s largest carrier with a fleet of more than 800 aircraft.