Hanoi, August 15, 2019- Vietnam Airlines and the second largest airline in the US - Delta Air Lines have signed a two-way codeshare agreement to expand their cooperation starting as of October 2019. The next-level cooperation between the two airlines is a new step forward in the history of bilateral aviation since the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) was granted the CAT1 certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which was a testament to the service quality and aviation safety provided by Vietnam Airlines in particular and Vietnamese airlines in general.

The two carriers are scheduled to review the flight operations system in September 2019. Once ascertained that Vietnam Airlines is up to operational standard, Delta Air Lines shall offer Vietnam Airlines tickets on the Hanoi-Tokyo route to passengers in need of connecting flights to the US. It is the first move that Vietnam Airlines has made into the US market, in order to form a habit of flying Vietnam Airlines to the US among passengers.

In 2010, Vietnam Airlines forged a one-way codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines on 10 international routes to/from the US and 10 domestic routes in the US. The agreement has enabled Vietnam Airlines passengers to fly to 8 US states by transiting through Delta's Tokyo (Japan) or Frankfurt (Germany) hubs.

In other words, passengers may purchase Delta tickets via Vietnam Airlines to fly between Tokyo and Detroit (Michigan), Portland (Oregon), Honolulu (Hawaii), Atlanta (Georgia), Seattle (Washington), Los Angeles (California), and Minneapolis (Minnesota) or between Frankfurt and Detroit (Michigan), Atlanta (Georgia), and New York.

Passengers may also purchase Delta tickets via Vietnam Airlines to fly domestic flights between Minneapolis (Minnesota) and Boston (Massachusetts), Chicago (Illinois), Denver (Colorado), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), and St. Louis (Missouri), as well as between Atlanta (Georgia) and Austin, Dallas, Houston (Texas), Miami (Florida), and Washington D.C (Columbia).

The upgrade into a two-way partnership allows passengers to book a codeshare flight and fulfill flight formalities only once for their entire journey through either Vietnam Airlines or Delta Air Lines, thereby facilitating their visits to popular destinations in both countries.

In 2018, the size of the Vietnam - US market reached 757,000 arrivals, up 8% year over year. Globally, there has not been any carrier that operates direct flights between Vietnam and the US. Yet, passengers flying on this route now get to enjoy a diverse product portfolio offered by such aviation partnerships as one between Vietnam Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

Last year, Vietnam Airlines and Delta Air Lines recorded 18,000 arrivals by virtue of their cooperation, primarily from the US to Vietnam. It is a prerequisite for Vietnam Airlines to expand its product offering to connect Vietnam and the US, promoting tourism and cultural exchanges, on its journey to become a five-star airline.