JAKARTA and ATLANTA, June 3, 2014 - (ANTARA) - Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Garuda Indonesia (IDX: GIAA) today announced a codesharing agreement to place Garuda code on Delta operated flights from Tokyo (Haneda) International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The flights will be conveniently timed to connect Garuda Indonesia's flights between Jakarta and Tokyo-Haneda, offering both airlines' customers one-stop travel between Indonesia and the U.S.
The codeshare flights are pending final government approvals and are targeted to be available for purchase in July 2014.
"The partnership between Delta Air Lines and Garuda Indonesia expands the options available for travel between the United States and Indonesia, supporting increased trade and commercial links and greater people-to-people ties in both countries," said U.S. Ambassador Robert Blake. He added, "This relationship is one more example of the growing ties between businesses and people under the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership."
"The new partnership with Garuda will provide significant new travel options for customers of both carriers and will enhance travel and trade between the two countries," said Vinay Dube, Delta's senior vice president - Asia Pacific. "Delta continues to grow its network in Asia Pacific thanks to strong partners like Garuda Indonesia, allowing our customers to enjoy a seamless travel experience and access to one of the fastest growing markets."
Erik Meijer, EVP Marketing & Sales Garuda Indonesia, welcomed the partnership between Delta and Garuda Indonesia today. "This partnership is part of Garuda's strategy to enhance its network worldwide, especially to the United States. Through this codeshare agreement, both carriers will offer more options to our respective customers for more convenient schedules and seamless travel between the two countries. This partnership is also part of Delta and Garuda's initiative as joint members of the SkyTeam global alliance," said Erik.
"We are now starting this partnership with two very popular destinations in the US, Los Angeles and Seattle; both very popular with Indonesian travellers. I am certain that Garuda Indonesia and Delta will soon be able to add more destinations and flights to this agreement to further increase choices for passengers on both sides. Indonesia is one of the world's most popular holiday destinations and has now become much easier to reach for people in the U.S. through this new cooperation between our companies. And of course we should also not forget the important contribution this will have to the development of economic, business, social, and cultural activities in Indonesia, the United States, and beyond," added Erik.
The codeshare flights, operated with Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, feature full-flat bed seats with direct aisle access in BusinessElite, Economy Comfort seating and in-flight entertainment in every seat throughout the aircraft. Delta's BusinessElite service includes a five-course gourmet meal, paired with a wine menu curated by Master Sommelier, Andrea Robinson. The in-flight experience is completed with Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, which includes exclusively designed pillows and comforters, as well as Tumi amenity kits with products from Malin+Goetz.
To perfectly match this in-flight experience, Garuda Indonesia will operate its Airbus A330-300 for the Jakarta - Haneda route. These aircraft feature a two class premium layout, with 36 seats in Business Class that convert to full flat beds and the award-winning extra spacious Economy cabin with an average seat pitch of 33-34 inches and personal inflight entertainment in every seat.
About Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 165 million customers each year. This year, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the third time in four years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 333 destinations in 64 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.
About PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk.
Presenting a new level of service excellence in air travel, Garuda Indonesia, the national airline of Indonesia, seamlessly connects more than 60 destinations worldwide to not only one of the largest economies in Southeast Asia, but also an array of exotic locations in the beautiful archipelago of Indonesia all at once. With close to 600 daily flights and a fleet of around 140 aircraft (the average age of which is less than 6 years old), Garuda Indonesia proudly serves its passengers with the award-winning "Garuda Indonesia Experience" service, which highlights Indonesia's warm hospitality and rich diverse culture.
The airline continuously strives, through its ongoing transformation program, to provide better and more convenient services with one of the youngest fleets in the sky, which should grow to around 194 aircraft by 2015. The progress of Garuda Indonesia's Quantum Leap program towards becoming one of the best airlines in the world, can be seen from its achievement to rank as the 8th best airline in the world in the 2013 SkyTrax airline ranking (http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2013/Airline2013.htm), and its winning the prestigious World's Best Economy Class award from SkyTrax in 2013. (http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2013/yclass.htm). Garuda Indonesia was also named "Best in Region: Asia and Australasia" at the global Passengers Choice Awards 2013.
In March 2014, Garuda Indonesia joined SkyTeam, the global airline alliance with 20 members, providing access to an extensive global network with over 15,700 daily flights to 1,064 destinations in 178 countries.
For further information, please visit www.garuda-indonesia.com, Twitter: @IndonesiaGaruda, youtube.com/GarudaIndonesia1949 or facebook.com/PT.GarudaIndonesia.
Contact:
Delta Corporate Communications
+81-3-5400-7145
Garuda Indonesia Corporate Communications
+62-1-2560-1068
corpcomm@garuda-indonesia.com
Editor: PR Wire
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