Qantas will codeshare on American Airlines flights to 28 new destinations from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), American's largest hub. American Airlines will begin codesharing on Qantas services between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth as well as domestic services from Brisbane to Adelaide, Canberra, Cairns, Melbourne and Perth.

The expansion comes ahead of the launch of direct Qantas services from Sydney to DFW, on May 16 2011, and will give Qantas customers unparalleled access to a wide range of major cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. New destinations include Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville and New York (Newark) - as well as Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver.

Members of both airlines' loyalty programs - the American Airlines AAdvantage program and Qantas Frequent Flyer program - are able to accrue and redeem miles/points across the combined networks of both carriers.

As revealed earlier in 2011, Qantas and American Airlines will shortly seek regulatory approval for closer collaboration from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and other relevant authorities.

Rob Gurney, group executive Qantas airlines commercial, said: “The new codeshares will help maximize the benefits of the new DFW service for passengers and underpin the enhancement of the Qantas-American Airlines relationship. This is an important step for Qantas as we prepare to begin flying to Dallas/Fort Worth and seek to deepen our relationship with American Airlines.

“Expanding our codeshare arrangement with American Airlines allows us to capitalize fully on DFW's position as a major hub airport for business and leisure travel. As well as most major US cities, Qantas customers will be able to travel through DFW to Canada and Mexico, including such destinations as Toronto, Vancouver, Cancun and Mexico City.”

Virasb Vahidi, chief commercial officer of American's, said: “Our expanded codeshare relationship with Qantas makes it easier and more convenient for our customers to travel on the global networks of both airlines. We are pleased to give our respective customers unprecedented access to destinations across North America and Australia.”

Will the expansion benefit the firms?

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