Alaska & Korean Air Plan Codeshare Partnership: A Delta Betrayal, Or...? - Alaska

Alaska & Korean Air Plan Codeshare Partnership: A Delta Betrayal, Or...?

Ben Schlappig — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 23:53:40 +0000

Korean Air will be reinstating a codeshare agreement with one of its former partners, but not necessarily because it wants to…

Continue reading: Alaska & Korean Air Plan Codeshare Partnership: A Delta Betrayal, Or…?

Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.

Brent — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:35:59 +0000

Just a Korean Government requirement for the KE/OZ merger to go through.

Tim Dunn — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:11:06 +0000

this type of requirement has been commonly used by governments to prevent a carrier from using its market strength to harm competitors. but even if it wasn't a requirement, DL and KE have lots of reason to throw a few bones to AS and other non-DL/KL JV airlines. JVs don't have indefinite approvals. AS is trying desperately to build a TPAC system and it is very doubtful that ICN is doing well for them or ever will. DL and KE operate their TPAC systems as a JV so any additional passengers that AS helps put on KE helps DL. additional beyond ICN traffic that AS puts on KE helps the integration process with OZ. DL and KE including OZ's current capacity - which will be rearranged and redeployed - now have the world's largest TPAC JV with the most capacity at a single Asian hub. DL and KE will use their JV to open new routes across the Pacific to cities and on routes that have never had TPAC service. Unike other airlines, DL has proven it wins without crushing its competitors or wishing them out of existence. and AS faces enormous financial challenges due to high fuel prices and strong competition to/from/within Hawaii on top of high fuel prices and the need to settle with labor. AS' moves so far indicate that it is far from success and its HA acquisition could end up just like w/ Virgin America.

MaxPower — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 02:55:36 +0000

again. post the data, tiger. you claim to have the data. Post it or STFU

MaxPower — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 02:50:41 +0000

@Debbie Jetatl sounds a lot like "jetlanta" from airliners.net He posts a lot of pro delta nonsense and knows all the mods on the website to protect his business and get anything negative about him deleted but he was let go by delta in 2005 and basically runs a "Music Man" sham company that small airports fall for his sleight of hand and mirror tricks. He's basically Tim Dunn Delta schill that doesn't post as much but convinces small airports he knows something. It's an impressive way to build a company but no one in the airline industry takes him seriously. nor should you.

Steve_from_Seattle — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 02:40:57 +0000

Thanks for finding this.

S_LEE — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 22:34:53 +0000

I don't know if Ben will read this comment, but.. I wanted to share what I found about this matter. It really is a regulatory requirement. You can find it from the PDF press release of Korea Fair Trade Commission here : https://www.ftc.go.kr/eng/selectBbsNttView.do?key=563&bordCd=821&nttSn=13529 In , it says: "Not reject the following requests of new entrants without good cause: - Transferring slots at foreign airports - Signing the Fare Combinability Agreement, Interline Agreement, Codeshare Agreement" It applies to 26 international routes, and Alaska is the remedy taker for ICN-SEA route. Therefore, Korean Air must not reject any codeshare request from them without a good reason. Other remedy takers include Air Premia(HNL), Virgin Atlantic(LHR), United(EWR), T'way(many European routes), etc., so technically they can all request codeshares with Korean Air. VS already have codeshares(they're SkyTeam anyway), and it remains to be seen if United will do so, too.

S_LEE — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:50:50 +0000

I finally found the answer from Korea Fair Trade Commission. It really is a regulatory requirement. It's in the PDF file here : https://www.ftc.go.kr/eng/selectBbsNttView.do?key=563&bordCd=821&nttSn=13529 It says : Not reject the following requests of new entrants without good cause: - Transferring slots at foreign airports - Signing the Fare Combinability Agreement, Interline Agreement, Codeshare Agreement So, Korean Air should not reject any codeshare request from remedy takers, and Alaska is one of them.

Steve_from_Seattle — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:29:37 +0000

Nice to hear from you, Tim. That said, I don't agree that it makes good business sense for Delta. It might for Korean because they will actually get additional traffic out of it beyond ICN. For Delta, though, it's entirely uncharacteristic to do this. Have you forgotten how DL responded when AS announced its new SEA-FCO flights? They matched that route and also added SEA-BCN. Of course, after that, AS responded by making SEA-FCO daily, which has been the story of the Battle of Seattle for a while now. (Domestically, AS flies to more nonstop destinations from SEA than DL does and where they compete directly, AS usually offers more frequencies.). So, by your logic, why do you think DL hasn't pushed for more AS code sharing on TATL route connections, since they also have a TATL JV to protect? Your response about excess capacity to ICN is interesting. I am not sure what markets that don't currently have service to ICN are big enough to support nonstop service but sometimes, if you build it, they will come. SEA-TPE is a good example, as it recently went from 1 carrier with up to 2 flights per day to 4 carriers and up to 5 flights per day. And it has seen good load factors. OTOH, there is What new cities do you think will get ICN nonstop service? Sometimes, if you build it, they will come, but there is also a reason hub and spoke models have been so successful for so many airlines. Given the distances involved, it would have to be someplace with high yields and load factors to make it work.

Tim Dunn — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:06:36 +0000

Delta Korean and Asiana I have far more seats to the United States from Seoul than American, United and their partners have from Tokyo Too bad you have no critical thinking skills