Delta & Saudia Codeshare Partnership: Delta Goes All-In On Saudi Arabia

Delta Air Lines and Saudia Airlines have both long been part of the SkyTeam alliance, but haven’t had much cooperation beyond that. That’s about to change, and I can’t help but cover this, and talk about the bigger picture implications.

Delta & Saudia strengthen partnership

Delta and Saudia have signed a codeshare agreement, which builds on the existing interline relationship that the two airlines have.

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This codeshare agreement will enable greater connectivity between the United States and the Middle East, as Delta customers will gain access to nine destinations in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East beyond Saudia’s hubs in Jeddah (JED) and Riyadh (RUH), while Saudia customers will gain access to 12 destinations in the United States beyond Delta’s hubs in New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX).

For those not familiar, a codeshare agreement allows an airline to place its “code” on the flight of another airline, essentially marketing that flight. So this means that on Delta’s website you’ll start to see Saudia flights with Delta flight numbers, and vice versa. It’s a closer level of cooperation than an interline agreement or mutual alliance membership, but it’s not as close as a joint venture.

There are no plans to adjust the frequent flyer cooperation that already exists between the two airlines. You’ll continue to be able to earn and redeem points for travel on the other airline, and can also take advantage of SkyTeam elite perks.

Here’s how Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s SVP of Alliances, describes this:

“Saudia’s growing Jeddah hub and extensive network bring Delta customers closer to greater access to destinations across one of the world’s most important economic regions. Strengthening our partnership responds to customer demand for more travel choice between the Gulf and North America.”

Meanwhile here’s how Arved Von Zur Muehlen, Saudia’s Chief Commercial Officer, describes this:

“Signing this codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines reflects Saudia’s commitment to expanding its flight network, providing seamless travel experiences and enhancing its global connectivity. This provides Saudia’s guests with more travel options, promoting the local tourism sector and allowing international visitors to discover the diversity of the Kingdom’s attractions.”

“This partnership between two legacy airlines fosters greater collaboration between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States, opening up new possibilities for commercial and tourism relations. We look forward to furthering our cooperation and exploring additional opportunities with Delta.”

Delta is going all-in on Saudi Arabia

What’s interesting is that in July 2024, Delta and Riyadh Air announced plans to launch a close partnership. Riyadh Air is Saudi Arabia’s ambitious airline startup, launching flights in 2025. This is intended to be a pretty close collaboration, as Delta intends to fly to Riyadh, and the airlines may even pursue a joint venture in the future.

Now we’re also seeing Delta strengthening ties with Saudia. The airlines could’ve had a closer relationship for years, but are only choosing to do so now. That should tell you a lot about how Delta hasn’t seen much merit to such a partnership up until this point.

Presumably this is happening now as part of a bigger push for Saudi Arabia on Delta’s part. Saudia and Riyadh Air aren’t really competitors — both are owned by the government of Saudi Arabia, and the intent is that in the long run, Saudia will be the primary airline of Jeddah, while Riyadh Air will be the airline of Riyadh.

Delta has done a great job building close partnerships around the globe, by investing in airlines, and forming joint ventures. However, the Middle East is a region where Delta really lags the competition.

American and Qatar Airways have a strategic alliance, American flies to Doha, and both airlines also belong to the oneworld alliance. American also has a partnership with Etihad, but it’s definitely the carrier’s second tier partner. Meanwhile United and Emirates have a strategic alliance, and United flies to Dubai. Meanwhile up until this point, Delta just had an interline agreement with Saudia, and basically nothing else.

Look, could the Delta and Riyadh Air partnership be awesome a decade down the road? Yes, it’s absolutely a possibility. But if you’re a Delta customer and want to fly to the Middle East and beyond now, Delta really won’t be of much help.

Now Delta is partnering with Saudia, which, ummm, isn’t exactly the preferred “premium” airline among US consumers. I mean, I’ve seen the bar at Delta Sky Club®, and I can assure that most Medallion members won’t be very happy with the drink list on Saudia. 😉

I’m not necessarily surprised to see this partnership, though I think we can all agree that Delta is simply picking up the scraps of what’s left here, rather than having first dibs, and that’s rather out of character for the airline. I still feel like a Delta and Etihad partnership is a missed opportunity, in terms of relationships between the “big three” US carriers and “big three” Gulf carriers.

Bottom line

Delta and Saudia are developing a closer relationship. While the two airlines are both part of SkyTeam, they’ll soon launch a codeshare agreement, whereby they’ll market the flights of the other airlines. This comes just months after Delta and Riyadh Air announced plans to launch a partnership, though that’s more theoretical than anything else at this point.

So while American has a strong partner in Qatar, and United has a strong partner in the UAE, Delta is doubling down on Saudi Arabia. It’ll be interesting to see how this all evolves…

What do you make of this Delta & Saudia codeshare agreement?