Qantas, Jetstar expand codeshare agreement

Qantas has expanded its codeshare agreement with Jetstar to allow passengers traveling between Australia and Thailand to use either airline on the same trip. Qantas is adding its QF code to Jetstar’s Sydney-Phuket, Melbourne-Phuket and Melbourne-Bangkok services. SEE: Dispelling the myths about flying This means passengers will be able to travel with Jetstar on the outbound leg and return with Qantas, a move the airline says gives them greater flexibility. Jetstar operates its Boeing 787 Dreamliners between Thailand and Melbourne and Sydney. It flies Sydney-Phuket Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and Melbourne-Phuket on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. The Bangkok services run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. REVIEW: Qantas exit row a happy option to New Zealand. Qantas customers traveling on Jetstar earn frequent flyer points and status credits, get a complimentary hot meal, pre-landing refreshment and seat-back entertainment as well as a comfort pack with a pillow, blanket and eye mask. Their international baggage allowance follows them for their entire journey and is checked through between the Qantas domestic Jetstar international terminal in Sydney. They can also use the Qantas transfer bus when transferring between Qantas and Jetstar flights. The two airlines were initially kept separate but Qantas now codes to 50 destinations on Jetstar Group services to and within Asia. In other codeshare news, traveling between Hawaii and the US East Coast is set to become easier thanks to an expanded codeshare agreement between Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue. JetBlue and Hawaiian are teaming up at Boston’s Logan International Airport from April to codeshare on Hawaiian’s new non-stop Honolulu flights. The codeshare is also available for JetBlue flights originating in 26 cities that will connect to Hawaiian’s service through Boston. The cities include Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Cleveland. Hawaiian will begin its five-day-a-week service to Boston on April 4. The airline says Boston is the largest US market without nonstop service to Hawaii and almost 500 people fly daily between eastern New England and the Islands.