Jet Airways signs code share agreement with Australia's Qantas

In a move to flutter high in the international skies, one of India’s leading carrier Jet Airways on Thursday signed a code share agreement with Australia's Qantas and said it would start flights to the US by 2007.

After the code share agreement between the two carriers, passengers now have enough choice to choose from both the airlines, even as Jet also announced a third direct Delhi-Singapore flight starting Sep 6.

“The code share service will be effective on the Delhi-Singapore and Mumbai-Singapore routes,” Jet Airways CEO Wolfgong Prock-Shauer said. “After Qantas, Jet Airways is planning to sign such agreements with some other top airlines which are leaders in their regions,” he added.

Under the agreement, the two carriers can book travelers in each other's flights for travel between India and Australia via Singapore.

Emphasizing on the significance of the code share deal, Stephen Limbrick, regional general manager for South-east Asia, Qantas said, “The agreement will expand Qantas' reach in India allowing it to offer services with greater frequency between Mumbai and Sydney.”

Telling about the introductory offers of airline’s third direct Delhi-Singapore flight, Gaurang Shetty, vice president (marketing), Jet Airways said, “The daily service will be operated from Sep 6 with a special economy class inaugural return fare of Rs.10,000. The special fare offer will remain valid till Sep 30.”

The flight will depart at 0835 hrs (Indian Standard Time) everyday and reach Singapore's Changi airport at 1650 hrs (local time) the same day. And, the return flight will depart from Changi airport at 2300 hrs (local time) and arrive in Delhi at 0215 hrs (IST) the next day.

“The economy class return airfares will range from Rs.14,500 to Rs.31,655 while business class fares range from Rs.48,400 to Rs.61,235 exclusive of taxes,” an official statement issued by the airline, stated.

Meanwhile, expressing the reason for launching the US flight only by next year, CEO Wolfgong said, "Deliveries of our new aircraft will start by January next year and by summer of 2007, we should be able to start our flights to the US when we get our new Boeing 777 aircraft."

Also the airline, which is serving domestic and international routes and is scheduled to get the first delivery of new A330 aircraft in January 2007, would make its Amritsar-London flights a routine service, Wolfgong added.