Delta Air Lines scored a coup when it announced plans to link up with LATAM, South America’s largest airline network, last fall and purchased a 20 percent stake in the carrier. LATAM was formerly a member of the Oneworld alliance until May 1, and a strong partner with American Airlines. The two carriers dominated the Latin American region until Delta stepped in to form a joint venture with the carrier and strengthen its own position across the Americas.
That’s good news for SkyMiles members and less exciting news for American AAdvantage members because the new joint venture, which was signed on May 7, can affect how fliers earn and redeem miles.
With this latest transaction, Delta and LATAM are quickly integrating their operations. Once regulators approve the partnership, the two carriers will combine their route networks in North and South American.
“Late last year, we set out to build the leading strategic alliance in Latin America together with LATAM, and while the industry landscape has changed, our commitment to this joint venture is as strong as ever,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement announcing the airlines’ agreement. “Even as our carriers contend with the impact of COVID-19 on our business and take steps to protect the safety of our customers and employees, we are also building the airline alliance we know they’ll want to fly in the future.”
This means a host of new travel benefits will be available for Delta fliers as air travel starts again after the pandemic. Here’s what you need to know to take advantage of the new partnership.
Changes happening now
After leaving Oneworld, LATAM does not currently have plans to join the Delta-led SkyTeam alliance, although it will offer many shared benefits for Delta fliers. The South American airline will move its flights at New York JFK from the American-dominated Terminal 8 to Delta’s Terminal 4 hub to facilitate faster flight connections. Delta is doing the same in Sao Paulo Guarulhos, moving its flights to LATAM’s main Terminal 3 operation there.
The airlines are already codesharing on some South American flights within Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, with more to come as the partnership grows this year including flights within Brazil and the United States. Codesharing means both airlines sell seats on the same flight, and airlines work closely to coordinate schedules for more ideal connection times between other flights.
For fans of Delta SkyMiles traveling southbound, this is certainly good news as there will be a lot more connecting options between the Americas.
More benefits for elite fliers on the way
Since April 1, Delta and LATAM frequent flier program members have been able to earn and redeem miles on each other’s flights thanks to their initial codeshare agreement. This is an important benefit for travelers, but further perks are also coming for each airline’s elite-level fliers in both Delta and LATAM programs thanks to the new joint venture. Reciprocal top-tier loyalty recognition between the two airlines is expected to be available sometime in June, as is mutual access to each carrier’s airport lounges.
While you can book many Delta and LATAM codeshare flights online at the moment, more will appear in the coming months as the joint venture agreement gets approved by more South American governments.
LATAM was already very strong in the south Florida market with several flights a day from Miami to various South American cities. To provide more connecting passengers for these flights, Delta will add flights from many U.S. cities like Orlando, Salt Lake City, and Tampa to Miami. Both airlines already use the same Miami terminal so these additional flights provide more choice to reach Miami and beyond.
American or Oneworld flier? It’s not all bad news.
While this dealt a blow to the number of connecting opportunities Oneworld passengers have between the two continents, there's some positive news as well. American quickly announced a new partnership with Brazilian airline GOL, giving travelers the opportunity to earn and redeem miles on each other’s flights. The two airlines are also placing reciprocal codeshares on each other’s flights, which makes it easier to purchase connecting flights across their networks. It also gives American fliers access to destinations where the carrier does not currently fly, like Asuncion, Paraguay, and a host of Brazilian domestic cities.
American is also increasing the number of flights it operates to South America, including a second daily flight between Miami and Rio de Janeiro; Santiago, Chile; and São Paulo during winter months. Another frequency is being added between Miami and Lima, Peru, too. To provide more connecting passengers for these international flights, American is boosting domestic frequencies to Miami from cities like Boston, Houston, and Nashville.
The more partner flights there are across the board, the more opportunities to earn and use those hard-earned miles.
