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Getting on the nonstop New York to Nairobi Kenya Airways flight from elsewhere in the United States just got easier, thanks to an expanded partnership agreement with Delta the Kenyan airline inked on Monday.
Passengers wishing to get on the popular Kenya Airways nonstop flight from other parts of the U.S. that Delta flies to can now book that flight on Delta.com. The Nairobi-based airline launched its nonstop service from New York to Nairobi in the fall of 2018 and is still the only non-stop connection between East Africa and the United States.
If planning to fly from Chicago to Nairobi for example, the Kenya Airways New York flight is one of the options Delta.com provides. From Nairobi, passengers have options of more than 30 single connection destinations from the Kenya Airways hub.
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In early 2022 Kenya Airways entered an agreement with JetBlue to feed passengers to its New York flight with luggage checked through to Nairobi but that agreement pales in comparison with the new one with Delta. The one with Delta, as the second largest airline in the United States, comes with 57 destinations across the U.S. and Canada.
The two airlines were already members of the SkyTeam Alliance but the enhanced partnership, which the two sides described as “strategic,” also comes with more frequent flier benefits for both carriers’ loyalty club members.
Delta’s President of International, Mr. Alain Bellemare and Kenya Airways CEO, Mr. Allan Kilavuka, signed the strategic agreement at Delta headquarters in Atlanta flanked by executives from both airlines.
“At a time when we are seeing unprecedented demand for travel between North America and Africa, expanding our strategic partnership with Kenya Airways offers our customers more travel options as well as supports our priority to deepen our presence across the African continent,” said Bellemare.
Mr. Kilavuka hailed the agreement as one that will enhance connectivity between Africa and the U.S.
“The expansion of the codeshare is historic as it not only allows KQ to expand its footprint in the U.S., providing seamless connectivity on a single ticket for those travelling for business, leisure or studies. It also offers seamless connectivity to those visiting Africa for similar reasons through JFK into KQ’s hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi,” said Kilavuka.
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About Tom Gitaa Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the boards of New Vision Foundation and the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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