United Airlines Extends Reach Via Aer Lingus Pact

United Airlines flyers will be able to book connecting flights on Aer Lingus’s network from November 1. The new arrangement will afford UA (United’s code) flyers seamless booking, coordinated baggage handling, simplified reservations, ticketing and check-in. That’s just the first step. Starting in April 2009, Aer Lingus will place its EI code on United’s domestic flights. The move will give Aer Lingus flyers access to UA’s entire North American network.

Code-shares are a way airlines can extend their reach, without having to incur the expense of starting flights to far-flung places on their own.

The code-share deal will cover all six of Aer Lingus’s U.S. gateways: New York Kennedy (JFK), Boston (BOS), Orlando (MCO), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington, DC Dulles (IAD).

The UA flight code is now available on all Aer Lingus transatlantic flights to and from Ireland, as well as on flights between Ireland and London Heathrow (LHR) and London Gatwick (LGW) airports.

The pact encompasses frequent-flyer program reciprocity.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler