United Airlines Expands Code Share Service To African Destinations

CHICAGO, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today announced that it will expand its presence in Africa with the introduction of code share service through its Star Alliance partner Lufthansa to Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; and Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. The expansion is subject to foreign government approval. Once implemented, the new West African markets will bring the number of destinations served via code share by United on the African continent to ten.

Through its code share agreement with Lufthansa, United serves Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa; Harare, Zimbabwe; Windoek, Namibia; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Asmara, Eritrea.

According to Stuart Oran, United senior vice president-international, the opportunity to expand code share service in Africa is largely due to the consistent growth in demand for U.S.-Africa travel, and the need to provide consumers with an expanded global network. United's expansion has also been facilitated by the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Safe Skies for Africa Initiative.

``We at United are deeply gratified by the attention the DOT has focused on the expansion of U.S. carrier services to Africa through code sharing,'' said Oran. ``United customers who now enjoy unparalleled access to African destinations are the primary beneficiaries of Secretary Slater's Safe Skies for Africa Initiative.''

Since their strategic alliance began in 1994, United Airlines and Lufthansa have provided millions of customers with access to hundreds of destinations throughout the world with the convenience of flying on just one airline. Both airlines are members of Star Alliance, the world's leading airline network.