British Airways Launches Codeshare With Malaysian Airlines

LONDON, UK: British Airways and Malaysian Airlines cabin crew at London Heathrow on 27 September 2019. The airlines have announced a codeshare agreement. (Picture by Nick Morrish/British Airways)

In the past few months, new airline codeshares have been popping up, such as Qatar Airways and China Southern, Finnair and LATAM, and Virgin Atlantic and GOL. Following its industry counterparts, British Airways just announced its newest codeshare with Oneworld partner, Malaysia Airlines.

This new partnership will include 14 destinations across six countries, including Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The codeshare will expand British Airways’ network between Great Britain and the Asian Pacific, as well as give its customers more options in regards to routes, fares, and destinations between the two regions. Not only does this partnership give BA customers more flexibility, but it will also enhance their frequent flyer program, giving rewards members more benefits for upgrades, hotels, and other luxuries. Tickets on these new routes will be available for purchase on the British Airways website starting October 9th.

The agreement is also a major win for Malaysia Airlines. Passengers on nonstop flights from Kuala Lumpur to London can now book onward flights to Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, and New Castle on the Malaysia Airlines website. Pending regulatory approval, Malaysia will also codeshare with British Airways on flights to major European cities, such as Copenhagen and Barcelona.

Malaysia Airlines CEO, Izham Ismail, expressed his excitement in the new partnership in a statement: “Malaysia Airlines is excited about the increased opportunities this codeshare with British Airways will bring for visitors from across the United Kingdom to explore the range of unique destinations that Malaysia has to offer. This development coincides with the launch of Visit Malaysia 2020, a landmark initiative uniting industry players behind a shared goal of welcoming 30 million tourists to Malaysia in the year 2020, making the upcoming year a particularly exciting time to visit and enjoy the country’s warm hospitality and diverse cultural attractions.”

British Airways’ Director of Networks and Alliances, Neil Chernoff, added: “This codeshare with Malaysia Airlines further strengthens the destination proposition for our customers, giving them more benefits when flying to Asia and South West Pacific. Malaysia Airlines shares our commitment to excellent customer service, and we are delighted that we can introduce more of our customers to their network.”