Delta and Flybe filed with the DOT for permission to add the DL code on all BE flights effective ASAP. Looks like DL wants the opportunity to connect pax onward via UK gateways and such.

Timing and other details of the partnership still pending.

(Link to further details on my site; you've been warned per FT rules)

From the article...

Oof. Brutal.

I'll be honest - I know relatively little about Flybe. I'm just curious how much good this will actually do DL. I mean, their fleet is almost entirely Dash-8's. That's pretty cool from an aviation enthusiast's perspective, I guess.

Flybe was recently bought by a consortium consisting of Virgin Atlantic and some other aviation companies. The plan is to integrate Flybe into the existing VS route network as a short-haul carrier. Considering the existing DL/VS partnership, this makes sense since Flybe will eventually become "Virgin Connect".

They were purchased by Virgin Atlantic et al. last year and are rebranding as Virgin Connect this year. They offer a lot of regional flight destinations that AF/KL don't, especially in the UK and Ireland. If you're stateside and looking to get to these smaller cities and/or destinations being able to route through LHR/LGW/MAN and onward would now be an option with this new codeshare.

Think Isle of Man, Knock, Inverness, Jersey, Nottingham, etc. Some of the destinations Flybe flies to Amsterdam and Paris but not London or Manchester.

According to the report, Delta's looking to add their code into flights to both the UK and the EU. So you could presumably fly through CDG/AMS to a random destination in the UK that neither AF/KL fly.

While I doubt this will help Delta the airline, I imagine this will help Delta the company. Delta owns half of Virgin Atlantic, who now owns Flybe. BE's been struggling, so anything to fill their planes and make money helps Delta the company, even if the airline doesn't see much from it.

I agree that BE's future as a company is not in jeopardy, but based on UK industry experts and initial indications from VS, their network in its current form may see some rationalization that will include axing of some smaller, unprofitable routes.

This is helpful for me and I�ve been waiting for this as i routinely need to go between London and Dublin.

Unfortunately, Flybe doesn't fly between London and Dublin.

This is a great move. Was always very surprised by the lack of onward connections in LHR with DL/VS compared to what AA/BA offer.

Seems logical for DL and BE to hook up in some form, but I'm surprised that they're [saying they're] adding a DL code to all of BE's flights... A fair bit of BE's network must surely be divorced from DL flights at both ends?

VS at one time did previously operate select intra-UK flights. However they went away. VS does offer fares with BA connections. AF/KL covers the rest.

At present FlyBe only serves Aberdeen and Edinburgh from LHR (Newquay and Guernsey end in MArch)

It has a bigger presence at LCY and only one flight (at present) from LGW - the Newquay flight that moves there in March

Where it will help DL is at Edinburgh and Manchester (where VS is expnding) and offering UK and EU connections (in addition to those offered by Af-KL to CDG and AMS). And would be possible to link to the seasonal DL flight to GLA

So on the surface it offers little but when you get granular there is more than first meets the wye

As to the ownership VS only owns 30% of Flybe. 30% is owned by Stobart and the remaing 40% by a venture capital firm

Still leaves a lot of flights that would have very little to do with the DL network. They're always going to be an awkward prospect - evidently not making money but much of the network provides connectivity that is not sensibly replicated by road or rail.

From a personal point of view, I'd probably be better off if BE finally bit the dust. Living now in AMS and my family being ten minutes from BHX, planning far enough out to get a reasonable price on KL is too restrictive, but I don't trust BE to be in business more than about four weeks out... Since I'm happy enough on U2 for flights that long, BE vacating the AMS-BHX/EMA markets and leaving them to orangeJet would suit me just fine.

Does codeshare partner = mileage earnings?

FlyBE fly to:
From AMS: Birmingham, East Midlands, Exeter, London�City, Manchester, Newquay (soon), Southampton
From CDG: Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Manchester, Southampton

Given the strong DL / KL/AF tie in, this makes perfect sense.

plus it connects their new MAN/Manchester flight
From MAN: Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Belfast�City, D�sseldorf, Edinburgh, Exeter, Hanover, Isle of Man, Jersey, Knock, Luxembourg, Lyon, Newquay, Paris�Charles de Gaulle, Southampton, Stuttgart (begins 29 March 2020), Seasonal: Chamb�ry

And for their GLA flight
From GLA: Belfast-City, Birmingham, Exeter, London-Southend (begins 29 March 2020), Southampton; Seasonal: Jersey, Newquay

And for their EDI flight
From EDI: Belfast�City, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Knock, London�City, London�Heathrow, London�Southend (begins 15 June 2020),Manchester, Newquay, Southampton; Seasonal: Bergerac

And if they decide to fly to Birmingham...
From BHX: Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Belfast�City, Berlin�Tegel, D�sseldorf, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guernsey, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Knock, Paris�Charles de Gaulle, Stuttgart; Seasonal: Avignon, Bergerac, Bordeaux, Brest, Chamb�ry, Geneva, La Rochelle, Lyon, Milan�Malpensa, Nantes, Newquay

d�oh! I swear I saw it on the city list. Ah well, fortunately it�s a short flight so the mileage loss is minimal.