CO_Nonrev_elite

Turkish is the next Star Alliance member to codeshare with another airline that isn't United despite UA flying the routes. LH, SQ etc all do this also. While I could be wrong, I don't see the same thing happening so much within SkyTeam or Oneworld. I don't see airlines in SkyTeam codesharing with United etc when DL flies the route. I know SQ were tired of the poor service their customers were receiving on UA, is this the same for Turkish ?

mduell

What else would it be? VX doesn't have a frequency advantage in any market I can think of. Maybe mainline where UA offers RJ?

emcampbe

Do you know OneWorld or SkyTeam does this less? Or is that speculation?

IME, I booked a TK ticket from CVG a few years ago, and the connector from CVG to ORD and vice-versa was on AA. For the 200 or so miles, it didn't matter to me. Not a big deal.

My thought at the time that it was just who they contracted with on that route at the time, and very possibly a long-term, pre-* agreement for that route. I have no idea if it's the same today. But this was in early 2012, IIRC, so this is not a new thing.

As has also been speculated elsewhere, it could very well be a $ issue - TK makes more off an agreement with Virgin that they would with UA on the route. Or the connections are better.

On the other hand, is it actually a codeshare with Virgin, or just an onward connection (I.e. TK flight XXXX operated by Virgin America, or a ticket with a Virgin flight doing the domestic connector)? These are very different things. For the record, at least IME, UA isn't very close with TK like some other * carriers and doesn't codeshare with them at all, as far as I recall. I could be wrong on that, but if not, I wonder if part of that decision is because of UAs close relationship to LH, which has been upset with TK because of their big expansions in recent years that they feel is ceding on their traditional territory, including on ex-Germany routes. That could potentially play into TKs decision to try and use other U.S. Carriers more.

Honestly, you're probably reading more into this than is there in terms of a conspiracy for foreign star carriers to use others besides UA.

Kacee

As of last year, TK was selling ps flights as TK codeshares. So if you wanted to fly SFO-IST, TK would sell you SFO-JFK on UA and JFK-IST on TK. For around $4000 in J. Don't know if they still do that.

CO_Nonrev_elite

Most airlines can interlude as you mention, but most do not put their code on the flight unless they are in the same alliance etc. Turkish are actually codesharing (not merely interlining). This suggests they prefer their customers to fly on Virgin than on UA despite the alliance. This was the same for LH and SQ

sfozrhfco

TK already has their own flights from SFO to IST so no need to connect people on UA through JFK.

CALMSP

actually has nothing to do with what they prefer their customers to fly on but more so on $. Distribution of ticket value probably differs between VX/UA to a point where that partnership isn't a good business decision.

Too much travel

Exactly. Additionally, I don't understand why so many customers obsess about alliances: the cold hard fact is that alliances by definition are not singular entities with a shared P&L, and nor are they partnerships in the true sense of the word. Instead, they are just loose associations of rational economic actors with their own agenda. In fact, airlines within the same alliance are in effect competitors to each other, not "partners" as per the marketing line.

The exception to the above is when airlines (whether they are in the same alliance or not) become ATI partners, as for example the AC/LH/UA TATL JV. In such a case, why UA want to "help" TK by providing a short-haul domestic US connection when it could try to win over the lucrative long-haul segment as well by sending the passenger via a combination of LH and UA?

mduell

Have you looked? There's tons of examples.

JL and QR codeshare on B6 for routes their oneworld alliance partner AA also serves.