Virgin Atlantic inks codeshare partnership with Middle East Airlines
Virgin Atlantic has announced a new unilateral codeshare agreement with Middle East Airlines-Air Liban to offer easy connections between the US and Beirut via London Heathrow.
Customers booking through Virgin Atlantic are now able to travel between US airports such as Boston, New York JFK and Los Angeles and Beirut, connecting the two airlines at London Heathrow Terminal 3 on a single booking and one-time check in.
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: "We’re delighted to launch this new codeshare partnership with’ MEA Middle East Airlines Air Liban. As we’ recover from the pandemic,’partnerships are more important than’ ever, and’ we look forward to’ building on the successful interline’ relationship we have had’ in place for a number of years."
There is a large diaspora population of Lebanese living in the US, and the new partnership aims to meet demand to visit friends and relatives as travel opens up again, as well as leisure and business travel.
Walid Abillama, Head of Commercial Strategy and Alliances at Middle East Airlines, said: "Our interline relationship with Virgin Atlantic was the first to target the US travel market to Beirut, and so it is natural for us to partner with Virgin Atlantic and build the first US codeshare agreement."
"We are hopeful that this partnership will reintegrate Beirut within the global economy as a post Covid-19 travel destination."
Air Liban (MEA) was established in 1945 and has its home base in Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut,
It operates flights to 32 international destinations in Europe, the Middle East and West Africa.
MEA is also a member of the SkyTeam global alliance.
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