bmi announces new codeshare partnership with SWISS
bmi, British Midland International, has announced a new codeshare with sister airline SWISS. Under the agreement, bmi will codeshare with SWISS, also part of the Lufthansa group, on all UK to Switzerland routes including Zurich, Geneva and Basel.
The new codeshare with SWISS is effective immediately for travel from 3 March 2010 and will allow bmi to offer fares between Zurich, Geneva and Basel from London Heathrow, London City, Manchester, Birmingham International and Edinburgh and improve connections between Switzerland and the wider bmi network.
The partnership builds on an already successful relationship between the two carriers in opening the route London Heathrow to Geneva in January 2010, in response to strong customer demand. The developing partnership will offer even greater flexibility to customers of both carriers and in particular will connect Scottish and Northern England passengers to SWISS’ network of 76 destinations worldwide (via Switzerland).
Katherine Gershon, Sales and Marketing Director, bmi said the new agreement is part of the airline’s strategy of further expanding and developing its route network within the Lufthansa family. “Our new codeshare agreement with SWISS is in response to demand and will provide significant benefit to customers, opening up the beautiful country of Switzerland. The alliance will mean our customers will have the opportunity to travel on new services between our key departure points, Switzerland and beyond.”
Gregor Koncilja, SWISS’ country manager for the UK and Ireland, said: “We are proud to solidify our alliance with bmi, which is a result of a long term mutual respect between our two airlines. This agreement will contribute to a healthy competition with other carriers and network alliances. This alliance is a response to increasing customer demand and provides significant benefits to passengers in Northern England and Scotland who can now enjoy seamless travel to a whole host of new destinations.”
The deal comes shortly after bmi announced a codeshare agreement with Aegean Airlines, Continental and SN Brussels, extending the airline’s international reach.
The codeshare agreements come at a time as bmi is continuing in its commitment to maintaining the highest possible service standards for the frequent business and leisure traveller, including online check-in, Chauffeur Drive, Diamond Club, the UK’s most generous frequent flyer programme, and bmi’s Company Rewards programme for SMEs (small and medium enterprises).