South African Airways (SAA), the national carrier of South Africa and
Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, announced today a new codeshare agreement
for customers traveling between New York and the Seychelles.
Air Seychelles will add its “HM” code on SAA’s
nonstop flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Johannesburg, South Africa and connecting
flights between Johannesburg and Mahe, Seychelles operated by Air Seychelles will display the “SA” code. The
codeshare flights will be open for sale on October 15, 2019, and the effective date of travel is from November
1, 2019.
The new codeshare partnership with Air Seychelles will provide convenient connections and a seamless
travel experience for travelers during their entire journey. Customers on both carriers will be able to book flights
operated by the other and enjoy the added convenience of travel on one single electronic ticket and through
interline baggage transfer upon check-in with each airline in the U.S. or the Seychelles.
Air Seychelles offers more than 350 domestic scheduled flights a week throughout the archipelago,
including domestic charter services. As the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, Air Seychelles is a pillar
of tourism, the island nation’s strongest and growing economic sector.
Charles Johnson, Chief Commercial Officer at Air Seychelles said: “Adding New York-JFK to the Air
Seychelles network will provide more accessibility to travelers from the U.S. to the Seychelles and build
additional visibility in the North America market about the Seychelles through the joint marketing efforts and
awareness that this new codeshare partnership will bring. For over five years now we have partnered with
South African Airways, and thank them for their continuous support in enabling Air Seychelles to expand its
network reach and we look forward to maintaining the successful partnership.”
“Visitor arrivals from North America to the Seychelles continue to grow, with a 7% increase to date,
compared to the same time last year,” said David Germain, the Seychelles Tourism Board Director for Africa & the
Americas. “This new codeshare agreement between SAA & Air Seychelles, will introduce a more convenient
way of travel from North America to Seychelles and contribute towards increasing visitor arrivals in the future.”
Tickets can be purchased by visiting South African Airways’ website at www.flysaa.com, calling SAA
Reservations at 1-800-722-9675 or contacting a professional travel advisor.
“We are very delighted to announce this new codeshare flight with Air Seychelles as this further
enhances our strategy of providing our customers with improved travel options to Africa and the neighboring
Indian Ocean islands,” said Todd Neuman, executive vice president-North America for South African Airways.
“The Seychelles are absolutely beautiful with amazing beaches, coral reefs and nature reserves. It’s an
immensely popular destination and we are pleased to now offer the convenience of daily flights to this
destination in cooperation with Air Seychelles.”
