LATAM expands Qatar Airways partnership as it begins unaligned shift
LATAM Airlines is expanding its partnership with Qatar Airways as it begins to map out its future outside of the Oneworld Alliance.
LATAM Brasil, the Brazilian subsidiary of the Santiago, Chile-based airline group, will place its "JJ" code on Qatar flights between São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) and Doha (DOH), LATAM and Qatar said in a joint statement. The South American carrier will also codeshare on Qatar flights between Doha to another 25 destinations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The expanded partnership comes less than a month after LATAM announced that it will leave Oneworld and become an unaligned carrier as part of a larger strategic investment by Delta Air Lines.
Related: LATAM will remain unaligned after Delta tie-up, Oneworld exit
Ramiro Alfonsin, the chief financial officer of LATAM, at the time described the airline's unaligned future as one grounded on partnerships with "two major airlines, Delta and Qatar."
Qatar has owned a 10% stake in LATAM since 2016.
Delta and Qatar have a fraught relationship. The former led a complaint with the U.S. government against the three main Gulf carriers — Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar — alleging that the airlines had benefitted from subsidies that allowed them to essentially dump capacity in the U.S. At a low point, Qatar alleged that Delta blocked gates at the Atlanta (ATL) airport forcing its inaugural flight to park at a remote stand in 2016.
U.S. and Qatari officials reached a settlement in the dispute in early 2018.
Related: Exciting New Airline Routes for September 2019 and Beyond
“They have been a partner of ours since a couple of years now... and I'm sure Delta is very aware of who our shareholders are," said Alfonsin when asked by analysts in September whether there were any concerns over both Delta and Qatar sitting on the LATAM board.
Qatar is also expanding its codeshare with LATAM. The Gulf carrier will place its "QR" code on more LATAM Brasil flights between São Paulo and points in South America, including Bogota (BOG), Brasilia (BSB), Curitiba (CWB), Lima (LIM) and Rio de Janeiro.
“The expansion of the codeshare agreement between Qatar Airways and LATAM Airlines Brazil will provide even greater connectivity for passengers,” said Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar, in a statement.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023
Rewards Rate
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023