Vietnam Airlines has a new codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways and has expanded an existing partnership with Scandinavian Airlines, Etihad and SAS announced Friday.
Etihad customers will gain access to domestic Vietnamese destinations along with others across Asia with a single ticket, one check-in and automatic baggage transfer, according to Etihad. Vietnam Airlines' customers will be able to book through to six Etihad destinations beyond Abu Dhabi: Athens; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Bahrain; Muscat, Oman; Cairo, Egypt; and Istanbul.
The codeshare will be "implemented gradually." Etihad also recently launched Abu Dhabi-Hanoi service. The two carriers in July launched a reciprocal frequent-flyer partnership.
The SAS codeshare introduces links between Copenhagen and Ho Chi Minh City, according to SAS, and the launch will coincide with Vietnam Airlines' inaugural flights on Dec. 15 between the two cities.
Under the expanded agreement, SAS customers will be able to book Vietnam Airlines' direct flights under the SAS code with onward connections to Hanoi, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Da Lat and Hue, according to SAS. Vietnam Airlines will place its code on SAS-operated flights beyond Copenhagen to domestic destinations including Aarhus, Aalborg, Billund, and on intra-Scandinavian services to Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden; Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim in Norway; and Helsinki, Finland.
Vietnam Airlines also has a reciprocal loyalty agreement with SAS.