
Taiwan airlines partner with US airlines to expand North American destinations
As worldwide travel surges in the post-pandemic era, airlines are looking to expand their routes and break into different markets. For the US market, China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux Airlines have partnered with local airlines to coordinate transfers and extend their reach within North America. As domestic and foreign airlines sign new agreements, business opportunities continue to increase.
Meng Chia-mei
FTV reporter
This is a direct look at one of the largest domestic airlines in the US, Southwest, at its headquarters in Dallas. Behind me in this cavernous hall is an entire row of what look like flying saucers, which are all Boeing 737 flight simulators.
One Boeing 737 simulator costs around NT$500 million, and there are 26 of them at Southwest Airlines’ headquarters. Southwest has the largest collection of these simulators and the largest fleet of 737s, with 809 of the aircraft flying to 104 destinations in the US. Now Southwest is partnering with China Airlines to expand into Asia.
Bob Jordan
Southwest Airlines CEO
It’s important that we pick partners that can serve the geographies that we cannot, Asia as an example. Southwest brings nearly 140 million customers a year. China Airlines provides, I believe it’s 191 destinations that you serve.
As travel demand has surged after the pandemic, airlines are developing new partnerships to expand business opportunities and serve more destinations. Through their partnership, Southwest and China Airlines will offer travelers single-ticket service between hundreds of destinations in the US and East Asia, allowing them to check their luggage through to their final destination, select seats, and transfer without hassle.
Chen Han-ming
China Airlines president
Southwest Airlines is the best airline for domestic connections within the US. Phoenix, which we recently started flying to, is also a very important hub for Southwest. Travelers could fly Southwest domestic flights to Phoenix and then transfer to our flights to Taiwan.
Cheng Yu-lin
China Airlines US regional director
Currently, passengers transferring within the US to inland destinations make up about 10% of our North American travelers. Looking at the overall market, we could still grow by another 10%, which would mean doubling the number.
According to China Airlines, 15 to 20% of travelers flying from Taiwan to the US transfer to other North American destinations. In addition, 50 to 60% of travelers flying from the US to Taiwan are transferring to Southeast Asia.
The North American market offers huge opportunities. Not only has China Airlines partnered with Southwest, but Starlux has teamed up with Alaska Airlines and American Airlines. EVA Air chose to codeshare with Star Alliance members to expand its routes. Through international partnerships, airlines can offer travelers single-ticket service to destinations around the world, making the post-pandemic world even more interconnected.
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2025-09-03