Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will soon provide travelers with more options when flying to major destinations in the United States (US) after receiving regulatory approval for its proposed expanded partnership with Alaska Airlines.

In a notice of action dated May 13, seen by Manila Bulletin, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) approved the proposed codeshare agreement between PAL and Alaska Airlines after finding both airlines qualified to provide their requested services.

The approval comes a week after Alaska Airlines informed the US DOT that its joint request with PAL had faced no objections, especially from the titans of the US aviation industry.

PAL and Alaska Airlines are strengthening their cooperation to expand the 2016 deal that allowed the flag carrier and Hawaiian Airlines to codeshare, or place one’s designator code on another airline’s flights.

Hawaiian Airlines has since been acquired by Alaska Air Group, the parent firm of Alaska Airlines.

Through codesharing, PAL and Alaska Airlines are allowing their customers to book a more seamless trip under a single ticket while traveling across the flight networks of both carriers.

For PAL, this means travelers will now be able to depart from its US gateways to major cities such as New York, Las Vegas, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston via Alaska Airlines.

Under the agreement, PAL’s gateways for connecting passengers include Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Honolulu, and its upcoming direct route to Chicago.

Alaska Airlines intends to codeshare with PAL on flights between Manila and these five routes, building up demand for flights under its network.

To capture more of the Philippine market, Alaska Airlines is also keen on placing its codes on domestic destinations such as Cebu and Laoag, as well as third-country points in Narita, Haneda, Kansai, and Seoul.

With the US DOT’s approval, both PAL and Alaska Airlines plan to begin marketing these codeshare services as soon as possible, noting that respective ticket sales would begin without delay.

The deal with Alaska Airlines is the latest codeshare tie-up secured by PAL, having recently secured approval for its agreement with American Airlines.

In this agreement, PAL is able to connect passengers to flights from San Francisco to Miami and New York, and from Seattle to Miami, all operated by American Airlines.

As mentioned, PAL is expected to mount direct flights to Chicago beginning in November after recently obtaining the nod of the US DOT.

At present, the airline flies to the US through Guam, Saipan, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York.