Startup Connect Airways partners with American ahead of year-end launch

Startup Connect Airways has landed a big partner for its planned service connecting Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport with the US: American Airlines. Connect flyers will benefit from a codeshare agreement and full “earn and burn” mileage benefits in American’s loyalty program when flights begin, Waltzing Matilda Aviation CEO John Thomas said Friday. As part of the partnership, the airline plans to serve Chicago O’Hare and Philadelphia — both large American hubs — among its first destinations from Toronto. Connect is owned by Boston-based Waltzing Matilda, which has operated as a charter carrier since 2008. “Our view is how do we give people in Toronto more than just a flight to Chicago — or some point in the US — how do we make this a one-stop connection into a massive network,” he said. It gives us “a much stronger value proposition to people in Toronto.” The tie up fits American’s aggressive strategy to find partners for gaps in its network. Earlier this year, the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier launched tie ups with both Alaska Airlines on the West Coast and — controversially — JetBlue Airways in the Northeast in an effort to boost its competitive position. And in South America, it recently unveiled a new equity partnership with Chile’s JetSmart Airlines to provide local connections to its millions of frequent flyers in South America. American lacks a partner to Canada. “These partnerships are a means of being able to generate a massive amount of customer value,” American Chief Revenue Officer Vasu Raja said on August 25. “If we can create the biggest network for customers, everything kind of clicks into place from there.”<br/>