EVA Air partners with Southwest Airlines to expand U.S. network

Taipei, Aug. 26 (CNA) EVA Airways, one of Taiwan's leading international carriers, has set up an interline partnership with Southwest Airlines to expand its network in the U.S. market, the airline said Tuesday.

In a statement, EVA Air said that under the partnership its passengers can book and fly transpacific trips to more than 30 United States destinations through Southwest Airlines via four gateways: Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD).

EVA Air passengers can make connections from these hubs to other U.S. cities through the interline partnership using a single reservation and check their luggage through to the final destination, the airline said.

According to EVA Air, Southwest Airlines currently is the largest carrier in the U.S. market in terms of passengers handled and it operates a fleet of more than 800 aircraft.

"This partnership is another step forward as we continue our mission to bring more choices (and new horizons) to our customers," Southwest Airlines posted on its Instagram page.

EVA Air said it has made considerable efforts to explore the U.S. market, starting with joining the Star Alliance in 2013 and teaming up with other members such as Air Canada and United Airlines to establish code sharing services.

Outside the alliance, EVA Air said it has also teamed up with Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and WestJet to offer convenient booking services.

Currently, EVA Air provides 89 round trip non-stop Pacific flights to North America a week to destinations such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Houston, Chicago, Vancouver and Toronto.

The carrier is scheduled to start to fly to Dallas on Oct. 3, which will increase its number of flights to North America to 94 a week by the end of this year.

On Aug. 18, China Airlines (CAL), another major international carrier in Taiwan, announced a similar interline partnership with Southwest Airlines.

CAL currently offers non-stop trans-Pacific flights to North American cities such as Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Ontario, California, where travelers will be able to make their connections.