ANA will extend its existing code-sharing agreements with fellow Star Alliance member airlines Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines to cover ten new domestic cities within Germany, and nine international destinations beyond its Frankfurt gateway.

The expansion will take place in three waves, the first commencing September 16. This includes Lufthansa flights to the following cities in Germany, on which ANA will place its NH flight code: Bremen, Cologne, Dresden, Friedrichshafen, Muenster, Hanover, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Paderborn and Stuttgart.

In the second wave, code-sharing flights to Amsterdam and Rome, also with Lufthansa, and to Vienna with Austrian Airlines, will start from October 1.

The third wave will commence on October 28, the start of the 07 winter schedule, ushering in the following six destinations around Europe: Copenhagen, Helsinki, Lyon, Nice, Oslo and Stockholm. These flights will also be operated by Lufthansa and carry the NH code.

“Starting this autumn, ANA passengers will have the convenience of travelling to even more destinations in Europe using just ANA’s flight code and a single e-ticket,” said Keisuke Okada, ANA’s executive vice president International Relations. “With through check-in and through baggage, where permitted by the local customs and immigration authorities, and on-line booking, it will make their journeys simpler and smoother. And thanks to the cooperation of our fellow Star Alliance member carriers, our passengers can accrue mileage on all the flights they take,” he continued.

The present ANA and Lufthansa code-share agreement - in existence for eight years - covers flights between Japan and Europe. Similarly, ANA has had a code-sharing agreement in place with Austrian Airlines, since 1989.

*subject to government approval