Delta to relocate terminals in Shanghai airport

Delta Airlines is relocating terminals at Shanghai-Pudong International Airport, the company's senior Vice-president of Asia Pacific region said.

Delta Airlines is relocating its passenger operations from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 at Shanghai-Pudong (PVG) airport beginning April 13 to collocate with its airline codeshare partners China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern, senior vice president of Asia Pacific region Vinay Dube said.

The move and codeshare agreement are part of Delta's broader strategy to collaborate and expand services in China and become a more prominent U.S. carrier while continuing to offer the most robust network choices of a U.S. global carrier, he said.

"Delta will offer the most comprehensive intra-China network at Shanghai airport for our customers in the United States and China," said Dube. "For the past several years Delta consistently enhanced nonstop service between China and the US, and we look forward to adding to our network new service between Los Angeles and Shanghai, beginning in July."

Dube said by growing the partnership with China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines, Delta will offer the most comprehensive intra-China network.

His comments implied the importance of the Atlanta-based airline placed on expanding in China. The company has added additional services to Shanghai and has a partnership with China Eastern in the SkyTeam alliance.

Dong Bo, chief marketing officer at China Eastern, said the two airlines are committed to becoming the leading partnership on transpacific routes through more extensive and deeper cooperation.

"The codeshare between Delta and Shanghai Airlines will further enrich bilateral cooperation, products and expand the network," he said.

Combined with its hubs and focus markets in Detroit, Seattle, Los Angeles and Tokyo-Narita, Delta will operate 28 weekly departures from Shanghai this summer.

Additionally, Delta offers daily service to China's capital, Beijing, from both Seattle and Detroit. The new Los Angeles to Shanghai route is subject to government approval.

The relocation to Terminal 1 will allow for more convenient connections and a seamless customer experience for customers flying with China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines and Delta, including access to China Eastern's new 4,000 square-foot SkyTeam Lounge, which opens in late 2015. Delta customers will also receive SkyTeam Elite benefits such as priority check-in, priority boarding and preferred seats.

Delta also became the first US airline last week to accept payments from China's Alipay, which resembles PayPal.