Delta Air Lines and kulula.com have announced an interline agreement, that will offer connections for customers flying between South Africa and the United States.

Through this agreement, passengers will be able to change from one flight on one airline, to another flight on another airline without having to claim their bags or check them in again.

Customers flying on Delta’s nonstop Atlanta-Johannesburg route will benefit from connections on kulula-operated flights between key South African destinations via OR Tambo International Airport.

Routes included in the new interline agreement within South Africa are: Cape Town, Durban, East London and George. Delta passengers will continue to benefit from an existing interline partnership with Comair that offers flights to Port Elizabeth; Harare and Victoria Falls; Livingstone; and Windhoek.

Passengers connecting on to Delta’s Johannesburg-Atlanta flight from kulula services will be able to check in for their entire journey, with boarding passes issued and bags checked through to their final US destination. Delta offers more than 200 same-airline connections via its Atlanta hub to cities including Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

“We are delighted to be developing a closer relationship with Delta, the only US airline flying into South Africa. We believe this will bring real benefits to our customers and our business,” said Wrenelle Stander, executive director Airline Operations at Comair.