Codeshare agreements signed this week by three LATAM Airlines Group affiliates with new partner Delta Air Lines aim to improve connectivity between the Americas. The agreements were signed December 2 with LATAM affiliates in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador and are due to start in the first quarter of 2020, subject to regulatory approval. They come in the wake of Delta’s $US1.9 billion deal to take a 20 percent stake in the South American group as part of the US carrier’s global strategy of expanding internationally through joint ventures and minority stakes in other carriers. The deal leverages the carriers’ complementary route networks and strengthens existing interline agreements with the addition of perks such as reciprocal lounge access and mutual frequent flyer benefits. The three codeshare agreements inked December 2 will offer LATAM customers the option of connecting to as many as 74 onward destinations in the United States and Canada. READ: Concern airlines could use loyalty data to discriminate on pricing. It will open as many as 51 onward destinations in South America for Delta passengers. “These codeshares mark an important milestone in LATAM’s journey towards offering the best connectivity and customer experience in the Americas,”’ LATAM Group chief executive Enrique Ceto said in the codeshare announcement. “Our passengers will soon be able to access up to 74 destinations in the United States and Canada, which is just one example of complementary nature of our networks and one of the many future benefits that the strategic agreement with Delta will bring.” The partners anticipate that from the first quarter of next year LATAM Airlines Peru’s “LA” code will be added to Delta flights from New York/JFK, Miami, Los Angeles and Orlando to up to 74 onward destinations in the United States and Canada. Delta’s  “DL” code will be added to LATAM Airlines Peru flights between Lima and up to 34 onward destinations in Peru and South America. Delta’s code will be added to LATAM Airlines Colombia flights from Bogota and Cartagena to up to 13 onward destinations in Colombia. LATAM Airlines Ecuador’s code, also “LA”,  will be added to Delta flights between New York/JFK and up to 55 onward destinations in the US and Canada. Similarly, Delta’s code will be added to LATAM Airlines Ecuador flights between Quito and up to four onward destinations in Ecuador. LATAM also plans to establish codeshare agreements between Delta and its affiliates in Chile and Brazil in 2020.