(8 July 2014)
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, in partnership with Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes is now offering travellers greater access to South America, following the implementation of a codeshare partnership agreement.
Subject to regulatory approval, the codeshare agreement will allow Etihad Airways to place its EY code on Gol-operated flights across the Brazilian airline’s extensive domestic network, as well as to other destinations in South America.
The agreement provides for increased co-operation between the airlines’ frequent flyer programs, Etihad Guest and Gol’s Smiles programs, enabling passengers to earn and redeem miles when flying with the partner airline. The partnership will also enable passengers to check-in their luggage to their final destination.
Kevin Knight, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Etihad Airways, said: “Brazil is a growing market for Etihad Airways and we are delighted that the partnership with Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes greatly expands our business and leisure travel offering, between the UAE and South America’s largest market.
“Etihad Airways’ guests can now enjoy easy and convenient connections over São Paulo to 52 destinations throughout Brazil including Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Brasilia and further afield to 14 destinations in Latin America including Uruguay and Argentina.
“This new codeshare partnership is a natural development of the interline agreement we signed with Gol in October last year and we look forward to broadening the scope of co-operation even further in the future.”
Etihad Airways launched flights to São Paulo, its first destination in South America, in June 2013, and has carried more than 86,000 travellers between Abu Dhabi and São Paulo since then.