After being left out by LATAM and Delta, who became partners, American Airlines and Gol decided to launch a new code share agreement announced on Tuesday. The partnership between the two airlines will focus on connections mainly at the Miami and Rio de Janeiro hubs.
American Airlines will launch a new daily flight with 787 jets to Galeão Airport between January 7 and March 28, 2021 and will reach destinations in Paraguay and Uruguay through Gol.
The US airline will also add 12 new flights from six cities in the country to Miami in order to expand the possibilities of connecting the flights of the Brazilian company.
“We are proud of our strong presence in Latin America, which includes 170 daily flights to the region, Admirals Club lounges and dedicated Premium Guest Services teams in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo,” said American Airlines President Robert Isom.
“As two of the leading airlines in Brazil and the U.S., GOL and American Airlines will offer the best experience for customers on the largest number of flights and destinations in the Americas,” said GOL CEO Paulo Kakinoff.
The code share, which still depends on approvals from the regulatory authorities of the two countries, should allow American Airlines passengers to fly to 53 destinations in Brazil through Gol flights departing not only from Rio de Janeiro but also from São Paulo, Brasilia, Manaus and Fortaleza.
Expected move
Since Delta Air Lines decided to acquire 20% of LATAM’s shares, the partnership between American and Gol was expected, but the Brazilian company said it was also talking to United Airlines.
Weeks ago, Kakinoff said the announcement of the new US partner was about to take place. American Airlines’ choice seemed natural, given that the two companies had been passed over by their former partners.
American Airlines’ response was expected because of the importance of the Miami hub. Delta and LATAM have already announced investments to expand the network at the airport, which forced a reaction from the rival.
For Gol, the code share will make its flights to Florida more attractive, especially when the Brazilian airline can again count on the 737 Max, landed almost a year ago and which was used on direct flights from Brasilia and Fortaleza. Today Gol flies with the 737-800 that needs a stopover in the Caribbean.
The Brazilian airline will also take advantage of the idleness of Rio de Janeiro’s international airport to make it one of its regional hubs.
It is not yet possible to say whether the partnership between the two companies will evolve into some type of society, but it is assumed that this possibility exists. Gol had Delta as one of its shareholders and American was sewing a broader agreement with LATAM, which ended up being blocked by the Chilean Justice and precipitated all the changes seen in these markets since last year.
