Etihad Seals Codeshare With Brazilian Airline Gol

Etihad Airways has signed a codeshare with Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentesis, offering its travellers greater access to South America.

Subject to regulatory approval, the codeshare – which follows an interline agreement with Gol signed in October last year – allows Etihad to place its EY code on 52 Gol-operated flights across the Brazilian airline’s extensive domestic network, as well 14 destinations in Latin America, including Uruguay and Argentina.

The agreement provides for increased co-operation between the airlines’ frequent flyer programmes, Etihad Guest and Gol’s Smiles programmes, 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.”

Codeshares are a lynch-pin in Etihad’s global connectivity strategy and this agreement will help the airline funnel passengers to and from Brazil without incurring high operating costs. Flights to Sao Paulo, its sole destination in Brazil, started in June last year.