SAA’s chief commercial officer, Tebogo Tsimane says: "The reinstatement of the codeshare agreement affirms Brazil’s status as a strategically important destination for South Africa. It connects two major economies in the southern hemisphere to enable leisure tourism, and to facilitate business, networking, and trade.
The SAA/Gol agreement includes flights between Cape Town International, OR Tambo International and Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport in Rio. It extends to domestic routes, connecting Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha, giving Brazilian visitors seamless access to the four major economic hubs of South Africa.
The agreement also makes it possible for SAA to add its designated code on more than 20 connecting Gol-operated flights in Brazil, including (but not limited to) Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte and Florianópolis.
In time, the airlines will add 60 additional Latin American destinations and many African ones to the agreement, to give travellers optimal choice and make it easier than ever to plan multi-city itineraries on a single SAA/Gol codeshare ticket.
The agreement extends to include accrual of SAA Voyager Miles and Gol Smiles.
Head of alliances and distribution at Gol, André Gaspar says: "We are extremely pleased to reactivate this agreement with SAA and to contribute to strengthening relationships between Brazil and Africa. The partnership marks significant expansion in destination options for Gol customers.
"It provides access to many of Africa's most enchanting destinations and allows Gol customers to depart our main bases and reach two of the most important cities in South Africa, via Guarulhos that’s part of the Sao Paulo metro region."
“The reinstatement of the codeshare agreement with Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes affirms the return of SAA as an intercontinental service provider," adds Tsimane. "It comes six months after SAA launched direct flights into São Paulo and a few weeks after the launch of direct flights into Perth, Australia.
"SAA is providing the market with enhanced connectivity and travel options, not only domestically and continentally, but between Africa, Latin America, and Australia, too.
"This codeshare agreement, along with direct intercontinental flight offerings, points to SAA’s determination to connect people, businesses, and destinations to enable national, regional, and continental growth. It is an essential component of the airline’s measured and determined return to profitability."
