American Airlines and Brazilian carrier Gol have reached a reciprocal codesharing agreement, the companies announced, giving American a new partner in Latin America after its planned joint business agreement with Latam fell through.
The agreement, pending regulatory approval, would give flyers on American connections to 53 Gol flights from São Paulo, Brasilia, Manaus and Fortaleza. Some would be destinations not currently served by American, including Curitiba and Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil and Asunción, Paraguay. Gol, meanwhile, would put its code on "select flights" from American.
"We have strengthened our presence in major airports to better serve our customers," Gol VP of commercial and marketing Eduardo Bernardes said in a statement. "The codeshare partnership will soon increase to more than 30 destinations in the U.S."
The carriers also expect to add reciprocal frequent-flyer redemption and accrual during the first half of this year. American does not yet have a timeline as to when it expects to get regulatory approval for codesharing, according to a spokesperson.
The announcement is the latest move in the recent shifting alliances between carriers in North and Latin America. It began when a ruling by Chile's Supreme Court blocked American and Latam's planned joint venture in that country, which hampered the overall value of the partnership and led Latam instead to pursue a joint business agreement with Delta. Delta, which had been an investor in Gol, sold its stake in the Brazilian carrier as a part of that agreement.
The new partnership structure is setting up a battle in American's Miami hub. In conjunction with the Gol partnership, American next year will add a second daily flight between Miami and Rio de Janeiro during its peak winter season, from Jan. 7 through March 28. This summer, American will increase domestic service from Miami, including increased frequencies to Boston, Houston, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh-Durham and Tampa. Delta last month announced increased domestic service to Miami this summer for better connectivity with Latam.