American Airlines and Brazil's GOL Airlines Announce Frequent Flyer Program and Codeshare Agreements
July 08 2009 - 8:17AM
PR Newswire (US)
FORT WORTH, Texas, July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American
Airlines, which offers more flights to Brazil than any other U.S.
airline, has entered into a frequent flyer agreement with GOL
Airlines that will provide benefits to members of both American's
AAdvantage(R) and GOL's Smiles programs. The agreement makes it
even more convenient for travelers to see more of Brazil, South
America's largest country, as well as earn and redeem miles.
Additionally, the two airlines intend to enter into a codeshare
agreement in the near future. The frequent flyer participation
agreement will expand the opportunities to earn and redeem miles to
new destinations for the more than 62 million members of American's
AAdvantage program and the 6 million members of GOL's Smiles
program. Beginning Aug. 1, 2009, AAdvantage and Smiles members will
be able to earn miles on all eligible GOL and American flights.*
Then, beginning in Fall 2009, AAdvantage and Smiles members will be
able to redeem their miles for travel on GOL and American flights
worldwide. To celebrate this agreement, AAdvantage members will be
able to earn double miles when flying on eligible GOL flights
between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31, 2009. For complete details, visit
http://www.aa.com/offers. The codeshare agreement between American
and GOL, which is planned for later this year, will offer customers
a smoother, more-convenient travel experience when flying to and
from points in Brazil not served by American. With its service to
five major Brazilian cities from the United States, combined with
GOL's flights to 49 destinations within that country, American will
soon be able to offer a level of accessibility to and from Brazil
unequalled by any other airline. "American's new frequent flyer and
codeshare agreements with GOL significantly increase the
flexibility, in terms of flight schedule and price, available to
our passengers," said Peter J. Dolara, American's Senior Vice
President - Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. "Our customers
traveling to and from Brazil will now have an unparalleled choice
of destinations and schedules. We are proud to be able to connect
more people throughout the world through our new arrangement with
GOL." "This agreement adds additional value for each airline's
customers. With this collaboration, GOL will now offer American
Airlines customers access to South America's largest route network
and the continent's fastest growing airline," said Constantino de
Oliveira Junior, GOL's CEO. "Also, not only are we offering Smiles
members service across the United States, but we're also providing
access to destinations in all continents through a partner that
offers a high-quality product." Once the codeshare agreement is in
effect, customers transferring from GOL to an American Airlines
flight leaving Brazil or other points in South America will enjoy
the convenience of being able to check their luggage to their
ultimate American Airlines destination when they check in for their
GOL flight. Similarly, customers traveling to Brazil on American
and transferring to a GOL flight within Brazil or elsewhere in
South America can purchase a single ticket for their journey,
rather than multiple tickets, and check their luggage to their
final destination. As always, customers will still have to clear
U.S. and Brazilian customs upon arrival. Along with convenient
ticketing and luggage arrangements, American and GOL also offer
affordable interline fares for both Premium Class and Economy Class
travel. Interline tickets for travel between American and GOL can
be purchased through AA and its appointed agencies around the
world, using electronic ticketing. American serves five
destinations in Brazil from Miami International Airport, New York's
John F. Kennedy International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport, while GOL operates nearly 800 daily flights
to 49 destinations connecting the most important cities in Brazil
and nine major destinations in South America. American has expanded
its service levels to Brazil in recent months, adding both flight
frequencies and new destinations to its worldwide network. In
November 2008, American began service from its Miami hub to Belo
Horizonte, Recife and Salvador. In all, American offers 58 weekly
flights to and from Brazil. Following is a summary of American's
U.S. - Brazil routes, including the new destinations that began in
November 2008: American Airlines Brazil Service Summary Sao Paulo -
Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York JFK Rio de Janeiro - Miami Belo
Horizonte - Miami Recife - Miami Salvador - Miami *During the first
month of our partnership, miles earned for flights may take up to
three weeks to be posted to members' accounts on the Smiles
program. About American Airlines American Airlines, American Eagle
and AmericanConnection(R) serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on
average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet
numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site,
AA.com(R), provides users with easy access to check and book fares,
plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American
Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld(R) Alliance, which
brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline
business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and
benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its
members serve nearly 700 destinations in more than 130 countries
and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle
Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation.
AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, We
know why you fly and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of
American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR) About the AAdvantage Program
The AAdvantage program was the first frequent flyer program.
Established in 1981, the program now has more than 60 million
members. Members can earn miles at more than 1,000 participating
companies, which include more than 30 hotel chains representing
more than 60 brands, more than 20 airlines, eight car-rental
companies, 12 financial companies, and over 250 brand name
retailers. In addition, members can earn miles when making
purchases with one of more than 100 affinity card products in over
40 countries. In 2008, AAdvantage members redeemed more than 155
billion miles to claim more than 4.8 million awards for flights,
upgrades and car rentals. For more information and a listing of
AAdvantage program participating companies, visit
www.aa.com/aadvantage. About GOL GOL, one of Brazil's largest
airlines, offers nearly 800 daily flights to 49 destinations
connecting the most important cities in Brazil and nine major
destinations in South America. The Company operates a young, modern
fleet of Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, the safest and most
comfortable aircraft of its class that provides high aircraft
utilization and efficiency ratios. The Company's service, which
includes the GOL and VARIG brands, is recognized as the best value
proposition on the market. About Smiles Available in over 200
countries with over 6 million participants, Smiles
(www.smiles.com.br) is GOL's customer relationship program. Through
the program, customers accumulate miles every time they fly on GOL,
VARIG and airline partners, or when they purchase services and
products from the program's 150 non-air partners. Additionally,
some program rewards provide travel advantages, such as exclusive
check-in counters, higher baggage allowances and access to Smiles
VIP lounges in airports. AmericanAirlines(R) We know why you fly(R)
Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed on the Internet. The
address is
http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/pressReleases/main.jhtml
DATASOURCE: American Airlines CONTACT: Martha Pantin, Corporate
Communications, Miami of American Airlines, +1-305-520-3197, Web
Site: http://www.aa.com/ http://www.smiles.com.br/
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