“Sempre dá para ir mais longe.”
(It’s always possible to go farther.)
Skytrax rating: N/A
No alliance membership
Operations
Globally
- Latin America and the Caribbean
South Africa
- No flights (contact us for more information)
General
GOL (Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. – the name “gol” means goal in English) is an airline based in Brazil. The airline is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. It has nearly two fifths of the domestic market and has two subsidiaries:
- Varig – only the “new” Varig (see below)
- Webjet – low-cost domestic carrier (economy class only)
Varig is informally referred to either as “old” or “new” because about five years ago it was into two airlines after suffering financial difficulties. The “new” Varig is now a subsidiary of GOL and its planes are used by GOL in its operations, after GOL acquired the airline in 2007. The “new” Varig now flies under the name VRG Linhas Aereas. The “old” Varig continued for a while under the name of Flex Linhas Aéreas, which operated a charter service using only one aircraft – a Boeing 737-300. It shut down in 2010 after going bankrupt.
GOL provides flights in Latin America and the Caribbean only. However, the airline has code-share agreements with several major international airlines.
The frequent flyer program is known as Smiles.
GOL Boeing 737 with the trademark two-tone livery and double rings on the tailfin.
Gol uses a fleet of 124 aircraft, of which 122 are Boeing 737 models (the other two planes are 767s). There are at this time another 108 Boeing 737-800s on order. GOL is therefore a loyal Boeing customer and does not use any other make of aircraft, which is in contrast to the recent high-volume Airbus A320 acquisition trend in Latin America.
For further information concerning bookings or cabin service on GOL flights, please contact us for professional assistance, as GOL does business in Portuguese and you may experience difficulty in making your own enquiries.
