There may not be any plans to launch direct services to Australia YET, but Brazilian budget carrier, GOL (G3), says it has what it takes to increase its market share amongst Aussie travellers.
Currently, most Aussies use Qantas or LAN to fly over to South America. This could slightly change in the coming months, when Air New Zealand officially launches its direct services between Auckland and Buenos Aires.
Once Aussies are in the region, they’re using local airlines to fly internally, including Brazil’s largest airline and the largest low-cost airline in Latin America, GOL.
Speaking to KarryOn, National Sales Manager, Mary Thapa, said the carrier is hoping that the partnership with Discover the World will help raise awareness of the brand both amongst consumers and consultants.
“We are unsure if GOL currently has many Australian passengers but I can confirm that Australians definitely use GOL for travel within South America/Brazil.”
Mary Thapa, GOL National Sales Manager
As part of the relationship, Discover the World will work with agents to educate them on the airline’s routes and products as well as launch a new sales and marketing initiatives.
With increased presence in the local market and the growing number of Aussies travelling to South America – could GOL also be looking at launching direct services to the country?
Thapa didn’t immediately rule it out, but did say the airline isn’t quite there yet.
“Currently there are no plans for GOL to fly to Australia. Our focus is to increase GOL’s market share within this market.”
Mary Thapa, GOL National Sales Manager
GOL offers around 900 daily flights to 73 destinations, 17 of which are international to South America, the Caribbean and the United States.
GOL has a young, modern fleet of Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 Next Generation (NG) aircraft, the safest, most efficient and economical of their type with an average age of 7.5 years.
Its strategy of seeking profitable growth through its low cost model with high quality customer service allows the Company to offer competitive fares. The Company carried 37.7 million passengers in 2014.
