GOL airlines review
We traveled with GOL from São Paulo to Salvador and then from Salvador to São Paulo in November 2016, in economy class.
GOL is a budget airline in Brazil, it’s one of the cheapest ones. It was fine for us since the trip was so short (3 hours, give or take a little) and we weren’t taking any checked luggage. Until then, Brazilian airlines were required to allow passengers to check their bags for free, and from 2017 on, this will change.
From the inside of the airplane…
We arrived at the airport and saw the line. GOL’s line was huge. The attendant there said the line would take around 1 hour. ONE HOUR to do the check-in. Luckily, we found the self-check-in (for those not checking luggage only) so we went there and did it ourselves in 10 minutes.
Technology, I do love you. The 1-hour line to start our trip wasn’t really the way to go.
The airplane was OK, not new, not old. It was simple, had no entertainment option and we were offered one drink (soda, juice or water) and a pack of cookies (pretty good ones!).
They pride themselves on the good space they have in their economy class, but we felt it wasn’t different. Maybe other domestic companies have super tight seats, but it was the same space we had on our international flights.
Waiting at the airport, this was ‘our’ plane. It’s always exciting to board one!
My mom’s carry-on bag was the international size carry-on and although it was OK on our way to Salvador, it got barred when we were going back to São Paulo – so we had to check it. It was just fine, arrived intact and we were able to pick it pretty quickly.
In time, we didn’t know carry-on sizes changed between international and national flights. Apparently, they do. GOL does both international and domestic flights, so you need to check the website carefully.
Here are our thoughts: it’s a low-cost company, it does its job. It was on time, it worked alright. The check-in line was absurd, but there was the self-check-in machine right beside it. The flight attendants were nice and they even gave the kids extra cookies. It hasn’t got any luxury nor extra, it’s plain, simple and worked for our short trip.
The Flight to Salvador.~ photo by Coral, on Melissa’s phone
Have you ever flown GOL? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Minha companhia predileta é a Azul, mas ela é cara e tem poucas opções de voo, logo, eu sempre opto por viajar pela Gol, que geralmente é a mais barata e tem um programa de pontos legal.
Comparando com a Latam, os assentos da Gol são muito mais confortáveis, principalmente pra quem tem a perna comprida (como o Bhuda). Na Latam, até eu, que tenho a perna super curta, fico meio apertada, então imagina… Ahahahahhahaahahah
Antes a Gol tinha zero lanches. Agora eles oferecem o salgadinho vegan que eu adoro. Na Latam ou Avianca não tem opção. Na Azul tem mil opções.
Enfim, a Gol serve ao propósito e eu viajo muito com ela, mas se dá pra escolher, eu escolho a Azul.
This was my first trip to Brazil and I had a wonderful time until our return use Gol. This has been a terrible experience. They talk down to customers and are unwilling to assist or take responsibility for their mistakes. They misplaced two of my luggage! Be aware Americans show try to use only American airline to avoid these types of situation