Brazil's largest airline goes after higher-paying customers with a new perk: No middle seat

Brazil's largest airline is trying a new tack to get passengers to pay more expensive fares: No middle seats. Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes is launching its first nonstop flights from Brazil to the US in early November. The airline will use its new Boeing 737 Max 8 jets on the routes from Fortaleza in northerneastern Brazil and from the capital Brasilia to Miami and Orlando. Gol operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet, like Southwest in the US, with three seats across on either side of the aisle. In order to make its premium economy section more attractive for travellers flying the longest routes around at nearly 8 hours, the airline will block off a middle seat using a table that stays on the seat for the duration of the flight, CFO Richard Lark said. Premium economy seats also feature 34 inches of legroom compared with 31 inches in regular economy. Gol, like other carriers, is relying on customers to opt for higher fares to help cover the cost of fuel, which is up by more than a third in the last year. Gol isn't ruling out further expansion in the US but for now it is focusing on Florida. Brazil is the state's third-biggest source of foreign visitors after Canada and the United Kingdom.<br/>