Brazil Domestic Carriers

[wncdemcub]

For those of you who have flown between cities which one do you think is the best? I am looking at GOL based on ease of luggage fee/number of pieces rules. Anyone have anything positive or negative to say about them?

[ihpguy]

I've flown on Azul and TAM this year. Same baggage rules. Only variables are.number of stops, price and.departure times. I suppose that TAM has better clubs if you qualify

[ihpguy]

I've flown on Azul and TAM this year. Same baggage rules. Only variables are.number of stops, price and.departure times. I suppose that TAM has better clubs if you qualify

[JAYBLK]

I prefer GOL as it is a member of SKYteam and my Delta status got me a free upgrade. It wasn't exactly first class but it wasn't crowded and at the front of the plane. I also got priority boarding and more liberal baggage rules.

[mvan1]

For those of you who have flown between cities which one do you think is the best? I am looking at GOL based on ease of luggage fee/number of pieces rules. Anyone have anything positive or negative to say about them?

Several years back, I would have said Varig was the best air carrier for Brazil. However, Varig no longer operates as a named carrier. Varig was merged into GOL.

The three main existing air carriers offer pretty much the same fares, depending on when you travel and when you buy the ticket.

There is GOL, TAM and Azul.

If you book flights on-line and early enough, it is possible to get some very reasonable fares.

There is also a bargain that is not often advertised. It is called -TAM and/or GOL Air Pass.

Here is a link that explains the rules for the air passes. Depending on your travel desires, it is possible to save a fair amount of money using these air passes.

http://www.brol.com/airpass/

As you can see from the link, a minimum of four flights within Brazil must be booked with the Brazil air pass.

When I first started traveling to Brazil, I used to buy these passes fairly often. It was a way to see lots of cities within Brazil. The old rules were less restrictive before the present rules were initiated.

The new rules with GOL, allow a passenger to see not just Brazil but other parts of South America in addition to Brazil. See the link to learn the appropriate rules for each pass.

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[Guest tomcal]

Agree with everything said above! For me, my decisions are solely based on departure and arrival times as I have found very little difference between the carriers. I have probably done 100 flights on GOL and 50 on TAM and just a couple on AZUL. My upcoming trip in September I have flights from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre to Rio and Rio to Sao Paulo and I booked two of the flights on GOL and one on TAM, although I am a member of AA's mileage program with is affiliated with TAM, since neither have first class cabins on their planes they operate on these routes there are no upgrades so I base my decision on availability of flights on the times I want to go.

The prices for the 3 legs were $77. $85. and $61. as long as you can book domestic flight more then 60 days in advance you will get inexpensive fares. Also in Brazil, for those 60+ you get first boarding so whether you belong to whatever alliance they are on or not you still board first.

this isn't a scientific study...but it seems to me that GOL consistently has hotter guys working as flight attendents if that's a factor in your decision making!

[axiom2001]

.but it seems to me that GOL consistently has hotter guys working as flight attendents if that's a factor in your decision making!

[msclelovr]

"GOL consistently has hotter guys working as flight attendants if that's a factor in your decision making! " i

Isn't it a factor in everyone's decision-making, and not just for air travel?