Brazillian main airlines

TAM (Transportes Aéreos Mercosul)

www.tam.com.br

TAM started as a small carrier in São Paulo state, and now TAM has the biggest fleet in Brazil. It is also the brazillian main carrier of international flights. Its hub is São Paulo International Airport (located in Guarulhos, GRU Aiport www.gruairport.com.br), from where it flies to Europe (Milan, Frankfurt, Paris, London, Bracelona), the US (Miami, New York, Orlando) and almost every south-american country (Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Bogotá, Lima). TAM flies also to Mexico City and Cancun (a recently opened flight) from São Paulo International - GRU. TAM has flights to Europe and US from Rio (Galeão, GIG airport). TAM also provides some international flights to the US from Brasília (BSB airport) and Manaus.

TAM merged with the chilean airline LAN, forming the LATAM group. They became the biggest airline group in South America; now both companies share flights and the milleage program. Because of that, the Brazillian merger´s authority demanded TAM to leave staralliance international milleage program. So, TAM joined the oneworld milleage program.

It´s own milleage program is called TAM Fidelidade, which was expanded for other business in Brazil, trhough Multiplus Fidelidade www.multiplusfidelidade.com.br

TAM´s fleet is mostly composed by Aribus A319, A320, A321, and recently TAM bought the A350W for international flights. It operates some Boeings 777 on international flights.

LATAM group has recently annouced that it intends to build another hub in one of the following three cities, in the northeast region of Brazil: Fortaleza, Recife or Natal. Due to its strategic position almost in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the northeast region of Brazil was put in the companie´s future plans of providing new connections with Europe.

TAM´s international flights, allied with LAN´s net and its vast domestic flight network, can make things easier when travelling to Brazil.