3green From Australia, joined Nov 2000, 144 posts, RR: 0 Posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 2167 times:
Hello, was just wondering how Varig is going now, i read earlier this year things were getting tough for them, which i thought was a shame, as i love seeing their livery in photos, etc. Any help on this one appreciated, thankyou.
LipeGIG From Brazil, joined May 2005, 11201 posts, RR: 61 Reply 2, posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 1948 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW FORUM MODERATOR
Quoting 3green (Thread starter): Hello, was just wondering how Varig is going now, i read earlier this year things were getting tough for them, which i thought was a shame, as i love seeing their livery in photos, etc. Any help on this one appreciated, thankyou.
3green, they are still flying, now with 15 planes (3 M11 and 12 733) and some more planes to come as soon as they can get the final airline certification with Brazilian authorities. They offer nowadays the best service on domestic routes (specially on shuttle service CGH-SDU) and due to this, their load is better than Tam and Gol on this top yield route.
I'm sure you will see many more photos from RG planes in the near future.
Felipe
New York + Rio de Janeiro = One of the best combinations !
HALFA From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1324 posts, RR: 17 Reply 3, posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 1885 times:
Quoting LipeGIG (Reply 2): . They offer nowadays the best service on domestic routes (specially on shuttle service CGH-SDU)
Hi Felipe,
I am curious. What is Varig doing differently now with their domestic service that you feel is better than TAM and GOL? I haven't flown RG since April. Have they changed their service for the better? Before when I have flown between CGH-SDU or GRU-GIG, it was a drink and maybe a hot cheese bread, or some kind of small sandwich and a sweet. This was fairly standard with all 3 airlines. Has VARIG changed? Are they offering more now? Again, just curious.
Aloha,
HALFA
HNL-AKL Starts March 2013, HNL-SDJ starts June 2013, HNL-TPE Starts July 2013
JJMNGR From Brazil, joined May 2004, 1018 posts, RR: 17 Reply 4, posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 1873 times:
HALFA,
What RG is doing is bringing fares down to attract pax on shuttle service CGH/SDU/CGH. It is in fares they are competing as their credibility is down the road. Fact is that they need to start generating money and not generating debits and this is something that they are not doing....they way they are doing you will see the movie "VARIG II - The Return of the Saga".
They might be doing well on shuttle but an airline can not be healthy being good in on route. Last month RG offered 4% of the market and captured 2,2% only. I have sources on RG that tells me that their pax are pax with Smiles mileage and these pax want to get rid of these miles. In fact, pax still buying their tkts are not a strong demand.
If there is an airline with low fares in Brazil today, this airline is RG. Low cost I doubt.
Glareskin From Netherlands, joined Jun 2005, 1284 posts, RR: 1 Reply 5, posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 1854 times:
I flew FRA - GRU - FRA last week on RG and to be honest I wasn't impressed by the service. Old MD-11, no IFE at all, limited choice of drinks, food was only so so. The big plusses though: nightflights on both ways plus they co-operated with LH again. And I did get my miles on Mileage Plus (United).
There's still a long way to go before all the alliances deserve a star...
C010T3 From Brazil, joined Jul 2006, 3513 posts, RR: 21 Reply 7, posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 1740 times:
Quoting JJMNGR (Reply 4): have sources on RG that tells me that their pax are pax with Smiles mileage and these pax want to get rid of these miles.
You know very well that like in every airline tickets issued by FF programs have limited seats in each flight. That hasn't been changed by Varig. In fact, try to contact Smiles and book something. I'm sure you'll have to wait more months than usual in order for you to fly with them. You can say that is exactly what you were saying, but you have to take in consideration that there are as many Smiles members as before, even though the number of flights has been reduced drastically. I would say that pax are using their miles as usual.
LipeGIG From Brazil, joined May 2005, 11201 posts, RR: 61 Reply 8, posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 1420 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW FORUM MODERATOR
Quoting HALFA (Reply 3): I am curious. What is Varig doing differently now with their domestic service that you feel is better than TAM and GOL?
I'm telling about the shuttle service where i flew 6 times during the last 45 days. As you know i use to fly Tam, probably 14 flights during the same 45 days (including last friday CGH-GIG, Sunday GIG-SSA and today SSA-IOS-CGH).
Varig nowadays is serving picanha hamburger in their shuttle service as well as newspapers and more drinks than Tam or Gol.
I can't agree with JJMNGR now. I have a lot of friends that use to fly CGH-SDU shuttle and they are flying also Varig (buying tickets). Tam and Gol reduced their prices from R$ 309 / R$ 399 to lower fares even than Varig (R$ 109,50 TAM), forcing Varig to drop their prices from R$ 169 to R$ 109
Varig keep the best load during the last two weeks on the shuttle service, better than both Gol and Tam although load is not indication of profit.
Felipe
New York + Rio de Janeiro = One of the best combinations !
Jrosa From Brazil, joined Jun 2005, 365 posts, RR: 12 Reply 9, posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 1368 times:
My home city is in Rio and I work in Sao Paulo, so I usually buy 1 round trip shuttle service per week. During the hard days of Varig crisis I was flying TAM and was not satisfied (TAM is not so flexible and so expedite as Varig is in this route), now I am flying Varig again and I am buying my tickets I am not using miles to fly (today I bought 2 round trip tickets for the shuttle service and another ticket CGH-CWB-CGH, all of them with Varig, which is offering the best price around with, unquestionably the best service, at least in the shuttle service SDU-CGH-SDU).
Regarding Brazilian airlines, Tam in particular, I arrived today early morning from JFK and once more Tam's service was a crap! (Not the crew which service was great, the problem, as always is, was with the ground staff in JFK in two different incidents in the same flight).
I got so offended and pissed with everything that happened in JFK that I am finishing a formal complain letter to send to Tam's customer care service (Fale com o Presidente). I do not know what Tam's customer care service will do, but I do not have to many expectations...
Jetdeltamsy From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 2984 posts, RR: 8 Reply 10, posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 1323 times:
My brother is a 21 year VARIG flight attendant/purser. He has been called back to work, splitting his schedule between Europe and domestic routes. He lived in Miami for the past 16 years and had to move back to Rio de Janeiro.
His back pay has paid.
While he didn't want to move back to Brazil, he's feeling much better, working a regular line and getting paid on schedule.
Worked for too many airlines to list. Banktupcy after bankruptcy after bankruptcy.
9252fly From Canada, joined Sep 2005, 1344 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (6 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 1306 times:
Sometimes an airline has to have a near death experience in order to make the changes that are necessary to survive. I would like to think that RG has a future and the process of renewal has started.
Sponsor Message: 
From Australia, joined Nov 2000, 144 posts, 
From Brazil, joined May 2005, 11201 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1324 posts, 
From Netherlands, joined Jun 2005, 1284 posts, 
From Canada, joined Sep 2005, 1344 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
