Quoting steve6666 (Reply 45): The incentives for loyalty to old TAM have, frankly, sucked. Fidelidade was/is a dismal programme compared to, say, BA Exec Club. But I think you are overestimating the sophistication of the Brazilian traveller, which, in my experience is much more likely to take a decision based purely on cost. And GOL almost invariably comes out cheaper domestically (they are also a significantly worse airline than TAM) - last time I was looking at flights GOL was about 40% of the price of TAM for same day/approx time. I mean, Azul bus people from downtown Sao Paulo to VCP - something that could conceivably take several hours if the traffic is bad - why would you do that other than for a cheaper fare? (Assuming it's a destination served from CGH/GRU). TAM's domestic service I don't actually think is bad - I've certainly had far worse from BA in terms of cabin crew/catering/on time performance - but I don't honestly think the international hard product is up to much, certainly not on the A330s/old config 77Ws - and nowhere near a patch on LAN's 763s. |
We can agree to disagree, but you cant just dismiss GOL and Azul as your "LCC nextdoor".
Azul planes are fitted with great IFE on all routes. VCP may not be glamorous, but it is a great way to bypass CGH and tap into a very wealthy and industrial area of Brazil and have a strategic hub.
Azul CEO, is a Brazilian national who helped manage the like of Southwest, WestJet and JetBlue, so it is fair to assume he knows what he is doing.
GOL is the Alaskan Air of the south equator - no coincidence DL has bought a stake! Great branding, great corporate culture, and lots of growth prospect.