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Maps generated by theGreat Circle Mapper -copyright © Karl L. Swartz.

Videos related to this report
TAM Brasil | A319 | CGH-SDU | Economy: http://youtu.be/L923cwky9bk

Hi there, thanks for clicking on the second part of my journey through South America that took place in April 2015. The first part saw me fly from London to São Paulo with British Airways and can be seen here:

S.America 1: British Airways 744 In F To Brazil (by jwhite9185 May 25 2015 in Trip Reports)

So after arriving in São Paulo I ventured out to see what was around. There's not a huge amount in the way of tourist attractions so I spent a lot of my time walking in the cities many parks.


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And of course, as I was on Paulista Avenue, I spent quite a bit of time there too.


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The famous Museum of art.

When it was time to move on, I turned to Brazil’s major carrier, TAM, for the short flight over to Rio. Prices were very decent due to the massive number of flights between the two cities (virtually every thirty minutes at peak times - and thats just TAM) and included free seat selection and baggage. Another bonus was that I’d also get to log both São Paulo’s and Rio’s downtown airports.


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I found that São Paulo's Congonhas airport wasn't brilliantly connected to the city, so rather than mess about with public transport and two bags, I decided to fork out for a taxi instead. There was a bit of a wait in the cities famous traffic, but it wasn’t too bad due to the driver taking a few shortcuts along the way.



I arrived around thirty minutes later. I was somewhat surprised to see that the main entrance was more or less on the side of the dual carriageway!



I headed inside and made my way to the TAM desks. I hadn't been able to check in online, but everything seemed in order. I was handed a very cheap and nasty looking receipt style boarding pass and sent on my way.


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The terminal was pretty retro looking - which made a nice change from the bland concrete boxes that most airports are.



There were no lounges that I could use here, the only two being an HSBC lounge or AmEx centurion lounge.


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Therefore I grabbed a tasty lunch from one of the landside stalls before heading through a very easy security - which was guarded by a pretty big FID.

I couldn't get enough Pão de Quejo during my time in Brazil!

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I then took a walk of the basic (and very warm) terminal to see what was around.



It was actually quite a busy little airport, but there wasn't much in the way of variety - a line of TAM A319’s.


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Followed by a line of a GOL 737's.



Broken up by a single Avianca Brasil A319.



There wasn't any free wifi on offer either, so I perched myself next to the window to watch the movements. It was actually pretty good due to the runway being very close to the terminal and everything going past at full throttle.


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Surprisingly busy for an airport similar in size to LCY.

A few moments later, a TAM A319 landed, and I noticed it had titles on the side stating it was the 4000th A32x series built.


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I had hoped this would be my jet, but it passed by and went to another stand. My disappointment was short lived however, as I checked the FID to see the gate had been changed - and that I would indeed be on this one.



So I moved along and waited at gate 4 instead. Although there wasn't any view to be had from here.



Boarding commenced soon after, and I was surprised to see a priority lane in use - although looking at the amount of symbols on there, it would appear that pretty much most have some sort of priority.


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JJ3932
CGH-SDU
April 2015
Airbus A319 / PT-TMA
Seat: 16F / Economy
Scheduled: 14:00/15:00
Off Stand: 13:54
On Stand: 14:39


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Boarding was completed pretty quickly and it turned out to be a pretty quiet flight. I had the entire row to myself.



Annoyingly, there were pretty big IFE boxes under the seats, despite there being very basic audio only IFE on board.



The safety briefing was completed in Portuguese with English subtitles and we made our way over to the active.


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Once there, it appeared that we had already taken off, as our wing appeared to be hanging over the streets below us.



We took our position on the runway and made a powerful departure over the endless metropolis of São Paulo more or less exactly on schedule.


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Although it wasn’t long before we were into cloud and then making the short journey across to Rio


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Shortly after departure, the crew started the on board service - two crew members with a trolley from the front and a lone crew member serving from the rear. To my surprise snacks were also handed out in the form of a fresh turkey and cheese sandwich. I was expecting nothing at all to be honest, so this was a pleasant surprise.


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During this time, the flight deck came over the PA - although they only spoke in Portuguese so no idea what was being said. I'm assuming it was something to do with the fact we had started our descent.



We passed by quite a few of the sights in Rio before heading out over the sea and swinging around on to finals.


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Being watched over by Christ the Redeemer.

It was a lot like flying into LCY but with a low altitude U turn thrown into the mix.


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One thing to note was that the seatbelt sign wasn't turned on until very late in the proceedings. Well after the landing gear had gone down and probably around two minutes until touchdown.



We made a short taxi on to stand and then sat there with our engines running for a good minute or two before they were finally shut down. This didn't stop pretty much everybody grabbing their bags and heading for the door whilst the seat belt sign was still on though.


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As we were on a remote stand it was on to a very slow bus to the terminal.



It was then over to baggage reclaim for our flight. After five minutes or so a ground worker muttered something in Portuguese and everybody headed over to another carousel. I followed suit and saw my bag going around the belt that had been put aside for the flight from Vitoria. I guess it was a case of just shoving the bags anywhere.



Never mind. It was then outside to find a way to the Copacabana area. A bus taking around twenty minutes did the job.


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Once there, it was a short walk to my hotel, The Windsor Palace. Not bad, but I think calling it a Palace was a bit much, at least from external appearances.



The room itself was decent enough though.



As was the view from my balcony.


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And with that, I’ll bring this part to a close.

TAM were a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a bit of a LCC experience - especially considering the price I paid. But it turns out I got a few frills for the price, including a free seat selection, checked bag and food and drink on board. Just a shame about the lack of a lounge but as they don’t appear to offer a business product on flights out of Congonhas I guess theres not a huge incentive for them to offer one.

Look out for part three in the series featuring a few pics from my time in Rio, followed by my flight with Emirates to Argentina.

Previous trip reports

S.America 1: British Airways 744 In F To Brazil (by jwhite9185 May 25 2015 in Trip Reports)
SunAir & Air Baltic To Latvia. LCY-BLL-OSL-RIX-LGW (by jwhite9185 Apr 17 2015 in Trip Reports)
A Swiss Bargain: LGW-GVA-CPH-LHR In J/Y, Jan 15 (by jwhite9185 Mar 28 2015 in Trip Reports)
Oh Canada! Upgrades W/BA, YUL W/AC And PD, Dec 14 (by jwhite9185 Feb 27 2015 in Trip Reports)
Chasing Gold: BA LGW-MLA 734 / LHR-ZAG A319 (by jwhite9185 Jan 23 2015 in Trip Reports)
#3: AA First, BA WTP. LAS-LAX-LHR, 738/A380 (by jwhite9185 Dec 26 2014 in Trip Reports)
#2: Retro AA First Class: SXM-MIA-DFW-LAS Sep 14 (by jwhite9185 Dec 13 2014 in Trip Reports)
#1: Speedbird 787 LHR-PHL, AA/US PHL-TPA-MIA-SXM (by jwhite9185 Nov 28 2014 in Trip Reports)
Belgium Jun.14: LCY-ANR-BRU-LHR WX F50, SN RJ100 (by jwhite9185 Nov 13 2014 in Trip Reports)
Hello Daytrip. British Airways A319, LHR-DUB-LHR (by jwhite9185 Oct 30 2014 in Trip Reports)
Amsterdam A.net Meet With SI, BA And WX. May 2014 (by jwhite9185 Oct 14 2014 in Trip Reports)
Oz 2014 9: The Finale. TK A320/BA 767 TXL-IST-LHR (by jwhite9185 Sep 27 2014 in Trip Reports)
Oz 2014 8: TXL Via BCN. QR J/AB Y SIN-DOH-BCN-TXL (by jwhite9185 Sep 14 2014 in Trip Reports)
Oz 2014 7: A Failed Attempt At CX First, HKG-SIN (by jwhite9185 Aug 29 2014 in Trip Reports)
Oz 2014 6: Back To Asia: VS A346 Upper Class SYD-HKG (by jwhite9185 Aug 1 2014 in Trip Reports)
Oz 2014 5: A Qantas Widebody To SYD. 763 BNE-SYD (by jwhite9185 Jul 22 2014 in Trip Reports)
Oz 2014 4: Oz Domestic, VA MEL-SYD-BNE 738/E190 (by jwhite9185 Jul 7 2014 in Trip Reports)
Oz 2014 3: Heading Down Under With MH 737/A333 (by jwhite9185 Jun 26 2014 in Trip Reports)
Oz 2014 2: Qatar Business BCN-DOH-SIN A333/77W (by jwhite9185 Jun 10 2014 in Trip Reports)
Oz 2014 1: Positioning LGW-BCN With EasyJet (by jwhite9185 May 26 2014 in Trip Reports)
Salzburg With BA In Club On The 737-400.March 2014 (by jwhite9185 May 11 2014 in Trip Reports)
The Red Nosed Way To Faro. LGW-OSL-FAO-LGW DY/BA (by jwhite9185 Apr 28 2014 in Trip Reports)
New Year, New AA: LHR-ORD-BOS-JFK-LHR 772/738/77W (by jwhite9185 Apr 1 2014 in Trip Reports)
To Fly, To Serve: BA LGW-VCE-LCY 737/E170 Dec.13 (by jwhite9185 Mar 22 2014 in Trip Reports)
Alicante With BA In J: LHR-ALC-LGW A319/734 Nov.13 (by jwhite9185 Mar 16 2014 in Trip Reports)
The EZY Way To Catch A LAN 787 LGW-MAD-FRA-ARN-LHR (by jwhite9185 Feb 21 2014 in Trip Reports)
Trains, Planes And… Boats? ZRH A.net Meet (by jwhite9185 Feb 5 2014 in Trip Reports)
Asia 4: Heading Home On An A380 KUL-LHR (by jwhite9185 Jan 20 2014 in Trip Reports)
Asia 3: JAL 767 To Kuala Lumpur NRT-KUL (by jwhite9185 Jan 10 2014 in Trip Reports)
Asia 2:Catching A Cathay Pacific 747 To Tokyo In F (by jwhite9185 Dec 22 2013 in Trip Reports)
Asia 1: A Journey Of Epic Proportions LHR-KUL-HKG (by jwhite9185 Dec 8 2013 in Trip Reports)
Comparing The Competition Again: VS/BA LHR-ABZ-LHR (by jwhite9185 Nov 24 2013 in Trip Reports)
Across The UK With Flybe SOU-EDI-MAN-SOU E195/Q400 (by jwhite9185 Nov 5 2013 in Trip Reports)
An Impulse Buy To Catch BA's 787 In C LHR-ARN-LHR (by jwhite9185 Oct 18 2013 in Trip Reports)
BA,The DB, AB And A Bit Of DAT LHR-STR-NUE-DUS-STR (by jwhite9185 Oct 6 2013 in Trip Reports)
Jettime To Scandinavia: LHR-CPH-BHX 733/SAS CR9 (by jwhite9185 Sep 28 2013 in Trip Reports)
Arabia & Thailand 2013 5: Catching A Whale To LHR (by jwhite9185 Sep 3 2013 in Trip Reports)
Arabia & Thailand 2013 4:Back To DXB With Oman Air (by jwhite9185 Aug 20 2013 in Trip Reports)
Arabia & Thailand 2013 3: BKK-DXB-MCT With EK/WY (by jwhite9185 Aug 6 2013 in Trip Reports)
Arabia & Thailand 2013 2: Two TG Classic's To HKT (by jwhite9185 Jul 20 2013 in Trip Reports)
Arabia & Thailand 2013 1: LHR-DXB-BKK EK A380/77W (by jwhite9185 Jul 9 2013 in Trip Reports)
USA 2013 Pt 5: AA & BA's New WTP MCO-MIA-ATL-LHR (by jwhite9185 Jun 25 2013 in Trip Reports)
USA 2013 Pt 4: Heading South On A Mad Dog ORD-MCO (by jwhite9185 Jun 13 2013 in Trip Reports)
USA 2013 Pt 3: Almost A Disaster With AA DCA-ORD (by jwhite9185 May 29 2013 in Trip Reports)
USA 2013 Pt 2: BA A320/744 WTP CDG-LHR-IAD (by jwhite9185 May 14 2013 in Trip Reports)
USA 2013 Pt 1: The Beginning BA LHR-ORY (by jwhite9185 Apr 20 2013 in Trip Reports)
Comparing The Competition: BA/VS Inaugural MAN-LHR (by jwhite9185 Mar 31 2013 in Trip Reports)
Taking TAP To Portugal: LGW-OPO-LIS-LHR Feb. 2013 (by jwhite9185 Mar 10 2013 in Trip Reports)
Poland On The Dream)liner - LOT LHR-WAW-LHR In C/Y (by jwhite9185 Jan 1 2013 in Trip Reports)
A Speedbird & Titan 767 – LHR-LCA-LHR In C…ish (by jwhite9185 Feb 1 2013 in Trip Reports)
British Airways LGW-AGP-LCY 737/E190 Nov. 2012 (by jwhite9185 Dec 1 2012 in Trip Reports)
Part 2: 5 Flights 3 Airlines MXP-ZRH-DUS-LHR LX/LH (by jwhite9185 Nov 14 2012 in Trip Reports)
Part 1: 5 Flights 3 Airlines LHR-BRU-MXP In Theory (by jwhite9185 Oct 29 2012 in Trip Reports)
Cancellations, Widebodies And Iberia LHR-MAD-LHR (by jwhite9185 Oct 17 2012 in Trip Reports)
Virgin Atlantic's New A330 LHR-JFK-LHR (by jwhite9185 Sep 21 2012 in Trip Reports)
A Night In Amsterdam - KLM F70/738 LHR-AMS-LHR (by jwhite9185 Aug 28 2012 in Trip Reports)
Trying Out Flybe - LGW-BHD-GLA-BHD-LGW (by jwhite9185 Jul 11 2012 in Trip Reports)
A Day Trip To MAN (by jwhite9185 Jun 21 2012 in Trip Reports)
Nice, Monaco And The Great British Lounge With BMI (by jwhite9185 May 13 2012 in Trip Reports)
EI237/182 LGW-DUB-LHR And 2 Lounges (by jwhite9185 Apr 18 2012 in Trip Reports)
LGW-FRA-BRU-LHR With LH And SN (by jwhite9185 Mar 27 2012 in Trip Reports)
BA906/8735 LHR-FRA-LCY (by jwhite9185 Mar 13 2012 in Trip Reports)
VS015/016 LGW-MCO-LGW June 2010 (by jwhite9185 Jan 20 2012 in Trip Reports)
VS006 MIA-LHR A340-642 June 2008 (by jwhite9185 Feb 10 2012 in Trip Reports)
Virgin Atlantic 747 To BGI - October 2007 (by jwhite9185 Aug 3 2012 in Trip Reports)

Nice short report James! TAM look quite good on the short hops, although the lack of lounge is dissapointing (though no different to LCY I guess). Nice that you got ship #4000.

Great Tr  . How safe is Brazil? What would you recommend to see in Sao Paolo? Would you return to Brazil?Anyways great TR and thank you for posting  

Excellent as usual James. I do have a soft spot for Brazil, since my first visit in 1998. I've never flown TAM, but must really, as it is my wife's name! After watching the kids' film Rio, she and the children would also like to visit.

Nice that the short flight had some good perks, that seem to be lacking nowadays. And some spectacular views both of SP and Rio. Both times I was there, I took the bus!

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

signol

Gabriel,

Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): Nice short report James!

Short but sweet!

Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): TAM look quite good on the short hops

Yes, no complaints at all - and for an excellent price too.

Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): the lack of lounge is dissapointing (though no different to LCY I guess).

Not really - CGH had lounges, I just couldn't access them. LCY doesn't have any.

Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): Nice that you got ship #4000.

I was pretty lucky on this trip - got the BA OneWorld livery, the 4000th A320 and a Star Alliance logo jet back to Europe.

lesfalls,

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 2): Great Tr

Thanks,

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 2): How safe is Brazil?

I didn't encounter any issues. Theres a pretty big police presence in most of the busier areas. Even going out for dinner after dark there were no issues.

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 2): What would you recommend to see in Sao Paolo?

The parks... and thats about it. Theres also an observation deck but its only open Monday - Friday, and as I was there over a weekend I missed out.

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 2): Would you return to Brazil?

I wound be against it.

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 2): Anyways great TR and thank you for posting

No problem

Robin,

Quoting signol (Reply 3): Excellent as usual James.

Thanks,

Quoting signol (Reply 3): I've never flown TAM, but must really, as it is my wife's name!

Good enough excuse! And they're a decent airline from what I gathered on this short hop.

Quoting signol (Reply 3): After watching the kids' film Rio, she and the children would also like to visit.

Rio is a great city - as I'm sure you discovered on your visit.

Quoting signol (Reply 3): Nice that the short flight had some good perks, that seem to be lacking nowadays.

Yes - you seem to pay far more in Europe and get less!

Quoting signol (Reply 3): And some spectacular views both of SP and Rio.

Glad I chose the downtown airports now. I was a little unsure at first, but when I saw they were both nearer to where I needed to be I figured why not.

Quoting signol (Reply 3): Both times I was there, I took the bus!

I remember you saying - bet that was an experience!

Awesome trip report! This makes me feel very nostalgic!

I recently spent a month in Brazil last winter on a marketing internship (that turned more into a vacation since Brasilians are very laid back) My friends and I did extensive domestic travel around Brasil and I have to say seeing your pictures are making me want to go back even more! JJ is a great airline and I'm surprised to see that they actually served you a quite substantial snack for such a short flight. We flew GRU-GYN on JJ and all we got was a small pack of chips (but arguably one of the best I ever had)

And as a side note, I've realized that the Windsor Hotels is quite popular in Rio. My friends and I stayed at the Windsor Florida and my mom and her friends who visited Rio last Spring stayed at the Windsor Martinique.

Great to see that you enjoyed Brasil! It's truly a great country with awesome people and Rio de Janeiro has become my favorite city in the world!

jetBlue777   

[Edited 2015-06-09 20:30:50]

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): I couldn't get enough Pão de Quejo during my time in Brazil!

look out for "pan de bono" in Colombia, very similar  

As usual a great and detailed report from you. I found myself not bothering to do to such a well written report as you do here, so kudos to you for taking the time to do so  

Looking forward to the next report!

O

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 2): . How safe is Brazil? What would you recommend to see in Sao Paolo?

Hi Lesfalls, I found it safe, certainly as safe as any area in the US. As for tourist sights in São Paulo, the only thing I recall was the Instituta Butanta, the snake park and research centre. You can watch them milk venomous snakes for the venom, to make antidotes.

Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 4): I remember you saying - bet that was an experience!

James, actually very nice. One was a standard National Express type. The other was in Executivo class, with wide J-type seats (meaning the aisle was too narrow to walk normally down) and a stewardess giving free drinks and snacks  

signol

Hi James,
Good to see the second part of your trip posted.

Thanks for the photos of the various aircraft that you spotted.I always like to see the different liveries. How fortunate that your initial disappointment changed to pleasure on finding you would indeed be upon the 4000th A320 family built.

Thanks for sharing,
EN

Wow a real snack for such a short flight. Impressive these days.

I flew this route on a Varig Electra in 1978.

On all flights of an hour or more on VASP in those days they would serve a hot meal.

jetblue777,

Quoting jetblue777 (Reply 5): Awesome trip report!

Thanks,

Quoting jetblue777 (Reply 5): JJ is a great airline and I'm surprised to see that they actually served you a quite substantial snack for such a short flight. We flew GRU-GYN on JJ and all we got was a small pack of chips (but arguably one of the best I ever had)

I guess they have to try a little harder on this route due to the competition?

Quoting jetblue777 (Reply 5): I've realized that the Windsor Hotels is quite popular in Rio.

Yes, I noticed there were quite a few of them around.

hotelkilo,

Quoting hotelkilo (Reply 6): look out for "pan de bono" in Colombia, very similar

Haha, well I arrived back from Colombia a while back now...

invaders,

Quoting invaders (Reply 7): As usual a great and detailed report from you.

Thanks,

Quoting invaders (Reply 7): I found myself not bothering to do to such a well written report as you do here, so kudos to you for taking the time to do so

It does get a little time consuming!

Robin,

Quoting signol (Reply 8): The other was in Executivo class, with wide J-type seats (meaning the aisle was too narrow to walk normally down) and a stewardess giving free drinks and snacks

I'm pretty sure I took an Executive coach back to GIG, but wasn't all that fancy. Guess it was just a local one.

ElanusNotatus

Quoting ElanusNotatus (Reply 9): Thanks for the photos of the various aircraft that you spotted.

No problem,

Quoting ElanusNotatus (Reply 9): How fortunate that your initial disappointment changed to pleasure on finding you would indeed be upon the 4000th A320 family built.

Yes, although of course, the only difference was the sticker - and bragging rights.

lychemsa,

Quoting lychemsa (Reply 10): Wow a real snack for such a short flight. Impressive these days.

Yes, very much a rarity.

Quoting lychemsa (Reply 10): I flew this route on a Varig Electra in 1978.

Now that would have been far more interesting. And of course back in those days, CGH was the main airport in Sao Paulo.

Quoting lychemsa (Reply 10): On all flights of an hour or more on VASP in those days they would serve a hot meal.

BA still serve hot breakfasts on their LHR-Scotland routes. I even got one on a LHR-MAN route many years ago...

Hello James,

A good second part to this trip series.

I don't think I would be too happy with a nice chunky IFE box like that at your feet. Haha!  

That picture of the reflection on the wing as you made that U-turn... Awesome!

JoeyTaffy93,

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 12): A good second part to this trip series.

Thanks,

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 12): I don't think I would be too happy with a nice chunky IFE box like that at your feet.

Especially as there wasn't any IFE on board! At least I had a row to myself so I could spread out diagonally.

Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 13): Especially as there wasn't any IFE on board! At least I had a row to myself so I could spread out diagonally.

Haha! Spreading out diagonally isn't always the most comfortable way either! Please tell me the audio was somewhat decent from the IFE? Or was it just hits from the 1990s....

Wow - awesome! Your TR couldn't have come at a better time for us - my wife and I are headed to Brazil next week actually (thank you AA firesales) and are taking a few domestic segments on TAM (to MAO). Post your Rio TR soon so we'll know where to go and what to do!

G’day J,

After the ‘film version’, good to see the written version as well! Flying between these to megacities seems much like flying between London & Paris, only the views are much better here, especially the approach into Rio. The cabin takes a bit of getting used to I find, the pattern on the seats is a bit, let’s say busy? Nice to receive a snack and drink for free   

Sultanils

JoeyTaffy93,

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 14): Please tell me the audio was somewhat decent from the IFE? Or was it just hits from the 1990s....

No idea! I generally don't bother with audio on planes.

9w748capt,

Quoting 9w748capt (Reply 15): Your TR couldn't have come at a better time for us - my wife and I are headed to Brazil next week

Enjoy! After being a little skeptical at first, I soon grew to find it a great place, especially Rio.

Quoting 9w748capt (Reply 15): Post your Rio TR soon so we'll know where to go and what to do!

Not sure it'll be up by next week, but I'd highly recommend Sugar Loaf Mountain. I could have spent a whole day there!

Nils,

Quoting sultanils (Reply 16): After the ‘film version’, good to see the written version as well!

Good to hear written media isn't quite dead yet!

Quoting sultanils (Reply 16): Flying between these to megacities seems much like flying between London & Paris

Not really - the airports were far smaller and the cities far bigger. The flight time was similar though.

Quoting sultanils (Reply 16): The cabin takes a bit of getting used to I find, the pattern on the seats is a bit, let’s say busy?

Yes, it was definitely different.

Quoting sultanils (Reply 16): Nice to receive a snack and drink for free

Certainly a welcome surprise. I wonder if I would have got the same on GOL?

Hi James!

A nice continuation to your series to South America! Some lovely pictures of Sao Paulo you got there. Unfortunately for me it was only a stopover the last time I was there in 2013. Do you prefer Rio or Sao Paulo?

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): I hadn't been able to check in online, but everything seemed in order. I was handed a very cheap and nasty looking receipt style boarding pass and sent on my way.

At least it's of a standard size. The ones that GOL hands out are literally receipt-like.

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): Boarding was completed pretty quickly and it turned out to be a pretty quiet flight. I had the entire row to myself.

Quite a strange pattern on the seats. Were they comfortable? Compared to.. say.. BA's new Short-haul cabin?

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): To my surprise snacks were also handed out in the form of a fresh turkey and cheese sandwich. I was expecting nothing at all to be honest, so this was a pleasant surprise.

   Too used to the European service, eh?   

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): It was a lot like flying into LCY but with a low altitude U turn thrown into the mix.

Nice! Did you go up sugarloaf mountain? Up there you'll see the view from the opposite end! I took several videos of the aircrafts making that large U-turn. Pretty awesome sight.

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): Look out for part three in the series featuring a few pics from my time in Rio, followed by my flight with Emirates to Argentina.

Looking forward! Oops I guess I should have saved all my Rio-related questions till the next TR haha.


pokfur

Nice Flight/Trip Report James White ! I lost count of how many times did this route in my life. I fly SDU-CGH-SDU at least 2 or 3 times a year to visit my friends or to go to the Formula One race.

Quote: So after arriving in São Paulo I ventured out to see what was around. There's not a huge amount in the way of tourist attractions so I spent a lot of my time walking in the cities many parks.

São Paulo is a business/industrial city, BUT has a lot of touristic and cultural attractions and events. The cultural calendar is huge. There are museums, art galleries, markets and other places to go. If you have time and money to spent you can have fun there. Many events and shows take place at the city.

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): I found that São Paulo's Congonhas airport wasn't brilliantly connected to the city, so rather than mess about with public transport and two bags, I decided to fork out for a taxi instead. There was a bit of a wait in the cities famous traffic, but it wasn’t too bad due to the driver taking a few shortcuts along the way.

As I always carry with me a light carry-on I opt to take the subway then a bus to the airport (or from there). It´s just R$ 7,00 instead of R$ 42-45,00 on a taxi ride. In you case with 2 bags the taxi or Uber are more pratical solutions.

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): was guarded by a pretty big FID

What´s a FID ?

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): There wasn't any free wifi on offer either, so I perched myself next to the window to watch the movements.

There are four or five free-wifi services at Congonhas Aiport. Most are for people who are subscriber of telephone companies or cable tv (like me). NEVERTHELESS there is a totally FREE Infraero Wifi Connection at the departure available for any person (local or foreigner) to use. You just have to create a login and password and use without time limit.

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): Shortly after departure, the crew started the on board service - two crew members with a trolley from the front and a lone crew member serving from the rear. To my surprise snacks were also handed out in the form of a fresh turkey and cheese sandwich. I was expecting nothing at all to be honest, so this was a pleasant surprise.

TAM just offer this on Ponte-Aérea flights (SDU-CGH / CGH-SDU) because it´s a premium route. It´s sad that on longer flights here the snacks offered are so ridiculous.

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): TAM were a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a bit of a LCC experience - especially considering the price I paid. But it turns out I got a few frills for the price, including a free seat selection, checked bag and food and drink on board. Just a shame about the lack of a lounge but as they don’t appear to offer a business product on flights out of Congonhas I guess theres not a huge incentive for them to offer one.

TAM isn´t a LCC. Because of the strong competion on this route with GOL, Avianca and even Azul (in Campinas) all airlines have to keep their prices on the same level of the others. Otherwise the passenger will you choose the cheaper one. Even because is just 45 minutes of flight.

Lounges aren´t necessary at Congonhas because most of the passengers who use the airport are businessmen who arrived some minutes before the flight at the airport. People there are more interested to leave São Paulo ASAP to arrive at your destination on time. If you arrive early at the airport you have the option to change your flight to an earlier one without and fees or costs. For people who are connecting in Congonhas there isn´t so much time to think about using the lounge because most connections are programmed to have duration of 1 hour or 1:20hmin.

Some lounges still remaining, but they are but they are fading.

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[Edited 2015-06-13 13:38:43]

Congratulations on this very interesting and informative report! Reading it makes me thing of my own previous trips to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities.

Quoting jwhite9185 (Thread starter): So after arriving in São Paulo I ventured out to see what was around. There's not a huge amount in the way of tourist attractions

São Paulo is a very big and very interesting city! Besides the parks that you mentioned, there's much to do: visiting different neighbourhoods, each with a different flavour - there's even a Japanese neighbourhood - going to museums of all kinds - did you go into MASP? - I've been to Museu da Língua Portuguesa (Museum of the Portuguese Language) and Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (accross the street, visual arts ranging from 19th to 21st century collections and temporary exhibitions) - shopping (street shopping, market shopping, mall shopping, low to high end shopping!), eating out and trying local cultural and nightlife. Plus, not too far from the city centre (well, a few hours!), Brazilan nature starts to unfold and you can head to beaches, former coffee plantations, etc. It's definitely a very interesting city - and it feels and is safe, like most big Brazilian cities nowadays - and I look forward to going back!

(Of course, speaking Portuguese helps a lot, but I believe in such a big city there's a lot of information in English, any good guide books should cover it all!)

But right now I look forward to the next parts of your long South American trip report!
  

pokfur,

Quoting pokfur (Reply 18): A nice continuation to your series to South America!

Thanks,

Quoting pokfur (Reply 18): Do you prefer Rio or Sao Paulo?

Rio, definitely,

Quoting pokfur (Reply 18): At least it's of a standard size. The ones that GOL hands out are literally receipt-like.

I got the impression that there was some sort of paper rationing going on in Brazil, as most receipts seemed pretty cheap there!

Quoting pokfur (Reply 18): Quite a strange pattern on the seats. Were they comfortable? Compared to.. say.. BA's new Short-haul cabin?

Yeah, they were pretty comfortable for the short time I spent in them.

Quoting pokfur (Reply 18): Too used to the European service, eh?

Something like that!

Quoting pokfur (Reply 18): Nice! Did you go up sugarloaf mountain? Up there you'll see the view from the opposite end! I took several videos of the aircrafts making that large U-turn. Pretty awesome sight.

Quoting pokfur (Reply 18): Looking forward! Oops I guess I should have saved all my Rio-related questions till the next TR haha.

Kind of answered your own question there!

nishan,

Quoting nishan (Reply 19): Nice Flight/Trip Report James White

Thanks,

Quoting nishan (Reply 19): I lost count of how many times did this route in my life.

A bit like me with LHR-MAN-LHR runs.

Quoting nishan (Reply 19): São Paulo is a business/industrial city, BUT has a lot of touristic and cultural attractions and events.

Yeah, I did see there were a few bits around, but most were a bit of a distance from my hotel.

Quoting nishan (Reply 19): What´s a FID ?

Flight information display.

Quoting nishan (Reply 19): There are four or five free-wifi services at Congonhas Aiport. Most are for people who are subscriber of telephone companies or cable tv (like me). NEVERTHELESS there is a totally FREE Infraero Wifi Connection at the departure available for any person (local or foreigner) to use. You just have to create a login and password and use without time limit.

I guess I logged on to the premium ones and then gave up!

Quoting nishan (Reply 19): TAM just offer this on Ponte-Aérea flights (SDU-CGH / CGH-SDU) because it´s a premium route.

Guess that makes sense.

Quoting nishan (Reply 19): TAM isn´t a LCC.

Oh, I know. I figured as the flight was so cheap there would be any frills thrown in. Much like on BA these days, you have to pay extra to take a bag, assign a seat (even as a gold member) and the service on the shorter sectors is virtually nothing.

Quoting nishan (Reply 19): Lounges aren´t necessary at Congonhas because most of the passengers who use the airport are businessmen who arrived some minutes before the flight at the airport. People there are more interested to leave São Paulo ASAP to arrive at your destination on time. If you arrive early at the airport you have the option to change your flight to an earlier one without and fees or costs. For people who are connecting in Congonhas there isn´t so much time to think about using the lounge because most connections are programmed to have duration of 1 hour or 1:20hmin.

Much like LCY.

AirCbp,

Quoting AirCbp (Reply 20): Congratulations on this very interesting and informative report!

Thank you.

Quoting AirCbp (Reply 20): São Paulo is a very big and very interesting city!

Certainly big!

Quoting AirCbp (Reply 20): it feels and is safe, like most big Brazilian cities

Yes, I found it was no issue at all with regards to safety.

Quoting AirCbp (Reply 20): Of course, speaking Portuguese helps a lot, but I believe in such a big city there's a lot of information in English

Yes, it was only the people where the English wasn't brilliant. Its still easy enough to get on though.

The aerial views over SDU are amazing. Flying into that airport is simply fantastic.

Bogota,

Quoting Bogota (Reply 22): The aerial views over SDU are amazing. Flying into that airport is simply fantastic.

Agreed - even when flying in from the opposite direction there were still great views - something that doesn't happen at LCY.

Hey James  

Great report in your series. You dont read too much about TAM here so it was nice to see it. Lovely destination pics.

Who is Paola BTW   ?

Look forward to reading the next part which I see is waiting for me.

Regards

Philip  

Hi!

I just re-read your very interesting report, and noticed that you wrote "I couldn't get enough Pão de Quejo during my time in Brazil!" Ha, ha! I lcould say the same, I wish we still had "Casa do Pão de Queijo" in Lisbon, there was a time we did. Now I have to    to Brazil to get it (or buy it frozen in Portugal   ). Cheers!

Philip,

Quoting OA260 (Reply 24): Great report in your series.

Thanks,

Quoting OA260 (Reply 24): You dont read too much about TAM here so it was nice to see it.

Yes, one of the few occasions that I've gone into a flight blind as such. I was pleasantly surprised too.

Quoting OA260 (Reply 24): Who is Paola BTW

No idea, but I was supposed to be sharing a coke with her.

AirCbp,

Quoting AirCbp (Reply 25): I just re-read your very interesting report

Twice!

Quoting AirCbp (Reply 25): noticed that you wrote "I couldn't get enough Pão de Quejo during my time in Brazil!"

Certainly couldn't. I've tried to make them here in the UK. They tasted good, but weren't really anything like the real thing!

James!

Sorry it took me a long time to reply... but better late than never hehehe.

Nice brief report, Can´t say Sao Paulo looks very inviting at least for me, but nice to see a few shots nonetheless, the airport looks a bit depressing but the traffic makes up for it... and that Pao do Queijo... hmmmm hmmmm...

TAM seems like a good airline, surprised they manage to run a service on such a short flight!

On to the next one!

MIAspotter.

Christian,

Quoting MIAspotter (Reply 27): Sorry it took me a long time to reply... but better late than never hehehe.

Yeah that would be my excuse!

Quoting MIAspotter (Reply 27): Can´t say Sao Paulo looks very inviting at least for me

Not the greatest city I've visited.

Quoting MIAspotter (Reply 27): the airport looks a bit depressing

Its getting on a bit now. I think they're trying to keep hold of its charm.

Quoting MIAspotter (Reply 27): TAM seems like a good airline, surprised they manage to run a service on such a short flight!

That was a surprise for me too. Only paid around £40 for the ticket.

Quoting nishan (Reply 19): São Paulo is a business/industrial city, BUT has a lot of touristic and cultural attractions and events. The cultural calendar is huge. There are museums, art galleries, markets and other places to go.

Foreigners in general don't come to Brazil to see its museums / art galleries, they don't like to spend money and dine in fine restaurants nor do they care to find out more about Brazilian culture. All that makes São Paulo quite uninteresting from their point of view.

Hi James,

finally found the time to follow you on your South American adventure. Great report here with nice pictures, SDU certainly is one of the more spectacular airports around. The approach over the city must be stunning.

Nice flight on TAM, and good to see that you even got a little sandwich and something to drink on a short flight like this.

CaptainRed

danvs,

Quoting danvs (Reply 29): Foreigners in general don't come to Brazil to see its museums / art galleries

Well I guess if theres something that interests you then I don't see why not. Personally though art galleries aren't really my thing.

CR,

Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 30): Great report here with nice pictures

Thanks,

Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 30): The approach over the city must be stunning.

I'd say the departure from Congonhas was more impressive.

Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 30): Nice flight on TAM, and good to see that you even got a little sandwich and something to drink on a short flight like this.

That did come as a surprise.