TAM and United Airlines Sign Memorandum of Understanding for Codeshare and Frequent Flyer Programs
May 18 2007 - 3:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
Agreement will enable TAM and United customers to connect to new
South American and United States destinations and will expand
frequent flyer opportunities for customers of both carriers SAO
PAULO, Brazil, May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TAM Linhas Aereas
(Bovespa: TAMM4 and NYSE: TAM) and United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAUA), a
founding member of the Star Alliance, will sign today a memorandum
of understanding to develop an agreement that enables the airlines
to offer codeshare flights with each other and expands
international destinations and frequent flyer opportunities for
customers of both carriers. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060418/SPTU001LOGO ) The
proposed agreement will result in more options for customers
traveling between Brazil and the United States. The agreement
includes the implementation of codeshare on TAM and United flights,
giving customers of United's Mileage Plus(R) and TAM's Fidelidade
programs the opportunity to earn and redeem miles to destinations
never-before served. TAM is the market leader in Brazil, serving 49
cities in the country, including all state capitals and the Federal
District. Internationally, it serves several countries in Europe
and North and South America. United Airlines serves more than 200
destinations worldwide from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. TAM president Marco Antonio
Bologna said that the agreement with United Airlines will
complement TAM's international route network in the United States,
providing passengers with access to United's destinations in the
U.S. "United Airlines will also offer TAM flights in the United
States to its customers, and provide new connection opportunities
from Brazil in Washington and Chicago -- important destinations for
business travelers," Bologna commented. "We anticipate that this
partnership will result in more traffic and more revenue for TAM."
"We are very pleased to sign this memorandum of understanding with
TAM to expand South American destination options for our
customers," said John Tague, Executive Vice President and Chief
Revenue Officer for United Airlines. "TAM is a leading airline in
South America with excellent service, and our complementary route
networks will deliver many codeshare and frequent flyer benefits to
our customers. The agreement will enable us to improve our service
to customers while supporting our strategy of international
growth." Implementation of the memorandum of understanding will
require execution of formal agreements and is dependent on a formal
approval from the Brazilian and U.S. governments and other
integrations that are expected to be in place in late 2007.
Investor Relations Contact: Press Agency Contact: Phone: (55) (11)
5582-9715 Phone: (55) (11) 5582-8167 Fax: (55) (11) 5582-8149 Fax:
(55) (11) 5582-8155 http://www.tam.com.br/ri About TAM: The company
(http://www.tam.com.br/) has been the Brazilian domestic market
leader since July 2003, and closed last April with a 50.72% market
share. The company flies to 49 destinations throughout Brazil. With
the commercial agreements executed with regional companies, it
reaches 76 destinations in the national territory. TAM's operations
in South America include direct flights to Buenos Aires (Argentina)
and Santiago (Chile). Within six months, TAM will start operating
daily flights to Caracas, Venezuela. With TAM Mercosur, it also
serves Asuncion and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), Cordoba
(Argentina), Montevideo (Uruguay), and Santa Cruz de la Sierra and
Cochabamba (Bolivia). In April, TAM's international market share
was 69.7% among Brazilian airlines. International operations
include long-haul direct flights to the following destinations: New
York and Miami (USA), Paris (France), London (England) and Milan
(Italy). It also maintains commercial agreements with international
companies that allow passengers to fly to a wide variety of
destinations worldwide. A pioneer in the launch of a Loyalty
Program for airlines in Brazil, TAM currently has 3.8 million
members and has awarded more than 4.2 million tickets. About United
Airlines: United Airlines, the second-largest airline in the world,
operates more than 3,720 daily flights on United, United Express
and Ted, to more than 210 destinations from its hubs in Chicago,
Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver. Present in
Asia, Oceania, Europe and Latin America, United is the largest
international airline in the U.S. United is a founding member of
the Star Alliance, providing its clients with travel to 855
destinations in 155 countries all over the world. Its 56,000
employees reside in all U.S. states and other countries. In Brazil,
it flies daily from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to O'Hare Airport
in Chicago, and Dulles in Washington. Press agency contact and
other information about the company are on the company's site in
Portuguese (http://www.united.com.br/) and in English
(http://www.united.com/).
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060418/SPTU001LOGO
DATASOURCE: TAM CONTACT: TAM, Investors, +011-55-11-5582-9715, fax,
+011-55-11-5582-8149, , or Media, +011-55-11-5582-8167, fax,
+011-55-11-5582-8155, Web site: http://www.tam.com.br/
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