TAM and TAP to Begin Codeshare Flights between Brazil and Portugal on September 1
August 21 2007 - 10:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Direct flights leaving Rio, Brasilia and Sao Paulo for Lisbon and
Porto, with connections to Faro, Funchal and Porto Santo, are
already on sale SAO PAULO, Brazil, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- TAM (Bovespa: TAMM4 and NYSE: TAM) and TAP Portugal, member of
the Star Alliance, will initiate an operating agreement on
September 1 for codeshare flights. The partnership will make it
possible to offer several options for direct flights between Brazil
and Portugal, which are already on sale in the TAM reservations
system under code JJ*. The agreement links together the TAM
Fidelity program and the TAP Victory program, allowing customers of
both companies to accumulate and use points for any flight by
either one. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060418/SPTU001LOGO ) Through
the agreement, TAM passengers can purchase tickets for TAP flights
between Brazil and Portugal leaving Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and
S�o Paulo for Lisbon and Porto, with the possibility of connecting
flights to the Portuguese cities of Faro, Funchal and Porto Santo.
Airport check-in counters for the two companies have already begun
accepting electronic tickets (Interline Electronic Ticket - IET)
issued by either company, offering passengers the convenience of
receiving a single ticket for each part of a trip. The system
allows for more passenger security. Passengers will just need to
show an ID and their ticket number when checking in to receive a
boarding pass for all portions of the trip. In addition to ensuring
more convenient connections in Brazil and Portugal with the synergy
of the two airline networks, the alliance between TAM and TAP
offers individualized services, such as direct transfer of baggage
to the final destination, and reserved seats in advance. TAM
Fidelity program customers in the red and blue categories will have
access to Tap's VIP lounges in Portugal, and will also be allowed
an extra piece of luggage (or 20 kilos in terms of weight). TAM
passengers flying in Executive Class can also visit VIP lounges
when taking JJ* flights flown by TAP. Investor Relations: Tel.:
(55) (11) 5582-9715 Fax: (55) (11) 5582-8149
http://www.tam.com.br/ir Press Agency Contact: Phone: (55) (11)
5582-8167 Fax: (55) (11) 5582-8155 About TAM: TAM
(http://www.tam.com.br/) has been the leader in the Brazilian
domestic market since July 2003, and held a 50.6% domestic market
share and 64.3% international market share at the end of July 2007.
Additionally, it maintains code-share agreements with international
airline companies that allow passengers to travel to a large number
of destinations throughout the world. TAM was the first Brazilian
airline company to launch a loyalty program. Currently, the program
has over 4.0 million subscribers and has awarded more than 4.3
million tickets. About TAP: It is the Portuguese airline market
leader, established in 1945 and a member of the Star Alliance since
2005. Its Hub in Lisbon is a privileged access platform to Europe,
at the crossroads with Africa and North and South America, where
TAP stands out as the leading European airline operating to Brazil.
Currently, it is the airline with the most flights from Brazil to
Europe, departing from Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife,
Fortaleza, and Natal. TAP also enjoys an extremely wide destination
network both in Europe (where it reaches 31 cities in 16 countries)
and in Africa (where it services the countries where Portuguese is
the official language, besides Senegal and South Africa, totaling
seven countries). In 2006, the Company's airplanes transported over
6.8 million passengers, of which 845 thousand flew to Brazil.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060418/SPTU001LOGO
DATASOURCE: TAM CONTACT: Libano Miranda Barroso, TAM Investor
Relations, +011-55-11-5582-9715, fax, +011-55-11-5582-8149, Web
site: http://www.tam.com.br/
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