TAM Airlines Consolidates Fleet and Initiates New Air Network
May 26 2008 - 6:48PM
PR Newswire (US)
Flights to be operated exclusively with modern A320 aircraft
configured for Executive and Economy classes; company no longer
operates the F-100 aircraft SAO PAULO, Brazil, May 26
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TAM Airlines, a Group TAM company
(Bovespa: TAMM4 and NYSE: TAM) with headquarters in Asuncion
(Paraguay), will consolidate its fleet of aircraft and initiate a
new air network starting today (May 26). All TAM flights will be on
the Airbus A320 aircraft, configured for Executive and Economy
classes. The change allows the company to increase the number of
seats on flights and adjust its air network to better serve the
passengers. The new TAM Airlines fleet will include three modern
Airbus A320 aircraft, configured for 12 seats in Executive class
and 144 in Economy. Executive class passengers will have access to
TAM's VIP lounges at principal airports where the company operates.
Facilities are well equipped, allowing travelers to rest peacefully
and comfortably prior to departure. With the standardization, the
company will no longer operate the F-100 aircraft with 108 seats.
Inaugurating a new era in regional aviation with its incorporation
into the TAM fleet in 1990, the F-100 was used to fly routes in
Brazil and South America. TAM came to have 50 aircrafts of this
model. As of the end of last year, TAM Linhas Aereas is no longer
using this plane for its domestic flights. The TAM Airlines air
network has been modified to better serve the needs of passengers
traveling in South America. TAM operations in Bolivia will be
exclusively concentrated in the city of Santa Cruz de La Sierra.
Scheduled departures and arrivals for some flights have been
changed to make things more convenient for travelers, allowing for
connections to TAM flights in Brazil and abroad. In order to
introduce these changes in the fleet and air network in South
America, TAM Airlines will today (May 26) begin placing ads in
newspapers and magazines in Asuncion and Ciudad del Este
(Paraguay), Santiago (Chile), Santa Cruz de La Sierra (Bolivia) and
Cordoba (Argentina). In March, TAM Airlines became the new name for
TAM Mercosur, pursuant to brand repositioning guidelines that go
along with the expansion of Group TAM in the international market.
The company offers flights from Asuncion to destinations in
Argentina (Buenos Aires and Cordoba), Bolivia (Santa Cruz de La
Sierra), Brazil, Chile (Santiago), Paraguay (Ciudad del Este) and
Uruguay (Montevideo). It also provides the connection from Cordoba
(Argentina) to Brazil via Asuncion. It operates direct flights to
Sao Paulo from Asuncion, enabling passengers to make connections to
a wide variety of locations in South America, Europe and the United
States, leveraging TAM's extensive air network in Brazil and
abroad, in addition to code-share arrangements with international
airlines. Investor Relations: Phone: (55) (11) 5582-9715 Fax: (55)
(11) 5582-8149 http://www.tam.com.br/ir Press Agency: Phone: (55)
(11) 5582-8167 Fax: (55) (11) 5582-8155 MVL Comunicacao Phone: (55)
(11) 3594-0302 / 0304 / 0305 About TAM: TAM
(http://www.tam.com.br/) has been the leader in the Brazilian
domestic market for more than four years and closed April 2008 with
a 47.1% market share. The company operates flights to 42 Brazilian
destinations. It serves 79 different destinations in the Brazilian
market through commercial agreements with regional companies. Among
Brazilian airline companies, TAM's international market share was
72.4% in April. Its international operations include direct flights
to 17 destinations: New York and Miami (USA), Paris (France),
London (England), Milan (Italy), Frankfurt (Germany), Madrid
(Spain), Buenos Aires and Cordoba (Argentina), Santiago (Chile),
Caracas (Venezuela), Montevideo and Punta del Este (Uruguay),
Asuncion and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), and Santa Cruz de la
Sierra and Cochabamba (Bolivia). Additionally, it has code share
agreements with international airlines, which allow passengers to
travel to another 64 destinations in the United States, South
America and Europe. TAM was the first airline company to launch a
loyalty program in Brazil; TAM's program currently has 4.7 million
members and has redeemed more than 5.5 million tickets in exchange
for points.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080221/SPTH002LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ 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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