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 Direct flights leaving Rio, Brasília and São Paulo, in Brazil, for Lisbon and Porto, in Portugal, with connections to Faro, Funchal and Porto Santo, are already on sale. This come on the wake of an announcement that Brazil's TAM and TAP Portugal, will start codesharing starting September 1st.
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.
Through the agreement, TAM passengers can purchase tickets for TAP flights between Brazil and Portugal leaving Rio de Janeiro, Brasília and São 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.
TAM 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.
TAP is the Portuguese airline market leader, established in 1945 and a member of the Star Alliance since 2005. Currently, it is the airline with the most flights from Brazil to Europe, departing from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza, and Natal.
TAP also enjoys a 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 845,000 flew to Brazil.
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