Category Archives: Transport

Distances to travel at the 2014 World Cup

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At the group stage of the World Cup fans of teams will have to cover the following distances to watch their team play. Fans of the USA have the furthest to travel, 5607 km, while the fans of Belgium have the least far to travel between games, 698 km.

cities50GROUP A

  • Brazil – São Paulo-Fortaleza-Brasília = 4.062 km
  • Croatia – São Paulo-Manaus-Recife = 5.531 km
  • Mexico – Natal-Fortaleza-Recife = 1.065 km
  • Cameroon – Natal-Manaus-Brasília = 4.704 km

GROUP B

  • Spain – Salvador-Rio-Curitiba = 1.888 km
  • Netherlands – Salvador-Porto Alegre-São Paulo = 3.159 km
  • Chile – Cuiabá-Rio-São Paulo = 1.936 km
  • Australia – Cuiabá-Porto Alegre-Curitiba = 2.228 km

GROUP C

  • Colombia – Belo Horizonte-Brasília-Cuiabá = 1.500 km
  • Greece – Belo Horizonte-Natal-Fortaleza = 2.269 km
  • Ivory Coast – Recife-Brasília-Fortaleza = 3.349 km
  • Japan – Recife-Natal-Cuiabá = 2.782 km

GROUP D

  • Uruguay – Fortaleza-São Paulo-Natal = 4.697 km
  • Costa Rica – Fortaleza-Recife-Belo Horizonte = 2.272 km
  • England – Manaus-São Paulo-Belo Horizonte = 3.184 km
  • Italy – Manaus-Recife-Natal = 3.092 km

GROUP E

  • Switzerland – Brasília-Salvador-Manaus = 3.672 km
  • Ecuador – Brasília-Curitiba-Rio = 1.759 km
  • France – Porto Alegre-Salvador-Rio = 3.518 km
  • Honduras – Porto Alegre-Curitiba-Manaus = 3.285 km

GROUP F

  • Argentina – Rio-Belo Horizonte-Porto Alegre = 1.683 km
  • Bosnia-Herzegovina – Rio-Cuiabá-Salvador = 3.496 km
  • Iran- Curitiba-Belo Horizonte-Salvador = 1.788 km
  • Nigeria – Curitiba-Cuiabá-Porto Alegre = 2.985 km

GROUP G

  • Germany – Salvador-Fortaleza-Recife = 1.659 km
  • Portugal – Salvador-Manaus-Brasília = 4.545 km
  • Ghana – Natal-Fortaleza-Brasília = 2.125 km
  • USA – Natal-Manaus-Recife = 5.607 km

GROUP H

  • Belgium – Belo Horizonte-Rio-São Paulo = 698 km
  • Algeria – Belo Horizonte-Porto Alegre-Curitiba = 1.890 km
  • Russia – Cuiabá-Rio-Curitiba = 2.254 km
  • South Korea – Cuiabá-Porto Alegre-São Paulo = 2.534 km

TAM Airlines to join oneworld alliance in 2014

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Bruce Ashby, CEO oneworld; Tom Horton, President oneworld; Ignacio Cueto, CEO LAN Airlines and Damián Scokin, CEO LATAM International.

Bruce Ashby, CEO oneworld; Tom Horton, President oneworld; Ignacio Cueto, CEO LAN Airlines and Damián Scokin, CEO LATAM International.

LATAM Airlines Group has chosen oneworld to be its global alliance for all its airlines. With this decision – announced on 7 March at a oneworld meeting in Hong Kong – TAM Airlines will now become a member of oneworld, joining LAN Airlines and 11 other member airlines, including British Airways.

TAM will withdraw from the Star Alliance during the second quarter of 2014, on a date to be announced later in 2013. The airline plans to officially join oneworld as soon as it leaves Star Alliance. From that date, TAM passengers will be able to accumulate kilometres/points by flying on any oneworld member airline. Until then, they will continue to receive the benefits offered by the Star Alliance.

“We have evaluated all the existing possibilities and chose the alliance that offers the best benefits to our passengers, in addition to the best connectivity and products, as well as the greatest synergies for the LATAM Airlines Group. We are very happy with our decision,” says Enrique Cueto, CEO, LATAM Airlines Group. “With the incorporation of the LATAM Airlines Group in to oneworld, passengers flying with us will be able to book trips through the oneworld network of destinations and connect from any of the 950 destinations.”

TAM Airlines and TAM S.A. CEO Marco Antonio Bologna adds that the decision to join oneworld “is important news for TAM passengers and we are focused on ensuring a smooth transition to the company, for our partners, and, most importantly, our clients”. According to Bologna, TAM “is joining a growing alliance, that is able to offer the best connection options to our passengers.”

oneworld’s CEO, Bruce Ashby, said: “We are delighted that, after its comprehensive review of alliance options, LATAM not only decided to have LAN remain on board oneworld, but also to include TAM and all the other passenger airline subsidiaries in the LATAM group as well. This solidifies oneworld’s long-standing position as the alliance leader in Latin America and provides an even more attractive proposition for frequent international travellers the world over. We look forward to working with LATAM to ensure a smooth transition to oneworld.”

Currently, oneworld members include airberlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian and S7 Airlines, as well as 30 affiliates. SriLankan Airlines and Qatar Airways are in the process of joining the alliance.

During the event in Hong Kong on 7 March, the executives also announced the entry of LAN Colombia in to oneworld as an affiliate member. This will also occur during the fourth quarter of 2013, when it will join other LAN affiliate airlines LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru, reaffirming LAN’s 13-year membership in oneworld.

TAM Airlines wins another award for its wines

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TAM executive class wines

TAM executive class wines

TAM Airlines has won another of the top categories in Business Traveller’s prestigious “Cellars in the Sky”; awards that recognise airlines for the quality of the wines served on board their aircraft. The Brazilian company has received the award for the best red wine served in Business Class during 2012. The wine in question is Château Bel-Air-Ouÿ, 2007, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru produced in Bordeaux (France). The winning wine is produced for TAM by one of France’s most respected winemakers, Jean-Luc Thunevin.

In February 2012 TAM won awards at “Cellars in the Sky” for the best red wine served in First Class, Clos Canon 2008, and also took the award as the airline with the most improved First Class wine cellar. In 2009 TAM was chosen by “Cellars in the Sky” to serve the best white wine in First Class with Michel Picard Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Chalumeaux” (2006).

Business Traveller, one of the world’s leading and most influential magazines targeted at the global business traveller, has annually organized the “Cellars in the Sky” awards since 1985. For eight months, a panel of five leading experts will have blind tasted over 250 wines served in the First Class and Business Class of the world’s leading airlines. To choose the winners the four independent judges considered that at altitude it is the elegance and subtlety of wines, and the delicate balance between acidity and alcohol, that is important.

TAM unveils new First Class cabin and Sao Paulo lounge

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TAM First Class 2012 01

Brazil’s TAM Airlines new Boeing 777s are the first to feature a new interior design and cabin developed exclusively for the airline by the British company, Priestmangoode.

The new First Class cabin presents the idea of a living room. The environment is personalised, providing more privacy and interaction with the new sleeper seat, entertainment system, and lighting. There is also a couch, individual closets, lamp, dining table, cushions, a Nespresso service, and a library with books, editions of Wallpaper guidebooks as well as general interest magazines.

TAM First Class 2012 03

TAM Airlines has also inaugurated its third VIP lounge in São Paulo’s International Airport (Guarulhos). The new space is located in Terminal 2.

Covering 540 square meters and with capacity of 174 seats, the room is decorated with furniture, materials, textures and colours that evoke the comforts of a house in a concept called “From Home to Home”. It also offers Wi-Fi, snacks, beverages, two TV lounges, a business centre, shower room, and a family area with computers for children.

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TAM Airlines named “Best Airline in South America”

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For the second consecutive year, TAM Airlines has been named the winner of two major categories at the Skytrax “World Airline Awards”. TAM was named “Best Airline in South America” and “Best Airline Staff in South America”. The 2012 awards were announced on 12 July by Skytrax during the Farnborough International Airshow.

TAM, winner of Skytrax best airline and best staff service in South America

Manoela Amaro, TAM’s marketing director, acknowledged the recognition of its passengers and stressed the importance of the award to the airline: “Repeating the feat for a second year in a survey as important as that undertaken by Skytrax, involving more than 18 million passengers from over one hundred and fifty countries, and involving more than 200 airlines, is proof that TAM is on the right track, and continues to work to offer an unforgettable travel experience to its customers.”

Azul was named “Best Low-cost Airline in South America” and Trip was named “Best Regional Airline in South America”, giving Brazil a clean sweep in the South American categories.

On the global stage, Qatar was named Airline of the Year.

The top ten Skytrax airlines for 2012 are:

1 Qatar Airways
2 Asiana Airlines
3 Singapore Airlines
4 Cathay Pacific
5 A N A
6 Etihad Airways
7 Turkish Airlines
8 Emirates
9 Thai Airways
10 Malaysia Airlines

TAM and LAN merge to form LATAM Airlines Group

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Brazil’s TAM airlines and Chile’s LAN Airlines have merged to form the LATAM Airlines Group. The new group offers passengers more flights to more destinations than any other affiliated group of airlines in South America, initially reaching around 150 destinations in 22 countries and transporting cargo to 169 destinations in 27 countries.

“The creation of this group of airlines is an opportunity to take South America to the world and to allow us to position ourselves to operate in an increasingly competitive environment due to the continuing consolidation of the global airline industry,” said Enrique Cueto, Executive Vice President-CEO of LATAM Airlines Group.

Among the benefits that passengers of both TAM and LAN will see over time are increased connectivity, improved routes and frequencies, and reduced connection times. Additionally members of the airlines’ frequent flyer programs, LANPASS and TAM Fidelidade, will be able to earn and redeem kilometres/points over the complete route networks of LAN and TAM.