Lufthansa and TAM to offer joint flights to São Paulo

Lufthansa is expanding the services it offers to customers flying to Brazil and launching code share flights in partnership with the Brazilian carrier TAM. From 18 August, Lufthansa and TAM passengers will be able to book any of the flights operated jointly by either carrier between Frankfurt or Munich and São Paulo. Customers will then have a choice of 21 codeshare flights per week between Germany and Brazil.

In addition, both carriers will offer connecting flights to their respective domestic destinations on a codeshare basis. Lufthansa passengers booked on flights to São Paulo will thus be able to travel seamlessly to a further four destinations in Brazil. Special transfer counters have been installed at São Paulo airport by TAM to make changing easier.

Since February 2008, members of both airline’s frequent flyer programmes – “Miles & More” and “Fidelidade” – have also been able to redeem miles with the partner airline and book award flights with either carrier.

“Lufthansa is increasing its services to and from Brazil in cooperation with TAM,” said Götz Ahmelmann, Vice President Alliances, Strategy and Subsidiaries, Lufthansa Passenger Airlines. “The codeshare agreement with our partner TAM will provide our passengers with seamless connections to further domestic destinations via Frankfurt and São Paulo. Our passengers will be able to reach these airports conveniently with only one check-in at the start of their journey.”

“Linking Lufthansa and TAM’s schedules will increase the benefits for our customers. Moreover, we are stimulating growth in air traffic between Germany and Brazil,” says Paulo Castello Branco, Vice President Planning und Alliances TAM.

The codeshare flights, which can be booked with immediate effect, offer passengers greater flexibility and a wider choice of connections. Lufthansa serves São Paulo daily – from Frankfurt with a Boeing 747-400 and from Munich with an Airbus A340-300. Since November 2007, TAM has also been operating a daily Airbus A340-500 service between São Paulo and Frankfurt. All arrivals in São Paulo are scheduled in the early morning to make full use of the business day.

Lufthansa will now include the TAM destinations Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Curitiba as well as the capital city Brasilia in its timetable. Further domestic destinations in Brazil are due to be operated shortly on a codeshare basis. In return, TAM will offer its passengers onward flights from Frankfurt to Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Munich. As soon as the codeshare services are launched, it is planned that passengers will be able to use the partner’s lounges at airports.

TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aereas) is Brazil’s largest carrier, with a fleet of 108 aircraft. In addition to its dense domestic network, TAM operates numerous routes within Latin America as well as to the United States and Europe.

Full details about the partnership and initial customer benefits are available on the websites Lufthansa.com and Tam.com.br.