Domestic Flights in Brazil
This article will give you an overview of the the services provided by the five main airlines companies in Brazil.
Foreigners in Brazil might have to face stressful situations when it comes to booking a domestic flight. The reasons are various: the credit card that is not accepted, or the staff that does not speak English or the impossibility of booking a flight over the phone or on line.
TAM Airlines
The largest airline company in Brazil and in Latin America, TAM operates scheduled services to destinations within Brazil, Europe and other parts of North and South America. The company does not operates in Africa, Asia or Oceania.
The staff speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish and the website has an exclusive version for the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Paraguay, Spain, United Kingdom and United States.
Despite being the largest airline company in Brazil, foreign travelers can not purchase an airline ticket through the website or over the phone. They must go to one of the TAM stores located abroad (in the US they are located only in a few cities such as Orlando and New York), or purchase the ticket when already in Brazil, being them subjected to tickets availability.
Official website: www.tam.com.br
Gol
Established in 2000, Gol operates in Brazil and in some Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, USA and some Caribbean islands.
Its services are offered in English, Portuguese and Spanish and its website displays exclusive versions for all the Latin American countries served by the company.
Unlike TAM Airlines, Gol allows is costumers to purchase tickets for domestic flights when they are still abroad. The tickets can be purchased on line or over the phone. The company accepts the following credit cards: American Express, Visa, Mastercard and Dinners.
If the traveler decides to purchase his/her ticket in Brazil, Gol guarantees that there will always be a staff member who speaks English or Spanish in order to assist foreign costumers.
Official website: www.voegol.com.br
Azul Airlines
Established in 2005, Azul is a Brazilian domestic low-cost airline that currently has 7.47% of the domestic market share.
It is possible to purchase tickets from abroad, however, the website is only available in Portuguese. When inquired about the assistance to foreign travelers, Azul stated that there is always someone in the staff who speaks English, but they do not have a team dedicated to foreign assistance.
Official website: www.voeazul.com.br
Avianca
Headquartered in Bogota, Colombia, Avianca is an airline company operating international and domestic flights in Brazil.
Its services are offered in Portuguese, English and Spanish and its website has several different versions, according to the departure country.
From abroad, it is only possible to book a domestic flight ticket through the website or over the phone and the traveler must have an international credit card issued in Brazil.
Official website: www.avianca.com.br
Webjet
Webjet Linhas Aéreas is a Brazilian airline based in Rio de Janeiro. It is owned by CVC, the largest travel company in Brazil. It operates on a low cost all-economy class domestic business models.
Its website has an English version, but over the phone it is only possible to speak Portuguese. You might come across an employee who speaks English, but the company does not have a staff that is specialized in foreign assistance.
Foreigners can not purchase a ticket online or over the phone as a CPF number will be required. The only option is to buy the ticket at the airport and the only payment form accepted besides cash is the American Express and Visa International credit cards. None of the other credit cards are accepted.
Official website: www.webjet.com.br