Brazil

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By Air

It is easy to get to and

around Brazil by air. 

From Europe  ,  From the US ,  From Latin America ,

From Europe: Flight time from Europe to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro is just over eleven hours depending on your starting point and less than nine hours to Natal, Recife and Salvador. Most flights leave from Europe in the evening and arrive early morning in Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo. On the return leg they leave late afternoon or early evening to get to Europe the following day around lunchtime or earlier : 

• Air France;

• Alitalia;

• British Airways;

• Iberia;

• KLM;

• Lufthansa;

• Swissair;

• Tap;

• Tam;  

• Varig . 

And all run regular services between Europe and Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo. This means that travelers have a choice of several different airlines linking the two continents daily. From Britain the direct services are operated by Varig and British Airways with Air tours and Unijet offering direct charter flights as of May 2002.

From the US: Flights by : 

• American Airlines;

• Continental;

• Delta;

• United;

• Varig;

• Tam  

Flight time is eight and a half hours from Miami to São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, just over nine from New York, eleven from Atlanta, thirteen from Los Angeles and sixteen from San Francisco.

The vast majority of flights between North America and Brazil are overnight flights that arrive in Brazil in the early morning with a bonus for east coast travelers that the time difference between the east coast and Rio de Janeiro is minimal.

From Latin America: São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro receive flights daily from most of the other major Latin American cities and is served by Aerolineas Argentinas, Aero Peru, Avianca, Cubana de Aviacion, Ladeco, Lan Chile, LAB, Pluna, Viasa, and the Brazilian flag carriers Varig, Tam, Gol  and Vasp.

Charters: A number of charter operators run services between the US, Europe and Brazil. From Britain the operators are Air tours and Unijet.

Airpass: Visitors to Brazil considering traveling on from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to explore the rest of Brazil, should consider investing in a Brazilian Air pass before arriving in Brazil.

The Airpass can only be sold outside of Brazil, and to non-residents with a return air ticket, and can be purchased for the flights of Varig, Transbrasil, Tam and Vasp, each pass only being valid for the flights of the issuing carrier. The price of the Air pass varies, but considering the size of Brazil (larger than Europe), and the cost of internal Brazilian air travel (a return flight from Rio to Manaus can be over US$1,000.00 and to Foz de Iguaçu, US$ 550.00, it offers excellent value for money.

Currently the cost of the Air pass is US$ 530.00 for up to 5 internal flights and is valid for 21 days after the first flight. There is also a South American Air pass which allows you to travel economically throughout Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. The cost of the South American Air pass is based on the number of miles flown. Prices start at just US$225.00.

Airline contacts : Below is a selection of the major international airlines offering services between the UK and Brazil. Due to the nature of the international airline industry changes are continuously being made, so this list should only be taken as a rough guide. Always check with the airline or your travel agent before finalizing your travel plans.

From the UK, the most direct flights to Brazil are those operated by Varig and British Airways. Varig  offer a daily service to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro from London’s Heathrow Airport while British Airways  has five services a week (Wednesday through Sunday) to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro from London’s Gatwick Airport. In April British Airways will start to offer a daily service to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro from Heathrow Airport.

Starting in May 2002 there will be two charters services from the UK to Brazil. Air tours will fly weekly to Salvador while Unijet will be offering direct flights to Natal and Recife.

Company

Web Address

AEROLINEAS ARGENTINAS

www.aerolineas.com.ar

ALITALIA

www.alitalia.it

AMERICAN AIRLINES

www.aa.com

AVIANCA

www.avianca.com

BRITISH AIRWAYS

www.british-airways.com

CONTINENTAL

www.flycontinental.com

DELTA

www.delta-air.com

GOL

www.voegol.com.br

IBERIA

www.iberia.com

KLM

www.klm.com

VARIG

www.varig.com.br

geotour (site)

www.geotour.it/aerei.htm

TAP

www.tap-airportugal.pt

UNITED AIRLINES

www.ual.com

TAM

www.tam.com.br

Distances from Rio deJaneiro's

 International Airport (Air Miles)