SAO PAULO, Brazil,
April 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TAM (Bovespa: TAMM4
and NYSE: TAM) and TAP Portugal, a member of the Star Alliance, have flown
52,900 passengers since signing a flight-sharing operational agreement ("code-
share"), launched in
September 2007. The strategic partnership allows TAM to
offer its passengers several TAP-operated direct flights between
Brazil and
Portugal, departing from
Rio de Janeiro,
Brasilia and
Sao Paulo for
Lisbon and
Porto. Passengers can then take connecting flights to the Portuguese cities of
Faro, Funchal and Porto Santo. TAP already offers its customers various flight
options to several Brazilian cities serviced by TAM.
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"The results obtained from the code-share agreement between TAM and TAP
illustrate the success of this partnership, which has brought more convenience
and comfort to passengers traveling between Brazil and Portugal", said TAM's
vice president of Planning and Alliances, Paulo Castello Branco.
The synergy of TAM's and TAP's air travel networks ensures more convenient
connections in Brazil and Portugal, in addition to offering special services
to their passengers, such as pre-assigned seating and direct baggage transfers
on all legs of a trip.
"We are very pleased with the positive results of our cooperation", added
Jose Guedes Dias, TAP Portugal's director of Alliances and Foreign Relations.
"It demonstrates that both companies are strongly committed to the quality and
convenience of the product we offer our clients, resulting in greater
flexibility of services and wider choice of destinations."
Airport check-in counters for both companies are prepared to accept
electronic tickets (Interline Electronic Ticket - IET) issued by either one,
allowing passengers the convenience of receiving a single ticket for all
stages of a trip. The system provides greater security for the passenger, who
need only show identification and ticket number when checking in to request a
boarding pass that will cover the entire trip.
The agreement also provides for integration of TAM's "Fidelity" and TAP's
"Victoria" programs, allowing clients from both companies to accumulate and
redeem points on flights from either company.
Investor Relations:
Phone: (55) (11) 5582-9715
Fax: (55) (11) 5582-8149
invest@tam.com.br
http://www.tam.com.br/ir
Press Agency:
Phone: (55) (11) 5582-8167
Fax: (55) (11) 5582-8155
tamimprensa@tam.com.br
MVL Comunicacao
Phone. (11) 3594-0302 / 0304 / 0305
About TAM:
TAM (www.tam.com.br) has been the leader in the Brazilian domestic market
for more than four years and closed March 2008 with a 51.4% market share. The
company operates flights to 42 Brazilian destinations. It serves 79 different
destinations in the Brazilian market through commercial agreements with
regional companies. Among Brazilian airline companies, TAM's international
market share was 68.9% in March. Its international operations include direct
flights to 17 destinations: New York and Miami (USA), Paris (France), London
(England), Milan (Italy), Frankfurt (Germany), Madrid (Spain), Buenos Aires
and Cordoba (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Caracas (Venezuela), Montevideo and
Punta del Este (Uruguay), Asuncion and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), and Santa
Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba (Bolivia). Additionally, it has code share
agreements with international airlines, which allow passengers to travel to
another 64 destinations in the United States, South America and Europe. TAM
was the first airline company to launch a loyalty program in Brazil; TAM's
program currently has 4.5 million members and has redeemed more than 5.2
million tickets in exchange for points.
About TAP:
TAP is the market's leading airline and a member of the Star Alliance
since March 14, 2005, when it celebrated its 60th anniversary. Its hub in
Lisbon is a key staging point for accessing Europe, located at the crossroads
between Africa, North America and South America, the region in which TAP
stands apart as the leading airline operating in Brazil, with 66 weekly
flights. The TAP Network currently covers 58 destinations in 25 countries
around the world. Operating an average of more than 1,850 flights per week,
TAP boasts a modern fleet of 52 Airbuses, plus another 16 airplanes in service
from Portugalia Airlines (PGA), acquired in 2007, for a total global fleet of
68 airplanes. Continuing a strategy of focusing on the passenger, TAP
constantly invests in innovation and utilization of new technologies, offering
a product and services of the highest quality, security and dependability.