Brazil's leading airlines announce cuts
March 4, 2013
Tam SA and Gol Linhas Aereas Intiligentes, Brazil's leading airlines, both recently announced cuts to jobs in airports across Brazil. According to Dow Jones Newswires, the pair controls nearly all of Brazil's international air-travel market and more than 75 percent of the domestic market. Thus far, Tam has laid off workers at airports in Foz do Iguacu, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.
Fortunately for travelers, other airlines such as Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras and American Airlines are expanding. Azul flies to many mid-sized cities that neither Tam nor Gol support and has also grown consistently in recent years. American Airlines has filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation and will be running a new daily round trip service from Los Angeles and Chicago to Sao Paulo. Flights from New York Kennedy and Dallas/Fort Worth go to Rio de Janeiro as well as Sao Paulo, and passengers leaving from Miami can fly to any of an ample list of Brazilian cities.
Though Brazilian destinations are not out of reach, travel delays may feature into the journey. Just to be on the safe side, travelers should plan ahead and be ready to reach their family or workplace with the help of prepaid phone cards.