Britons and Brazilians now have easier connection with TAM and bmi deal

Travelers wishing to travel between the United Kingdom and Brazil are giving you another option starting today, April 14, thanks to a codeshare agreement between UK’s bmi and Brazil's TAM airlines.

The companies are said to be in the first stage of sharing frequencies between São Paulo and London Heathrow, with connections to five cities in the UK and four Brazilian state capitals.

TAM, Brazil's largest airline, has announced it has initiated an operational codeshare agreement with bmi beginning today. “The initial phase of the bilateral agreement allows for the two companies to expand services for customers traveling between Brazil and the United Kingdom, resulting in more destination options in both countries and convenient connections to and from the largest cities in Brazil and the UK,” TAM said.

Through the partnership, customers of TAM and bmi will enjoy simplified flight reservation procedures, convenient connections with just one ticket, and the ability to check baggage through to the final destination.

According to Brazil’s largest airline, in the first phase, TAM's customers will be able to fly from São Paulo to London Heathrow Airport aboard a Boeing 777-300ER (with 365 executive and economy class seats) to connect with bmi flights in Heathrow going on to Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Manchester.

“Bmi customers will be able to take direct flights from London Heathrow to São Paulo, Brazil aboard a Boeing 777 operated by TAM with connecting flights in São Paulo to the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Salvador, and Fortaleza,” the airline said.

TAM added that in a second phase, the partnership will be expanded to include more bmi routes that will allow TAM to offer its customers more connection options over London to Europe. Bmi customers will also benefit from the addition of TAM destinations to other South American countries including Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Montevideo (Uruguay), and Lima (Peru).

“The agreement with bmi will allow us to offer our Brazilian customers more options in Europe in the medium term and reinforce our strategy of establishing partnerships with the world's foremost airline companies,” Paulo Castello Branco, TAM's commercial and planning vice president, said.

He added that the partnership follows TAM’s overall strategy of expanding international operations and positioning itself as one of the leading companies in the global aviation market.

For his part, bmi managing director Peter Spencer said, "We are delighted to begin this codeshare partnership with TAM, making our network of domestic routes in the United Kingdom available to customers who travel for pleasure or business and adding mid-range destinations to the network."

Source: eTurboNews