Air Canada, TAM enter into codeshare partnership

Air Canada, the largest airline of Canada and the country’s flag carrier, and TAM Airlines, the biggest airline of Brazil, have entered into a codeshare partnership.

The pact, which takes effect in November 2008 subject to government approval, will allow passengers on both airlines to benefit from simplified plane reservations, convenient connections on a single airline ticket, and check-in of luggage through to the final destination.

The bilateral partnership includes reciprocal benefits for the members of the two carriers’ frequent-flyer programs – Air Canada’s Aeroplan and TAM’s Fidelidade.

The new agreement will give passengers on Air Canada access to 6 cities in Brazil – Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and Porto Alegre – on codeshare flights offered by TAM, which depart from Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In turn, passengers on TAM will be able to connect from Toronto in Canada to other Canadian cities of Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, and Quebec.

TAM Airlines – which is the largest airline in Latin America – is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and operates scheduled services from Sao Paulo to 42 destinations within Brazil. With business agreements signed with regional companies, it will fly to 79 destinations in Brazil. TAM’s international services include flights to 16 destinations in the United States, Europe and South America: New York and Miami (US), Paris (France), London (England), Milan (Italy), Frankfurt (Germany), Madrid (Spain), Buenos Aires and Córdoba (Argentina), Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia), Santiago (Chile), Asuncion and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), Montevideo and Punta del Este (Uruguay), and Caracas (Venezuela). It has codeshare agreements that make possible the sharing of seats on flights with international airlines, enabling passengers to travel to 64 other destinations in the United States, Europe and South America.

Air Canada, founded in 1937, has its corporate headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and its largest hub is at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. It

provides scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to over 170 destinations on 5 continents. Canada’s flag carrier is also the 14th largest commercial airline in the world and serves 33 million customers annually with a fleet consisting of 335 aircraft. Air Canada, a founding member of Star Alliance, also offers vacation packages to over 90 destinations via Air Canada Vacations.

Between Toronto in Canada and Sao Paulo in Brazil, Air Canada operates year-round daily non-stop service with 211-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, which are replaced with a larger 349-seat Boeing 777-300ER jets during the peak travel months from December to March.

In a statement, Air Canada said its new in-flight product features include lie-flat beds in Executive First, the international business class cabin, and digital-quality seatback entertainment on demand for all customers – on international as well as shorter North American flights, in both economy class and business class.

It may be noted that TAM Airlines has been invited to be a member of Star Alliance.

Montie Brewer, president and chief executive officer of Air Canada, said in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where TAM announced that it has been invited to become a future member of Star Alliance: “Air Canada is pleased to take these initial steps towards a stronger relationship with our partner TAM, Brazil’s leading airline and Latin America’s largest carrier, that will benefit the customers of both airlines by offering easier access to the most popular destinations in Brazil, Canada and beyond. As a founding member of Star Alliance, we have seen the enormous benefits that the Alliance has brought to international travellers in terms of simplifying the travel experience, and providing more choice to connect the world more easily. We look forward to welcoming TAM as a Star Alliance member and offering an expanded range of benefits that our customers value most.”

The Canadian media quoted David Barioni, president of TAM, as commenting on the codeshare agreement with Air Canada: “The partnership contributes to TAM’s strategy to expand its operations abroad as one of the major airline companies in the world. We are committed to offering our clients high-quality services compatible with international standards.”