the Star Alliance’s Brazil Airpass is launched

The Star Alliance and its Brazilian newcomer Tam have just launched the Star Alliance’s Brazil Airpass. For a fixed price that depends on the number of flights and the booking class you can fly throughout Brazil.

The website Brazil Airpass contains all the information related to the pass. This is our summary of the most important points:

• The airpass is available to residents of a country outside of Brazil in conjunction with travel to/via Brazil on a Star Alliance carrier. This includes Brazilians living abroad and excludes expatriates living in Brazil.
• A coupon is required per flight. The minimum coupons issued is 4; the maximum limit currently stands at 9 coupons.
• The maximum stay is limited to three months and the validity of the Brazil Airpass cannot be extended beyond the validity of the International/Intercontinental ticket.
• The airfare is valid on TAM flights within Brazil and additional travel to the city of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. Flights which are operated by other airlines under a code-share or commercial agreement are excluded, which means Fernando de Noronha is out of the pass (TAM flies to Noronha in an agreement with Trip).
• Use the fare calculator to set up your itinerary and find out the cost of your pass.
• To book your flight, generate your itinerary and visit your local travel agent or contact one of the Star Alliance member airline reservation centres directly.
• You are not required to confirm all flights in advance. The first segment must be confirmed before departure, the rest may be left open.
• Rebooking is permitted at a charge of 30 USD for flight or date change. Cancellations are permitted before departure and are refundable subject to a charge of 100 USD. Cancellations made after departure are non-refundable.
• All flights taken with this airfare will accrue miles to your nominated Star Alliance Frequent Flyer Programme depending on the rules of your chosen Frequent Flyer Programme.
• Surface sectors are permitted, however they are excluded from the fare. Surface sectors are at the expense of the passenger. For example a passenger may fly in Sao Paulo and use the next coupon to depart from Rio de Janeiro. The journey between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro will be excluded from the fare and any fares accrued from surface sectors must be paid separately.
• A stopover can be defined as a stay of more than 4 hours. If you have to connect at an intermediate point to reach your destination, the flights will be considered separate and will require one coupon per flight.
• Your free baggage allowance is in accordance with the airline policies in relation to your international flight.

Is the pass worth it?

We replied to a similar question when we introduced you to TAM’s Brazil Airpass. Our answer there is relevant here too: it depends on the time of the year you intend to travel, on the distances you are going to fly, the domestic market at the time (whether there are enticing flight deals or not) and of the time you have to complete your trip. There are so many things to consider that it is very difficult to answer the question. The consumers need to assess their trip, compare prices and work out whether it pays or not.

All the info you need is on Brazil Airpass’ website. Issuing a pass demands a certain knowledge of how airline tickets work. If you feel you need assistance, you will discover a good travel agent can work miracles for you. Don’t forget to ask them to budget for you the cost of your Brazilian itinerary using individual tickets. Sometimes the class tariff allows for a stopover, hence paying for one ticket while visiting two destinations.

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Tags: Brazil Airpass, Star Alliance, TAM

Category: airpass