Brazil - Lufthansa starting service to Rio in October

THis came in my email a few minutes ago. 5 flights per week with a three class A340-300 to FRA. This is exciting for me because I regularly fly to FRA and hate the connection through GRU.

The US$2999 RT in Business class is offered on this new route also, another bit of good news for GIG-based travelers and those from Europe visiting Rio.:D




"A Lufthansa tem o grande prazer de informar que a partir de 30 de outubro terá voos do Rio de Janeiro para Frankfurt, non-stop, 5 vezes por semana. O grupo Lufthansa, incluindo a SWISS, já opera 21 voos semanais partindo de São Paulo para seus três centros de distribuição na Europa, Frankfurt, Munique e Zurique. A Lufthansa voará para a Cidade Maravilhosa com o moderno Airbus 340-300 e oferecerá aos seus passageiros três classes: Primeira Classe, Classe Executiva e Classe Econômica."

This is certainly great news!

Oh nice! Great for those of us that have hoarded US Airways miles for an award C to south america.

Wow... great news !!!! ^

I wonder how long it will take LH to put the A380 on its GRU route.... can the airport handle A380's..???

Wow... great news !!!! ^

I wonder how long it will take LH to put the A380 on its GRU route.... can the airport handle A380's..???

No Brazil airport can now handle A380 but both GRU and GIG have enhancements now allegedly underway to provide for them within two years. We should expect that if the airport improvements are in place LH and AF may both have A380 operating during the World Cup and Olympics periods.

I hope so.

Oh nice! Great for those of us that have hoarded US Airways miles for an award C to south america.

Obviously you meant F:D

Obviously you meant F:D

If US lays of the *net blocking then I might be convince to buy some more US points next time they have a bonus 100% promo. Until then I'll settle for C.

Wow... great news !!!! ^

I wonder how long it will take LH to put the A380 on its GRU route.... can the airport handle A380's..???

Poor infrastructure in Brazil does not allow the A380 to land in Brazil...as you said, GRU could certainly handle a couple of flights operated with the A380...but...

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mercado/876936-infraestrutura-aeroportuaria-ruim-afasta-superjumbo-do-brasil.shtml

Rgs,

But both GIG and GRU will be capable of A380 flights within the next two years maximum IMO. That will be too important to miss. After all LH, AF, SQ, EK are all decent candidates for A380 service in the leadup to World Cup and Olympics.

The process will not be smooth, but they both will be ready IMO.

Now, naysayers, it is your turn.

Good news about LH A343 in GIG, also because the airline will offer First Class - in fact, the first European carrier to offer F in GIG! You may expect AF group to react on this one, perhaps with a new mixture of aircraft also offering F class.

But both GIG and GRU will be capable of A380 flights within the next two years maximum IMO. That will be too important to miss. After all LH, AF, SQ, EK are all decent candidates for A380 service in the leadup to World Cup and Olympics.

The process will not be smooth, but they both will be ready IMO.

Now, naysayers, it is your turn.

And both GIG and GRU will have demand for the A380. I expect both to handle the A380. if you look closely, AF uses the B747 with +400 seats in GIG, while KLM uses the B77W with +400 seats in GRU, which in terms of capacity (seat numbers) is equivalent to for example LH A380...

Rgs,

in fact, the first European carrier to offer F in GIG!

Let's be very exact in the semantics here. It's the first to resume offering F at GIG since BA stopped in W08/09.

Let's be very exact in the semantics here. It's the first to resume offering F at GIG since BA stopped in W08/09.

Actually that is only true if you do not require nonstops to Europe. BA routed BA246 through GRU in both directions and all passengers had to deplane at GRU.

There were others with F earlier. AA used to have a three class 777 to MIA. LH did themselves until 2005. There were more.

Actually that is only true if you do not require nonstops to Europe. BA routed BA246 through GRU in both directions and all passengers had to deplane at GRU.

There were others with F earlier. AA used to have a three class 777 to MIA. LH did themselves until 2005. There were more.

Yes, it did, but the F seats were offered at GIG, so it is just a matter of defining what you would like to include, nonstop or direct. I never said it was nonstop. We're talking about European carriers and they always offered F to GIG with the absence of three years, in which, by the way, JJ filled the void.

We are proving ourselves to be masters of syntax and semantics since we all seem to agree on the facts.

I suspect we also agree that it is also a good thing to have more F seats back in GIG.

We are proving ourselves to be masters of syntax and semantics since we all seem to agree on the facts.

I suspect we also agree that it is also a good thing to have more F seats back in GIG.

I assume some people have personal issues here. :o

Lets all hope more airlines will "come back" to GIG, over the last couple of months we had AZ and LH.

As I said, this is great news. One may also alude to the fact that Transaero offers F class on DME-GIG, whether the Russian Federation is in Europe or not, I may leave this to the ones discussing "semantics"! :)

Rgs,

I assume some people have personal issues here. :o

Lets all hope more airlines will "come back" to GIG, over the last couple of months we had AZ and LH.

As I said, this is great news. One may also alude to the fact that Transaero offers F class on DME-GIG, whether the Russian Federation is in Europe or not, I may leave this to the ones discussing "semantics"! :)

Rgs,

I did not realize that Transaero started GIG-DME in January. I fly that route a few times each year, so it was valuable to know a nonstop option.

The flight was announced as a 744 four class, but it flying on a 3-class 772 instead. Thus no First. Their Imperial class is meant to be quite voluptuous as befits the name, according to Russian colleagues who have flown them, but for the moment that will not be on this route. Their business class does not have full reclining seats, so I will not try it.

I did not realize that Transaero started GIG-DME in January. I fly that route a few times each year, so it was valuable to know a nonstop option.

The flight was announced as a 744 four class, but it flying on a 3-class 772 instead. Thus no First. Their Imperial class is meant to be quite voluptuous as befits the name, according to Russian colleagues who have flown them, but for the moment that will not be on this route. Their business class does not have full reclining seats, so I will not try it.

Also they will stop the weekly seasonal operation in March 2011. The last flights departs GIG on 22 March and there are no dates set for resumption of the flight.

Rgs,

The flight was announced as a 744 four class, but it flying on a 3-class 772 instead.

The downgrade from 744 to 77E is recent.

I did not realize that Transaero started GIG-DME in January. I fly that route a few times each year, so it was valuable to know a nonstop option.

The flight was announced as a 744 four class, but it flying on a 3-class 772 instead. Thus no First. Their Imperial class is meant to be quite voluptuous as befits the name, according to Russian colleagues who have flown them, but for the moment that will not be on this route. Their business class does not have full reclining seats, so I will not try it.

I have just talked to a Russian work colleague and he confirmed Transaero F is indeed top notch, especially the caviar you will not get similar in any other airline. His remarks though are not very high regarding economy, although a nonstop option certainly compensates for that.

Rgs,

His remarks though are not very high regarding economy.

Rgs,

What is 'economy'? I cannot hear that word in connection with flying, especially on airplanes. I do believe in paying the cheapest price for the best First Class, if that is what you mean by 'economy'.:D

A 15 hour flight in Y is nowhere at all in my plans, and seems a likely place to get deep vein thrombosis.

I know YMMV and some people must fly Y.

What is 'economy'? I cannot hear that word in connection with flying, especially on airplanes. I do believe in paying the cheapest price for the best First Class, if that is what you mean by 'economy'.:D

A 15 hour flight in Y is nowhere at all in my plans, and seems a likely place to get deep vein thrombosis.

I know YMMV and some people must fly Y.

I guess many people fly Russia > Brazil via Europe on Y...which makes more than 15h....

But on C and F and mind about miles, it would be much far more productive flying an alliance partner via Europe rather than Transaero nonstop, not sure whether Transaero has mileage agreement with any airline...

but for the moment that will not be on this route. Their business class does not have full reclining seats, so I will not try it.

Btw, my Russian friend told me that F is being introduced on UN B777s, but apparently not available on DME-GIG.

Rgs,