nk15

Zika is your friend, why do you think these fares are so cheap?

In all honesty, it is probably better to delay travel until the weather gets cooler in the summer, and this whole thing die down...Book as late as possible, June should be better, and you still get the full RDMs.

869

Zika is definitely not my friend right now. Looking at canceling multiple trips this year.

Airlines have been getting crushed on brazil routes for a while now and cheap fares are not new. Y was sub 500 last summer. In fact, I'm sitting on multiple J class RTs booked for sub-1k each.

nk15

I am also concerned about this, it is a tough decision, because this is the last semester to get the good RDMs. I am under the impression that the GIG area is not as affected, and they will be spraying like crazy until the Olympics, which combined with the colder winter weather there will hopefully control the problem by June or so, for the most part. I also have a very cheap J trip with a ton of RDMs in the summer, and I will wait and see.

The other tricky thing is how to cancel, if you decide to do so. My trip is quite complex and I will watch out for any schedule changes or aircraft substitutions, any swaps of lie flats for angle flats and I am out...Although I hope to go.

Btw, this is a crazy world we live in, you can't safely plan travel not even 6 months ahead of time, you don't know when a bird flue epidemic will suddenly resurface in ICN or HKG, exotic mosquito epidemics and political and economic unrest in S. America; N. Africa and the Middle East is a no go zone for the most part (even Israel you don't know when they will start killing each other on a moment's notice), you can't predict what relations will be with Russia even a few months down the road, and the state dept has travel alerts and warnings for 50-60 countries at any given time.

Calgary88

Thanks OP!
got one $475 (Cad $675); good for Saturday departure.
This is one of the cheapest ex YYC to Brazil.

wmz

I'm in GIG now for Carnaval, and I haven't seen a single mosquito. Almost all guys are shirtless in the streets. I sprayed 100% DEET on myself and got 0 bites. Zika is way over-exaggerated.

VisaW

Would this work? Get into JFK 8:15PM, leave for GIG at 9:35...

https://www.google.com/flights/#sear...3-JFKGIG0AA973

Alex_I

1 h 20 min is a legal connection in JFK. Also, the actual flying time between DCA and JFK is about 45 min. Of course, evening flights from DCA on American Eagle are often a mess as delays accumulate throughout the day. Also, in the evening JFK often has air traffic delays. Then there is 10-15+ min walk between different parts of the JFK terminal.
Delays for the evening flights DCA-JFK by 1 hr are quite common - you can check flightstats.com for today's evening flights. Your problem is that if your DCA-JKF flight is delayed you will have no other options of getting to RIO on that evening.
Whether or not to take those flights - it is entirely up to you.

VisaW

Hugely helpful, Alex -- thank you!

Whodunit68

People walking shirtless in the streets is hardly indicative of it being exaggerated. I dive caves in Florida and have not once seen an alligator in the river at the same time.
Just because you didn't see it, it doesn't mean that it isn't there.
I am not a fan of media-driven mania over any issue but to suggest it doesn't exist or it is over exaggerated because you didn't see one is irresponsible at best.

That being said, I have been back and forth to Brazil about 8 times in the last 365. No Zika. Thats doesn't mean it is exaggerated. I go to NE Brazil where mosquitos are prevalent.

Now, about the thread, best I can find is on AA from north/central Fl to Rio in March is $467, for almost any day in the month of March-4.8cpm. $433 out of Boston.

mbl0687

Got BOS-GRU for Memorial Day for $439, not too shabby at all!