senzer

Hello,

I'm going to be stopping over in GRU for a whole (10 hours or so), but don't think I want to venture into Sao Paolo. Will be flying Business First and onward on SAA in Business Class and was wondering if anyone can provide info about the lounge? What facilities does it offer? I won't have to cross-over from airside to get there right?

Thanks!

AirD0c

I have pics of the T3 GRU lounge posted in this report - I wouldn't want to spend all day there...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1591519-gru-new-t3-ewr-ua-businessfirst.html

senzer

Really good trip report. Do you have any other ideas on spending that time @ GRU? I don't think heading into the city will be an option - what will we do there? So really about killing time!

geoshina

Hey Senzer. T3 is like a breath of fresh air compared to what it used to be. But since you have a long layover I would suggest you stay at the hotel inside the terminal. Other than shopping and eating there is not much to do around the airport - (Guarulhos city). The Star Alliance lounge have showers and next to it in the lounge floor there's a masseur-spa place.

senzer

Do you have to exit the airport and go through customs in order to stay at the hotel? Would love some more information about that. Also, do you happen to know when check-in time is?

kiwitakingflight

The lounge is open from 11:00am and you will be able to access if you already have your SA boarding pass. While there are showers there are no private day or sleep suites... so you might get bored with such a lot of time to spare. Although when the aforementioned trip report was written, only half of the lounge space that is available today was operational. So the lounge is much nicer and larger these days.

The transit hotel within T3 is accessible airside from the departures area. Follow the transit signs on arrival. You will stay airside the whole time providing any checked luggage is checked through and you have your onward boarding pass.

Local check-in at GRU is generally 2-3 hours before departure time.

Alternatively if you wish to go into SAP for the day or some hours, there are secure baggage storage facilities outside of T3 (You cross the road towards the carpark) or T2. Fixed fare taxis can take you downtown and an uber ride back will be about EUR20. Uber and taxis make it pretty easy and affordable to get around SP.

Another option could be a day use room at the Marriott nearby, if you feel like lounging by a pool or something. Free shuttles operate every 30 minutes.

pb9997

You can leave your luggage in GRU storage area, outside security, (ask for directions at the Info booths). Head to the Airport Buses and take the one to the Paulista Hotels (each one goes to different destinations), usually departing every 20/30 minutes - it will cost you 10 usd and 1 hour each way, under extreme situations (heavy rain, rallies, etc) allow 1,5 h. Paulista Avenue used to be the heart of the financial system in Sao Paulo; Once there, check the Jardins neighbourhood, lots of hotels large and small, nice restaurants, cafes and bars a live area. Nice streets for people watching, kill time, all under a protected environment, so you know when to get back to GRU.

I would not want to spend 10 hours at GRU, not even at their best lounges and I am welcome at several of those lounges.

AirD0c

Yeah, I would agree. I personally wouldn't want to spend a day in GRU. The only drawback of going into the city is the stress and time wasted with potentially horrendous traffic. Although both times I went it wasn't too bad and the drive (did a bus once and a taxi the second time) was about an hour each way. But with that long of a layover, you'd have plenty of time to get to the city and back. I'd also go to Paulista/Jardins. Plenty of hotels are situated between Avenida Paulista and Rua Oscar Freire. That area is safe and pleasant to walk through - lots of shopping and restaurants, particularly along Oscar. It's also a short hop from there to Vila Madalena which is an artsy neighborhood with interesting galleries, street art, cafes, bars etc.

Out of curiosity, are you doing this because of J award availability? I recall also considering doing something similar, JFK > GRU > JNB, or via Europe, as there was much more availability on those routes vs. JFK > JNB direct on SAA. We got lucky though and 2 award seats opened up on the direct route a couple months out. South Africa was incredible btw

Shareholder

Note that as of two weeks ago, the express bus service into the city only operates from T2 (though does a drop off at T1) so from T3 you must either walk over to T2 (there's an inside walkway from the departure level of each terminal) or take the intra-terminal shuttle. There's a schedule for the Paulista line bus that makes a stop at Republica too. Can't say where the pick-up spot is to get back to the airport on this route as I took this bus to my hotel (the IC) and my return was from the Sheraton in the World Trade Centre which does have a terminus. There are no signs at T3 for the city airport bus service, at least none I could see. At T2 there's a kiosk where you can purchase a ticket before boarding. Given the schedule for these buses, it could take 3 hours from clearing customs to changing terminals and getting into the city, possibly 4. Count on a similar time to make it back to the airport, so doesn't leave much time for sight-seeing unless you take a cab or Uber back.

I'll have a 9-hour connection in August (AC to SA) but plan to rough it at the airport, using the STAR lounge when it opens. Having looked at AirD0c's report it doesn't look as nice or as comfortable as the AA lounge I was in last month. Too open and very uncomfortable chairs. Maybe I should check out the hotel.

RockyMntFlyer

One thing you may want to consider (given your onward connection to SA) is a yellow fever vaccination. From what I understand (and others here can hopefully confirm or correct), if you actually enter Brazil, you would be required to have a yellow fever vaccination to enter SA. If you are transiting the airport (but don't actually enter Brazil) for less than 12 hours, I don't believe the vaccination is required. You may have this vaccination already, so maybe a non issue. Sao Paulo is not in a Yellow Fever area (like most of the country), but you should check if this matters to SA. The advice on the vaccination from SA government does not seem to draw a distinction between non Yellow Fever endemic areas on the coast (like Sao Paulo) or other areas, they just say 'Brazil' as a whole. We are doing a similar connection from UA to SAA in September, so I am checking on this.

Anyone else with experience on this? Thanks!

http://www.gov.za/south-africa-revie...r-requirements

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbo...low-fever#4728

Shareholder

Thanks for the tip, though I don't intend to leave the airport on this trip (I've done Rio and Sao Paulo each once already this year), it'll be too hot outside. Will use the Priority Pass lounge until the STAR one opens. As for arriving at JNB, the SA flight gets in at 7:30a, an hour when dozens of flights arrive from Europe, so the immigration hall will be packed and it will be impossible for the agent to know which flight I've arrived on. Having entered South Africa many times over the past few years, I've never been asked anything, just some cursory glances while the photo is taken, before the passport it stamped. Nor does this person collect the Health declaration form (if they're still using them) and the person who does never looks at them...one can enter just about any flight and originating city.