Continental Airlines Flight CO31 Newark, NJ (EWR) to Sao Paulo, Brazil (GRU)
Scheduled Departure: 10:00 PM
Actual Departure: 10:10 PM
Scheduled Arrival: 8:50 AM
Actual Arrival: 8:55 AM
Equipment: Boeing 767-200ER
Class of Service: Economy

This is where the fun began!

After arriving in Newark I made my way to the PC for a quick shower. The shower rooms were unoccupied to I didn't have to wait. Water pressure and temperature were inconsistent.

EWR Shower Room






The PC filled up very quickly while I was showering so I was lucky to find a seat! Of course time flies when you have access to FT and the rest of the Interwebs so it was soon time for boarding.

Even though the new UA is using the old CO boarding process I still feel that they've made it too complicated by listing every elite title. Consequently there was a rush to boarding with no sign of any kind of order. The gate agents managed to restore order and I was able to board and take my seat in 16A.

This flight was completely full but not oversold. The kiosk offered a $400 bump voucher but in the end no volunteers were needed.

The two dinner choices were chicken or pasta. After having several unpleasant experiences with airplane pasta I decided to go with the chicken.

Chicken on CO31


Seat 16A is very comfortable for an economy seat. The cutout lets me extend my legs almost all the way and the video monitor is mounted high enough on the bulkhead where I don't have to look down to view it. Shorter passengers might have to hold their head at a weird angle, though.

CO also offers a pre-arrival snack (not breakfast) which included a croissant and about 5 bites of fruit.

Pre-arrival snack


The sun began to rise as we approached GRU and my seat on the left side of the aircraft was very hot due to the position of the sun. I managed to take a couple of iPhone photos (sorry about the glare).





We arrived just a few minutes late and I was the first economy passenger to leave the plane. I spotted the security station for international connections (necessary for those of you attempting this run without a visa) and there wasn't a line.

Passport control had a very long line for Brazilians but no line (yet, I walked fast) for foreigners. I marked an intended stay of one day on my arrival card and listed my hotel as "In transit". The passport control agent didn't say anything about my short stay other than "First time? Welcome to Brazil!" The stamp is huge and takes up about 1/4-1/3 of a page.

I had a backpack and a rolling bag with me so I went to the luggage storage area (exit the terminal and turn left past the bus ticket windows). The rate was R$14 per bag per day so I just left my larger bag and kept my backpack.

There is a bus company called Airport Express Bus that offers service from the airport to Sao Paulo for R$33 each way. It seemed like the easiest option so I purchased a ticket to Paulista. It is worth noting that the buses depart at least an hour apart so don't waste time after arriving if you want to catch the 9:30 AM bus! The next one is at 10:40.

The ride to Sao Paulo took about 55 minutes (Sunday morning - very little traffic). This particular bus would drop off at hotels in the area too.

Avenida Paulista






I was in desperate need of coffee so I started looking for an authentic Brazilian coffee shop. I found one called "Starbucks." It was a little pricey but I wish they had some of these in the US!

My (aborted) attempt to find an "authentic" Brazilian coffee shop


Republica


After walking around for a few hours I was exhausted so I decided to return to GRU.

GRU Departures