Originally Posted by
MAH4546
VCP is in the Sao Paulo metro area; distance-wise, it is comparable to the distance between SJC and SFO; LAX and ONT; NRT and HND among others.
The market is there - the question is whether AA will be able to convince enough people to use a secondary airport.
TAP already flies to VCP from Lisbon, and Copa starts from Panama in December.
Distance on a map is one thing, but the time it actually takes to get there is another. Traffic and the road infrastructure in Sao Paolo are a nightmare. There is no complete beltway/ringroad around Sao Paolo. I've heard from colleagues from there that it can easily take 2-3 hours to get to GRU from parts of the city. So VCP actually might be more convenient for many passengers. It's an interesting move by AA.