monkeymagic

SAO PAULO, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TAM (NYSE: TAM, BOVESPA: TAMM4) has signed an agreement with the airline bmi, member of Star Alliance, to allow members of the TAM Fidelidade program to accumulate and redeem points on flights operated by the British company. The partnership benefits TAM's customers since October 1. Likewise, beginning November 1, members of bmi's Diamond Club program will also be able to earn and redeem points on TAM flights.

TAM and bmi already have a codeshare agreement on different routes operated by both companies. This partnership will benefit clients by simplifying the flight reservation process, allowing convenient connection on one single airline ticket and through baggage check-in.

"We are very pleased to announce this agreement with bmi, thus expanding the benefits offered to our clients," said Paulo Castello Branco, our Commercial and Planning vice president. The partnership also strengthens TAM's strategy of Excellence in Services, one of the three pillars that are the foundation of the company's operation, in addition to Technical-Operational Excellence and Excellence in Management.

Juliet Hutchin, Head of Loyalty at bmi, said, "We're delighted to become the latest airline partner in TAM's Fidelidade program and we look forward to welcoming TAM's customers onto our flights."

FlyingOnceMore

I heard recently that they were changing the name of their FFP, to coincide with Star Alliance Membership, to "PON".

orudge

A shame this didn't come into force in July - could have earned me an extra 8500 miles or so. But good to see it happening. I read recently that TAM was expected to join *A in April now, after upgrades of its IT systems. (Link)

sofasurfer

Excellent news!

Now, does anyone know how we can check availability for TAM flights? (I know it's a little early, but Mrs Sofasurfer has friends in CNF, and we're hoping to visit early next year and want to be quick off the mark with booking)

RAPC

TAM is fully covered with Expertflyer. Just did a quick search on there and availability comes up fine for First, Business and Economy.

colmc

Oddly enough I just did an online checkin today for a dpmestic TAM flight and it had the option to add a BD frequent flyer number. I did just because I could - thinking they were just getting readly for *A membership. Doubt anything will post though seem as it's only coming into effect for BD members from Nov 1st :/

HIDDY

Excellent news....more options from EZE. ^

Boddingtons

Well would you effing credit it! I've just booked a flight from MVD to GIG on 4th November with Pluna Air. Had I read this earlier, there's a fair chance I would have booked with TAM as there was not that much difference in price.

Will be interesting to see if they will charge the same number as miles as per the Star award chart considering theyre supposed to be joining the alliance at some point in time.

If that's the case, and assuming award seats permit, then I'll look forward to changing my GIG-LIS-LHR-MAN redemption.

BA or bust

Hope you enjoy their new CRJ900 aircraft. And you will see the brand new terminal building at MVD, but unfortunately it does not open for flights until the 15th Nov.

neuromancer

Great news.
Just to say that TAM flights rarely post automatically to their partners' programs, and even to their own. So just don't expect anything to post automatically (what a surprise )

holtju2

Pluna is normally half the price compared to JJ. Have flown them couple of times.

holtju2

Haven't we get used to this nonpostings yet?

starflyergold

I was on a DUB-LHR-GRU- EZE-GRU-FRA-DUB trip 2 weeks ago travelling on BD, JJ and LH in C.

Of course no JJ miles yet on DC so the JJ legs will have to go the M&M account.

Here are some experiences on all three airlines:

BD 128 DUB-LHR A 320

Check in swift and effortless, yes I do know where the bmi lounge is darling, I fly out of here every week and you checked me in numerous times. BD lounge the same as always, this time empty and usual fare. Bumped into a colleague going on to Jo’burg on Virgin Upper Class, envy! Departure from B area, no specific C class pre-boarding but the usual quick moves mean I get on board ahead of the crowds. Aircraft a mid haul Airbus with the comfy seats in a 2-2 configuration, great. Catering as per usual is the dreaded Bentobox. I still to this day do not understand why the contents cannot be unpacked by the staff and put on a linen covered tray? Flight is on time and we arrive exactly on schedule which means I now have 5 hours in LHR until the next flight as the next BD flight would get in too late to connect to the JJ one.

JJ 8085 LHR-GRU B777

Transfer to T4 via Heathrow Connect and what a dump T4 is, T1 is luxurious in comparison! Last time I was here I was flying on BA001 years ago. BD can’t issue JJ boarding passes at the moment so when reaching the JJ ticket counter I am told I have to wait until check in opens in an hour. Lovely, NOT. There is nothing to do but to have a smoke outside.

Check in opens and I get my JJ boarding passes for GRU and EZE together with the lounge pass for the Holideck Lounge. Security has a fast track for C class pax but this merges at the xray with all the other passengers so no use at all. The Holideck lounge is straight out of the 80s and offers the usual fare of drinks and hardly any snacks, very poor. I hope for JJ’s sake that they move ASAP to T1.

After 4 hours in the lounge bored beyond belief. JJ starts boarding an hour before on all of its flights (or so the BP says). When staff arrive at the gate chaos ensues and it is a free for all with no clear priority boarding. Aircraft is a B777 and it is packed in all classes. Eventually staff call C class pax and I get onboard about an hour before take off. My seat neighbour has occupied the entire overhead locker so my luggage is stored in a press 5 rows behind me together with FA’s luggage.

Welcome drinks are champagne (nothing fancy), juice and dried fruit to nibble. Hmmm. Ok must be a Brazilian thing.

Seat is lie flat but at an angle and not particularly comfortable, configuration is 2-3-2. There is no F class on board only the same seat in row 1 separated by a partition.

Newspapers and magazines come around and the only English speaking material is Newsweek. Quite poor for a London departure. The staff are friendly but limited with their English.

Menu is handed out before take off and features:
Starters

- Green leaves with crab salad and smoked salmon
- Green leaves vegetables served with chicken ballotine and cherry tomatoes

Soup:
- Pumpkin soup

Mains
- Crusted salmon with tarragon creamy sauce, serviced with basmati and wild rice, asparagus and pumpkin
- Pheasant au jus, served with Parma ham, mandioquinha purée and whitened carrots (my choice)
- Gnocchi with tomato and basil sauce, spinach and cheery tomatoes

Staff ask what you want to drink before take off and I request a G&T.

Take off

Half an hour later service commences and AVOD is on (limited choice).

There is no pre dinner drinks service and my G&T arrives with my meal, odd. The meal is all on one tray, starters, soup and main. This of course means that your main is cold by the time you get to it. Pheasant was a bad choice, stringy and tasteless. Wine list is extremely limited, only 2 reds: Spanish Rioja and French Bordeaux.

Desert is either ice-cream or rice pudding. Time to catch some sleep on the increasingly uncomfortable bed. Breakfast is served 1,5hours before landing and features fruit, omelette and drinks. Not bad but the same as on most economy flights.

We arrive half an hour ahead of schedule in GRU and as the airport is non smoking I go through passport control to have a smoke. GRU is frantic at this hour with flights arriving from Europe and the early morning rush hour.

2 hours to kill before the next flight. One hour outside and then I get back in through lengthy security and very slow passport control onwards to the JJ international lounge which is at capacity. Hardly any space for pax. I settle for some sweet deserts and coffee.

JJ 8000 GRU-EZE on an A330

Again boarding is an hour ahead of take off, probably better then spending time in the tiny lounge. This time C is empty (4 pax). Same seat as on the B777 but 2-2-2 configuration. Yet another amenity kit (better quality than the TATL). Blinds are closed by staff and breakfast served immediately after take off. Same fare as on the TATL. Staff are much more engaged and go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable.


Arrive in EZE on time and we are bussed to the terminal. Luggage arrives swiftly and luggage tags are taken off you (so no later claims re luggage are possible, mine was damaged which I only noticed later).

2 weeks work on Buenos Aires which you don’t want to hear about.

JJ 8005 EZE – GRU A 320

Check in ok, slight delay while they try to find out if the ticket includes airport tax. Lounge pass to the Amex Centurion lounge is handed over. Interesting security arrangement: no separating of laptop or liquids required. All stay in my bag. Lengthy queues for passport control and off to the lounge. Very rudimentary lounge, and not very nice.

Flight is delayed by 30 minutes though they managed to turn it around in 30 minutes after arriving in EZE. Seating is US style F class seats. No English language newspapers at all this time and once again only some staff spoke English (very strange). No AVOD either, only main screens with headsets. Food ok but drinks very limited, no Gin, no Vodka, hello???

We arrive in GRU on time which meant 2,5 hours lay over. Once again I leave the transit area for a smoke but when trying to get back in I was told that I have to get a new BP from JJ. I go to the C class counter and am told in very rude terms that I have to pay tax. Hmm I had paid already € 2700 for the flight and was not prepared to pay more but apparently there was no choice.

JJ 8070 GRU-FRA B777

More queuing and I part with $40 for the tax. Passport control takes forever and back in the tiny JJ lounge, this time with the pianist. Again overcrowded. I’d say throw out the piano and have more seats for pax. I am not sure how they will cope with *A pax once they join next year.

Boarding starts an hour before take off and this time at least there is a C class line. Service is exactly the same as on the LHR-GRU flight. No German speakers among the crew and no German or English reading material.

This time I tell the staff (once they found an English speaker) that I don’t want the meal all at once. This caused confusion but they oblige eventually. Food and drinks almost the same as the other TATL flight. AVOD is exactly the same, boring. Luckily I pass out and sleep though not comfortably. They woke pax 120 minutes before landing which in my view is far too early. Breakfast as before.

We arrive in FRA on time. Greeted by the local sniffer dog I make my way to the SEN lounge in B. Hurray it is actually empty. A quick coffee and some cake and it is almost time to go my gate B33 which of course means yet another security check.

LH 4983 B737

As with all DUB flights this is a bus transfer. I can’t remember the last time I was at a finger position for DUB. Flight is full in M but empty in C. 2-2 configuration and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The meal is cold but of much better quality than the BD Bentobox. The theme is Oktoberfest. Very tasty.

Flight arrives on time and surprisingly so does the luggage (we are talking DUB here).

The verdict?

BD C class on short haul is not worth it and I get better service (except the hot breakfast in the morning) in M as BD *G. JJ is trying to be an international competitor but has still to learn a lot: have English speaking FAs, meal service served as individual courses, better AVOD, urgent lounge improvements. LH beats BD’s C class by a mile.

HIDDY

Well JJ has slipped a bit going by your report.
Been a couple of years since I flew with them on the LHR-GRU-EZE route but back then the service was certainly of a very high standard especially the soft product. Staff could all speak perfect English and we were served courses individually and not all at once.
Certainly was a lot better than the LH J product.

orudge

While I can't comment on business class on JJ, I personally found their economy class offering to be very decent when flying from GRU - LHR in July. Brand new 777, AVOD selection was pretty reasonable, meals were decent enough, a number of drinks services throughout the flight, seats as comfortable as economy seats are going to be, and the flight attendants were very pleasant (and spoke English well). Pre-boarding was a bit less pleasant, with the general mad rush at the gate and seeming lack of any order, but once onboard, I was overall quite impressed, and I thought the service was all in all better than the LH 747 service from FRA - GRU.

I also found it odd that you had to pay a departure tax in GRU - I've only ever had to pay a departure tax in Brazil once, and that was when flying out of NAT on a charter flight (Thomson). When flying with JJ and TP from GRU and REC respectively, taxes have all been included in the ticket.