JJBe

I flew TAM yesterday – GRU to MAO as part of a BRU-GRU-MAO trip – booked in D. Due to an aircraft change I was downgraded to economy (upon entering the plane!! – no need to inform passengers or reassign seats apparently) as there was no business class on the A321 they used for the flight. I suspect that it was a capacity issue – flight was full.
I filled out a form to get reimbursement but does anybody know what to expect to be offered in compensation?
Are there any applicable laws comparable to the EU261 in Brasil?

JJBe

NPF

You are misinformed: there was not any aircraft change, as all TAM's domestic aircraft only have Y seats.

You should have been informed, at time of booking, that your itinerary would be a mixed cabin one.

As TAM does not fly to BRU, don't know how you have flown the first leg, how was your itinerary (not BRU-GIG nonstop or even direct) or who sold the ticket.

If you have a valid complaint (in case of non-disclosure of a mixed cabin itinerary), it will be against whom sold you the ticket.

FLYDCA

I just recently booked a GRU-->MAO-->MIA flight in business class. I sure hope the GRU to MAO segment does not get downgraded! The flights JJ3748 is advertised as a 767. The seat map clearly shows this as a business class cabin.

NPF

I must correct an error in my own previous post:

As FLYDCA points, there is indeed this flight JJ3748 which is usually flown with a widebody (332/767/777). This aircraft has a separate business class cabin, and it is, to my knowledge, the only one (internal) flight in Brazil to have it.

To JJBe; if you were in this flight and the aircraft was changed to a narrowbody without business class cabin, I believe you really are due some compensation; at the minimum the fare difference.

SoCal

Good luck dealing with customer relations of a Brazilian airline. Worth a shot, however. There are laws regarding delays and cancellations, but not sure about class changes. I'd first contact TAM. They have an office in London. They may offer credit vs. cash. Do find out what your cost would have been in economy. Narrow-body TAM jets all-economy. Most wide body jets part of international routes. Some GRU-MAO flights are narrow-body. Maybe yours continued to MIA?

Not familiar with D class.

Equipment changes happen all the time. Sure there wasn't an announcement in Portuguese? I have flown TAM many times, never with big problems.

pb9997

When booked in an upgraded cabin F or C and passenger voluntarily accepts to fly in an inferior cabin C or Y respectively, carrier owes nothing to the passenger.

After the fact that passenger has already flown an inferior cabin, hopefully it will not become an I said-She said situation, without proof to support a case, where one claims not to have been informed while the other insists the passenger willingly accepted the downgrade.

JJBe

My original flight was BRU-LHR-GRU-MAO to be correct.
Last leg indeed was JJ3748 and it should have been a 2-class 767-300 - same flight as FLYDCA has booked. It was a booking in J (not - D sorry for that) and I could select the seats online and it clearly was a 2class cabin. My return flight MAO-GRU is on an A320 that is all economy - and this was ticketed as such - connecting to FRA on LH in D (codeshare JJ8250).

In retrospect there probably was an announcement in Portuguese, so didn't have a clue, on the bus (they bussed us to the A321) before boarding - apparently passengers could choose where to sit. Luckily I ended up in one of the extra legroom seats.

Thanks for the feedback. Will contact TAM in UK when I get back.

JJBe

SoCal

OP, please let us know how it turns out.