Varig set to join OW!!- true??- Where do they still fly?
 

According to Joe Brancatelli, Varig has left ( been kicked out of Star) and will join OW at the end of January.

I find this hard to believe.

If true what advantage does it bring to OW? I thought that their route structure had been decimated. Where exactly do they still fly?

My guess is that this is just a misreading of this story below from the front page of www.oneworld.com, which states that as of the end of January--once * drops Varig--no other alliance will have a South American-based airline

" 02 Jan 2007
oneworld reinforces global lead as only alliance with South American airline

oneworld is to be the only global airline alliance with a member in South America from the end of January, reinforcing its position as the airline grouping of obvious choice for truly global air travel."

Not true, although there are a few inaccurate media reports out there.

It seems a little disingenuous of OW to crow about being the "only alliance with South American airline" since *A could say the same about Africa...

Michael

Not quite true. BA does have it's Comair francise operating out of South Africa which is part of OW.

Whilst Comair is not South African, it does open up a few extra destinations.

Not really the same as BA does fly throughout southern Africa using their affiliate. Also, from an economic standpoint judged by relative GDP, South America is more important.

The local press in Rio has also reported that the new VARIG may be joining oneworld. If it's just a rumor, it certainly has got around.

I don't think that having both TAM and Varig in OW would make sense.

except that TAM is not in OW, but I wish that they were!

For whatever it may be worth, the local press has quoted top brass at TAM as stating that TAM is not interested in joining ANY alliance -- all TAM wants is code-share agreements with airlines that compete on TAM's international routes. Furthermore, TAM withdrew six planes during the Christmas rush season, supposedly for emergency maintenance, resulting in total chaos at Brazilian airports. VARIG flew thousands of TAM passengers on its unused planes, and the government even lent TAM an old 707 that used to be the Presidential plane as well as an old 727 (known as 'sucatão' and 'sucatinho', respectively). Even with that 'help', thousands of TAM passengers either spent days and nights in the airport, or simply took the bus. After this disappointing performance, it is doubtful that any respectable alliance would want TAM at this point. TAM used to have a great reputation, but it will take a good deal of time to restore it.

I stand corrected

Interesting development. Thanks.

What's disingenuous about it?
Technically OW partners RJ and BA fly to Africa, but not so much.

While anything can happen - what we know for sure - no rumours - is that (new) RG investors have met *A CEO in December to include the new RG in *A - now that the contract with the (old) RG comes to an end.

http://www.panrotas.com.br/canais/re...?cod_not=26470

Wouldn't make any sense for RG to be in OW, now that LAN has hubs in EZE, SCL and LIM - several non-stop flights from GRU to those hubs...

Agree TAM got market share but their service pales compared to what it used to be.

And QF and IB and CX...