Rio! The Crazy Things We Do For Miles...
Nov 6, 2011 | 9:15 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP 75K, DL Diamond, LH SEN, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 2,360
Rio! The Crazy Things We Do For Miles...
I have already flown just under 140,000 miles in 2011 but a large amount of this travel was on award tickets so I'm still a few thousand EQMs away from 2012 1K re-qualification. If I'm going to spend 10 hours in a plane I should go somewhere cool, right?
IAH-GIG and GIG-IAH are red-eyes in both directions which allows around 12 hours on the ground in Rio. It is possible to earn 10K EQM, 20K RDM, and a full day in Rio in a mere 32 hours!
Of course my mother found out and said I should take her along for her birthday present...something about how I owe her for giving birth to me.
Brazil has a reciprocal visa policy so US citizens must purchase a 10-year tourist visa for $140. My visa has already paid for itself after 2 mileage runs to GRU in May but my mom needed to get one. The application process was simple enough and soon we were ready to go!
Due to some really complicated scheduling issues I had to start this trip from MAF, which meant a nice trip on one of Colgan's Bombardier Dash-8 Q400s. Fortunately I was able to get seat 1B, which is an exit row with unlimited legroom.
Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 operated by Colgan Air dba Continental Connection in United Express colors - it doesn't get more complicated than this!
The trip went by rather quickly and we landed in IAH about 90 minutes later. Colgan uses Terminal A so I had to take the TerminaLink to Terminal E.
TerminaLink and the IAH Marriott
EK and QR 777s going to DXB and DOH
The Terminal EPresident's Club United Club was really crowded but there wasn't a waiting list for the shower rooms. After showering we grabbed a quick dinner before proceeding to the gate. Boarding began with Elite Access Premier Access and included a badly butchered list of statuses. Presidential Premier, 1K Gold, 1K Silver, etc. We boarded as soon as they said 1K and the BP/visa checker didn't complain!
Continental's 767-400ERs are in a 2-1-2 configuration in BusinessFirst and a 2-3-2 configuration in Economy. We booked a pair of seats so we wouldn't have to gamble with the possibility of a 3rd seatmate and this strategy paid off because the flight was completely full!
The IFE didn't really work and I don't think they've been putting much work into it since announcing the addition of new BF seats by the end of 2012. We'll see how that works out over the next year...
After boarding was completed we took off...
Houston about 10 minutes after takeoff
Meal choices were chicken or beef. We went with the beef. CO offers an expended drink selection on international flights but they were out of Glenlivet, Jack Daniels, and Bombay. They still had some Crown so I was happy.
Dinner
Breakfast was served about 90 minutes before landing in GIG. The meal was similar to IAH-GRU - bread and some fruit.
Breakfast
Our route went over Brasilia before continuing to Rio.
Flight Map
The weather was cloudy but we could see land after descending below 20,000 feet.
In flight IAH-GIG
Touchdown was very smooth and it only took about 3 minutes to taxi to the gate. CO still uses Terminal 1 (UA and other *A carriers use T2) and we were the only flight arriving at that time. Immigration took only 10 minutes.
The first stop was Cristo Redentor and we decided to take the tram to the top. I think the ride took about 30 minutes.
Rio is visible during parts of the ride but trees always get in the way. Shooting at 8 fps doesn't help - there are always more trees!
Trees
More Trees
And More Trees
If you don't want to take the tram you can take a taxi to a parking lot and a van to the top.
Parking Lot
There are several stops along the route but we only saw these being used by people who live in houses on the mountain.
Station
As the tram climbed higher there were fewer trees, so we could see stuff like this:
And this:
IAH-GIG and GIG-IAH are red-eyes in both directions which allows around 12 hours on the ground in Rio. It is possible to earn 10K EQM, 20K RDM, and a full day in Rio in a mere 32 hours!
Of course my mother found out and said I should take her along for her birthday present...something about how I owe her for giving birth to me.
Brazil has a reciprocal visa policy so US citizens must purchase a 10-year tourist visa for $140. My visa has already paid for itself after 2 mileage runs to GRU in May but my mom needed to get one. The application process was simple enough and soon we were ready to go!
Due to some really complicated scheduling issues I had to start this trip from MAF, which meant a nice trip on one of Colgan's Bombardier Dash-8 Q400s. Fortunately I was able to get seat 1B, which is an exit row with unlimited legroom.
Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 operated by Colgan Air dba Continental Connection in United Express colors - it doesn't get more complicated than this!
The trip went by rather quickly and we landed in IAH about 90 minutes later. Colgan uses Terminal A so I had to take the TerminaLink to Terminal E.
TerminaLink and the IAH Marriott
EK and QR 777s going to DXB and DOH
The Terminal E
Continental's 767-400ERs are in a 2-1-2 configuration in BusinessFirst and a 2-3-2 configuration in Economy. We booked a pair of seats so we wouldn't have to gamble with the possibility of a 3rd seatmate and this strategy paid off because the flight was completely full!
The IFE didn't really work and I don't think they've been putting much work into it since announcing the addition of new BF seats by the end of 2012. We'll see how that works out over the next year...
After boarding was completed we took off...
Houston about 10 minutes after takeoff
Meal choices were chicken or beef. We went with the beef. CO offers an expended drink selection on international flights but they were out of Glenlivet, Jack Daniels, and Bombay. They still had some Crown so I was happy.
Dinner
Breakfast was served about 90 minutes before landing in GIG. The meal was similar to IAH-GRU - bread and some fruit.
Breakfast
Our route went over Brasilia before continuing to Rio.
Flight Map
The weather was cloudy but we could see land after descending below 20,000 feet.
In flight IAH-GIG
Touchdown was very smooth and it only took about 3 minutes to taxi to the gate. CO still uses Terminal 1 (UA and other *A carriers use T2) and we were the only flight arriving at that time. Immigration took only 10 minutes.
The first stop was Cristo Redentor and we decided to take the tram to the top. I think the ride took about 30 minutes.
Rio is visible during parts of the ride but trees always get in the way. Shooting at 8 fps doesn't help - there are always more trees!
Trees
More Trees
And More Trees
If you don't want to take the tram you can take a taxi to a parking lot and a van to the top.
Parking Lot
There are several stops along the route but we only saw these being used by people who live in houses on the mountain.
Station
As the tram climbed higher there were fewer trees, so we could see stuff like this:
And this:
Nov 6, 2011 | 9:27 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP 75K, DL Diamond, LH SEN, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 2,360
Eventually we reached the top.
At this point there were two choices to go up from the tram station: elevator or stairs. There aren't many stairs but the elevator is still the easiest choice.
The top of the monument has restaurants, souvenir shops, and a 98-foot Jesus. Here are some photos I took at the top:
After some shopping we went back to the tram station.
Tram Station
The ride to the bottom takes the same amount of time because the tram has to stop so other trams can pass. Once we reached the bottom we went to Po de Acar.
At this point there were two choices to go up from the tram station: elevator or stairs. There aren't many stairs but the elevator is still the easiest choice.
The top of the monument has restaurants, souvenir shops, and a 98-foot Jesus. Here are some photos I took at the top:
After some shopping we went back to the tram station.
Tram Station
The ride to the bottom takes the same amount of time because the tram has to stop so other trams can pass. Once we reached the bottom we went to Po de Acar.
Nov 6, 2011 | 9:31 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP 75K, DL Diamond, LH SEN, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 2,360
Po de Acar (Sugarloaf Mountain) was only about 20 minutes away. The gondola is in two sections and both sections are included in a single ticket.
Gondola
Gondola
Standing at Station 1 looking up at Station 2
Station 2 (left) and Station 4 (right)
Going up
After reaching Station 2 we stepped out to walk around. Station 3 is a 5 minute walk from Station 2. This area had shops, restaurants, bars, and free wifi (to check FlyerTalk, of course)!
Gondola
Gondola
Standing at Station 1 looking up at Station 2
Station 2 (left) and Station 4 (right)
Going up
After reaching Station 2 we stepped out to walk around. Station 3 is a 5 minute walk from Station 2. This area had shops, restaurants, bars, and free wifi (to check FlyerTalk, of course)!
Nov 6, 2011 | 9:45 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP 75K, DL Diamond, LH SEN, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 2,360
More views between Station 2 and Station 3
Standing at Station 3 looking up at Station 4
The moon was visible too!
The top level has more restaurants, more souvenir shops, and more bars. Caipirinhas were around R$15 each which seemed expensive at first but then I remembered how much I paid for drinks at the top of the Eiffel Tower...
Rio's domestic airport is visible from Sugarloaf. I wish I brought a longer lens!
Eventually we made our way back down to Station 3. The sun was setting so we took more photos.
Finally we made our way back to the airport and checked in. The arrangement was identical to GIG - separate lines for elites and premium cabins along with the questions. "Did you pack your bag?" Yes. "Did anyone give you anything?" No. Etc.
CO BF/*G passengers use the SEA Lounge since the TAM Lounge is in T2 and the terminals aren't connected after security. The lounge wasn't particularly interesting but it was better than being stuck in the terminal. Of course we stopped at duty free.
Boarding was a cluster*&%$ - everyone formed a mob around the gate and no one could get through when they started calling elites and BF. It took longer to board in GIG than in IAH even though GIG-IAH was only ~70% full.
The meal choices were chicken or beef and we went with the beef. If you really want a picture (trust me, you don't) just click the link in the first post for my GRU report - the meal was identical. At least they had some Glenlivet this time. Breakfast was the same as the IAH-GIG flight.
We landed in IAH on time, made our way through immigration and customs, and said goodbye. It was a great way to earn miles and spend some time with mom!
Standing at Station 3 looking up at Station 4
The moon was visible too!
The top level has more restaurants, more souvenir shops, and more bars. Caipirinhas were around R$15 each which seemed expensive at first but then I remembered how much I paid for drinks at the top of the Eiffel Tower...
Rio's domestic airport is visible from Sugarloaf. I wish I brought a longer lens!
Eventually we made our way back down to Station 3. The sun was setting so we took more photos.
Finally we made our way back to the airport and checked in. The arrangement was identical to GIG - separate lines for elites and premium cabins along with the questions. "Did you pack your bag?" Yes. "Did anyone give you anything?" No. Etc.
CO BF/*G passengers use the SEA Lounge since the TAM Lounge is in T2 and the terminals aren't connected after security. The lounge wasn't particularly interesting but it was better than being stuck in the terminal. Of course we stopped at duty free.
Boarding was a cluster*&%$ - everyone formed a mob around the gate and no one could get through when they started calling elites and BF. It took longer to board in GIG than in IAH even though GIG-IAH was only ~70% full.
The meal choices were chicken or beef and we went with the beef. If you really want a picture (trust me, you don't) just click the link in the first post for my GRU report - the meal was identical. At least they had some Glenlivet this time. Breakfast was the same as the IAH-GIG flight.
We landed in IAH on time, made our way through immigration and customs, and said goodbye. It was a great way to earn miles and spend some time with mom!
Last edited by BryanIAH; Apr 10, 2012 at 6:39 pm
