TAM Brazilian review by Anthony Tarpey

20 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

I fly a lot to Brazil, and as a member of Air France staff in Dublin, I normally use Air France as connections were easier. The last time I flew, I decided to try TAM for a change, since they had just opened a route CDG-GIG direct - or so I was informed. TAM's flight to GIG from CDG is not direct. It makes a stop in GRU first, thus adding an extra two and a half hours to your journey. We were only told of this "minor" detail shortly before we were expecting to land in Rio. Also, I was confidently convinced by the TAM reservations agent in Paris that I could earn miles using my AF/KLM Flying Blue program card, and subsequently presented it during checkin at the TAM transfer desk in Terminal 2A. I was laughed at by the agent, saying that it's only valid for their domestic flights (like I was supposed to know that, how stupid am I??? One of the reasons why I chose to fly with TAM, apart from trying a new airline, was that I was told I could earn miles with my Air France card - this flight would've elevated me to Gold Status). Arrived at the boarding gate, to be informed that the transfer agent did not even check me in properly, and that the seat I was assigned was given to someone else. Only then because this time I lost my cool, did the guy actually bother to do anything to make up for it. He was still very indifferent about it. Service onboard was not what I was used to on their domestic flights. Bad food, and slow service. To top it all off, my inflight entertainment was not working, as was the case on all the starboard side of the aircraft! Staff unapologetic. English announcements were incomprehensible. Wondered why they even bothered. I would rate their domestic services as top class compared to the long- haul services. They're not preparing enough for their expansion in the demise of Varig. Better organization is required. In general, a 3 star airline.

TAM Brazilian review by D Hodson

20 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

CDG-GIG return economy class. Flight delayed 1 hour 30mins on departure due to bad weather in Paris. Airbus A330-200 with seatback screens but no AVOD - good selection of movies. Flight attendants ery attentive and friendly. Poor food due - tinned bean salad! The airline apologised profusely for this! Return flight on time. Newer a330 with AVOD. Again flight attendants excellent - 2 trolley services and drinks available in galley if required. Food better. Overall, both flights were excellent- significantly cheaper than Air France and service and aircraft on a par.

TAM Brazilian review by Andy Jarosz

20 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-GRU-EZE in Business Class. Excellent service. The seats recline to horizontal, and while its not quite a lie-flat bed its the best night's sleep I have had on a plane. Good food, and helpful friendly service at mealtimes. The entertainment system is no better than you will find on many European and Asian airlines in Economy, and the goody bag had nothing worth taking home in it. GRU-EZE leg was also well run, with attentive service on both flights. Would certainly fly TAM again, and considering the relatively low cost of the business class flights, was good value for money.

TAM Brazilian review by M Dekkers

20 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

VVI-ASU-GRU Operated by TAM Mercosur. First leg Santa Cruz (Bolivia) - Asuncion (Paraguay) without problems. Nearly two hours delay in Asuncion without any explanation or apology. GRU-CDG in Airbus 330. In flight service ok. Food ok. Staff friendly. Punctuality lacks but for a Latin American airline acceptable.

TAM Brazilian review by M Zielinski

10 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

London to San Paulo. It was very disappointing that the in-flight entertainment system was not working, on a 12 hour flight. The meal was rushed soon after take off with service inconsistent. The crew then disappeared and the lights switched off until breakfast was rushed out before arrival. Food ok and a choice of 3 dishes. If you like a drink on your flight note the very limited bar service restricted to wine, beer and whiskey. Despite these drawbacks the space was reasonable, for economy, and the pairs of window seats give you some privacy. I did however think the crew had a nicer flight than me as the back two rows of business that we walked through all seemed to be allocated crew seats and they disappeared long enough to have a good nights sleep.

TAM Brazilian review by Pierre Stolinksi

29 March 2007

With the collapse of Varig, few choice was left between France & Brazil. We opted twice for the brightly advertised Tam. On the web site, as often, services are far beyond expectations. Facts are unfortunately a bit different. Planes are ageing, booked seats 'disappear' in bugs, priority for luggage delivery appears on the sticker of your case only. The choice of music & movies is none, but you can enjoy it when luckily your screen still works. Food is average, the service is very long, staff obsequious. The temperature aboard is close to freezing, all shutters down (the 'image' of the airline, making the trip more 'comfy/cocoon'. To these questions, Tam has a 'direct contact with the Ceo'. You can send a message then receive an answer. Unfortunately, the answer recalls outdated rosy messages airlines were whispering 30 years ago. It sounds childish, but it is very far from the supposed & highly paid expectations of the customer. Irrelevant.

TAM Brazilian review by K Losse

1 March 2007

I purchased a TAM Brazil Airpass and flew five flights within Brazil. GIG-Florianopolis, Florianopolis-CGH, CGH-Ilheus, Ilheus-CGH, and CGH-Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont. Tam's inflight service is friendly and decent. They bring candies by before the flight takes off, and serve a mediocre, warm cheese-and-ham sandwich midflight. Tam beats domestic US flights in several ways: some flights offered fresh newspapers before boarding, you can order beer for free, along with guarana, coke, water, or juice. The planes are painted with a cute heart on the tail, and there is also a cute heart printed on the seat covers. Tam's aesthetic trump card is the female staff's amazingly chic outfits: a fitted white jersey shirt with a red cummerbund and well-cut navy skirt or trousers. A little chic goes a long way.

TAM Brazilian review by Barry Wallace

13 February 2007

Just back from Brasil using TAM. We flew from Paris CDG which meant a short hop from LHR first. service in Paris no problem. The flight itself direct to Rio first then going on to Sao Paulo was very good. Food Service, Inflight Entertainment all good. On the return, the plane was certainly older but it was the only the inflight entertainment and food that was below average. Staff were very good and overall for what we paid very happy. They are an average airline however would use them again.

TAM Brazilian review by Andrew Coogans

26 January 2007

LHR-GIG (via GRU) and GIG-CDG Business Class. A few little niggles but overall an excellent flight. Business Class seats have the biggest space between rows I have seen. They are old fashioned manually operated but comfortable. Cabin crew excellent and attentive both directions. Lounge at LHR was the Holideck run by KLM, right next to the TAM gate. Connection at GRU smoothly handled. Negatives: GIG-GRU sector we were not business class, being pre-allocated row 6 and 7 (6A, 6F and 7A, bizzarrely, even though plenty of available seats) as Andre Fernandes points out in his review. At GIG on return flight there was no business lounge (in fact there were no eating or drinking facilities at all in the International part of the terminal) and no dedicated check in agent. The agent was slow. The flight was around 90 minutes late but there was no mention of this at all by the ground crew, and no apology or mention on board. Boarding was a crush and a shambles. The positives make up for the negatives, and I would fly TAM again transatlantic, although there is a feeling at times they are a little disorganised (especially at GIG).

TAM Brazilian review by A Azevedo

22 January 2007

TAM airlines built its reputation based on quality of service, in a time when most airlines were cutting costs and service along with it. Well, that seems to be years ago!! The time of the "magic red carpet” is long gone, and while the company uses "Proud to be Brazilian” as its slogan, we, Brazilians, are definitely not proud of it at all! As a Brazilian expatriate living in the United States, I used to fly TAM frequently to Brazil out of Miami International. My most recent experiences, however, have been disastrous. On January 12, my wife and my 15-month old daughter flew to Sao Paulo from Miami on TAM. Upon check-in in Miami, we asked for assistance in Sao Paulo as it would be impossible for my wife to carry a stroller, a baby and two bags thru customs. The smiley lady in Miami said "yes, of course". That was not the case at all. Upon arrival, no one was available to help, and when my wife asked for assistance, the answer was 'We are too busy to help". How can this be? My family is currently at the airport ready to board the flight back. The news now is that they simply decided to change the aircraft on this flight from an Airbus A330 to an Airbus A320. Not only this will mean less comfort - if you have ever flown both aircraft, you certainly know that the A320 is not at all suited for an 8-hour flight - but tit would also mean that they will have to land in Manaus to refuel the aircraft, which will add another 2 hours to the already uncomfortable flight. Have you ever lived thru 10 hours in an Airbus A320?! TAM has given us no explanation, aside from "we're changing the aircraft on the Miami flight this month". How can this be? We bought the tickets for an overnight flight on a comfortable aircraft, not on a short-haul one. So, if you do not want to be disrespected as a customer, do not fly TAM. Long gone are the days when it used to respect its customers and provide good service.

TAM Brazilian review by Andre Fernandes

22 January 2007

London-Rio with stop in Sao Paulo with Tam First Class. Agree with the last comment, Tam result in improving network is somewhat chaotic! Check-in at LHR was fast and calm, there is a line for First Class customers. Also you can take advantage of the Fast Track for Premium F/C customers. The flight was okay, but the connection in Sao Paulo shows how they need to improve services, even on First Class (believe me it seems a 2* service, not 4*). Lack of assistance, confused information, incorrect directions and a huge delay caused by ATC (6 hours) without giving to the customer the real possibility to run a CGH-SDU flight. Flight (A332) on seat 1K, very comfortable, and them on seat 1D (for those flying to Rio on night flights from LHR, JFK and MIA on C/F, be in mind that you need to ask for seats 1/2/3, business seats from GRU to GIG as the A320 keep Business Seats but I don't know WHY, Tam puts you always on 5, 6 or 7 (Y seats). Service was good, food was good, but I flew on the day before JFK-LHR with AA First and their service was better. TAM IFE is okay, but could be even better with more options. Tam become a very good airline on flight with a terrible and unfriendly ground staff !

TAM Brazilian review by Mark Squire

19 January 2007

London-Rio and back with TAM business class over this new year. It seems that TAM are trying to take advantage of the demise of VARIG by rushing in international services without having an adaquete process in place. The result in chaotic. They seem to be using San Paolo as a hub for international flights then making the connections from there this is the biggest problem with the system. As previously commented there is precious little assistance for the confused traveller the gate resembles a holding pen and with air-traffic control in Brazil still a mess after the crash before xmas the whold experience is very unpleasant. Coming back into Sao Paulo its even worse with just one person in security to cope with an endless stream of people. The lounge system in London too is a mess they use one of the "priority pass" lounges which could hardly be further from the gate they have no announcements and the flight went straight from "go to gate" to "closing" meaning a sprint to avoid missing it !. The flights themselves were actually ok very generous space on the London/Rio flight in row 5 on the A330 the seat between first class and the galley then has curtains closed on 3 sides giving the feeling of a room! Food poor but adequate - very good crew and red wine! Overall very mixed but they really are cheating customers selling the London/Rio flight as direct this is a lie.

TAM Brazilian review by Jamie Sutton

19 January 2007

Sao Paulo - Buenos Aires. Massive delays do appear to be happening on almost all domestic Brazilian flights at the moment but the reason is unclear. On this flight the delay was 3 and a half hours, eventually departing at about 1.30am. Perhaps it is a cultural thing but little information was provided, not that the mainly South American passengers seemed to complain much and everyone was quite relaxed. TAM staff were polite for the most part and eventually I found out the reason for delay from the captain who was at the boarding gate waiting. Once on board the service was commendable and unfussy given the circumstances. Hot towels before and after the meal, which was large, and there was an unexpected choice ('fish' or 'pasta') served in ceramic bowls. A pleasant feature that really felt like a welcome throwback was the tray of sweets offered before take-off and landing. After this the lights were dimmed for the remainder of the trip although coffee and tea came up and down a few times. I should say that on another domestic trip later in the month service was by no means up to this relative standard. On that flight the plane arrived seven hours late at Iguazzu and then flew on to Rio di Janeiro with some of the most ill-tempered cabin crew I've encountered. Perhaps Brazilians don't have the same rest rights that European crew do? English announcements were incomprehensible and appeared half the length of the Portugese ones! I got the impression TAM were trying and they seemed particularly proud of their new route to Heathrow which they advertised during In-Flight Entertainment and throughout the magazine. With VARIG collapsing they will hopefully continue to iron out the consistency and maintain the standards they can reach.

TAM Brazilian review by Brian Cleary

9 January 2007

Complete chaos while attempting to fly TAM in Brazil in Dec 2006. Flight from Sao Paulo to Belo Horizonte delayed over 8 hours, during which time almost no information was given by TAM as to flight status, expected departure etc. Little wonder that they needed to call in extra police to help settle an unruly crowd of angry passengers. Took a bus on the return trip; trying to fly TAM wasn't worth the aggravation.

TAM Brazilian review by Cath Berry

4 January 2007

London Heathrow to Buenos Aires, via Sao Paulo / return flight Rio to Heathrow via Sao Paulo. While queuing up to check in I was informed by a member of TAM staff that because my return flight was from Brazil and not from Argentina, I could not fly! (This, for my 3 week "holiday of a lifetime" that I had saved up for all year). I asked to speak to the manager, he claimed he was the manager! He was adamant and in the end I managed to establish that if I bought a TAM ticket from Argentina to Brazil I could indeed board. When I went to book it at their booking desk, the ticket agent there told me that this was nonsense and that I could indeed fly. At San Paolo experienced a 2 hour delay for the connecting flight, and on arrival at Buenos Aires no sight of my luggage. The TAM lost luggage staff spoke very little English and infuriatingly kept saying "no problem". I eventually got a form filled out giving my hotel details and was given a strong impression that bags were delayed/lost on this route all the time and they said it could take up to a week, if it ever reappeared. The most helpful member of their lost luggage staff at Buenos Aires appeared to be a teenager and spoke very little English. The woman who seemed to be his boss was downright rude. Waited 2 days in Buenos Aires before my bags turned up. When I called their lost luggage office the staff didn't care less and even laughed at me on the phone. 21 hours after arriving in Buenos Aires TAM still were unable to confirm that my bags had even left Heathrow. They said they had been unable to make any contact with either TAM Lost Luggage in Heathrow or TAM Lost Luggage in Sao Paulo by telephone as the staff there wouldn't pick up the phones. They said they had e-mailed and received no response whatsoever. Was told again it could take up to a week, if it ever reappeared. On my return flight (Rio to Heathrow via Sao Paulo) waited in hellish conditions at check in for nearly 2 hours in an unmoving queue with no information whatsoever, and staff were very rude. Eventually half an hour before the flight time the queue moved forwards but it was an unnecessarily stressful experience and the lack of information and rudeness of the staff exacerbated the strain. During my TAM flights they were reluctant to give you drinks and you had to keep walking to the end of the plane to get water. On such a long flight I thought this was poor as I had to keep waking up the people sitting next to me on the plane. During my holiday I met a girl who had used them to fly to Rio and had experienced similar problems with baggage delays, who agreed she would never use them again. She also experienced a 2 day delay getting out of Heathrow and had to pay for a very expensive hotel in London during the delay. The planes themselves were clean, but I wouldn't fly with TAM again, principally because I got the impression that they routinely have extreme delays with people's luggage and also because their ground staff are extremely rude.

TAM Brazilian review by L Mendes

10 December 2006

Recently flew TAM on its new route from London to Sao Paolo and then onto Rio. Very problematic . At check in I was told to pay 120 US at their passenger service desk, as I was travelling with three bags. Was not told about this rule, but accepted that it had to be paid. However, after a 45 minute wait at the desk, it transpired that they could only accept cash and could not issue receipts. The required equipment had not arrived. Did not motivate them to waive the payment due to discomfort. The flight was competent, but we suffered a 4 hour delay in Sao Paulo. My suitcase did not appear in Rio. TAM has been rude, incompetent and in total responsibility denial.

TAM Brazilian review by Simon Smith

7 December 2006

Flew, or tried to, LHR-GIG via GRU. It was advertised as a direct flight with one stop, but turned out to require a change of aircraft. The flight from LHR to GRU arrived 1.5 hours late, despite leaving LHR on time. There was no explanation of the delay at all, let alone an apology. We were told on arrival at GRU that the flight to GIG hadn´t waited and there were no more flights from that airport. So we had to reclaim our luggage and get a bus across Sao Paulo to another airport. There were no staff on hand to provide help or information and those we could find didn´t speak English. We arrived in Rio four hours late and at the wrong airport, after an exhausting journey. To cap it all, we want to change one of our subsequent flights by a few hours, and despite our awful journey they wont let us without charging another EUR100 per person. Awful.

TAM Brazilian review by Steve Leto

5 October 2006

Rio to CGH - great flight with a sandwich snack and drink. At CGH I checked in with 30 mins to catch my flight and thought no way will I make it. TAM staff checked me in and a rep ran me through the airport, weaving in and out of people, to the gate (not a short run!!) where I checked my bag and boarded. Try that in the USA! Flight from CGH to Salvador was just as nice great service, announcements in Portuguese and English. Flight from Salvador to GRU was just as good. Hello Delta - take note - as a platinum flyer, you could learn a lot from them!

TAM Brazilian review by Uwe Henze

2 October 2006

Munich - Rio de Janeiro in Economy-class via Paris and Sao Paulo. I was travelling with a group from Munich to Rio. The booking was very comfortable. The agent in the German TAM-office was very helpful. Paris to Sao Paulo an Airbus A330-200. It was a very comfortable flight. Everybody had his own monitor in the seat in front with 6 video- channels, the airshow-map and a lot of audio-programs. The space for Your legs was okay and the recline of the seats more than I had experienced with other airlines. The food was okay and you could get drinks all over the night in the galley. The flight attendents were professional and did a good job. All the anouncements were made in 4 languages. The last leg from Sao Paulo to Rio was only a short flight (about 35 minutes), but even there we got drinks. Every flight was in time. The way back was also very comfortable. This time the food was excellent and the announcements were again made in 4 languages. We had a delay of 15 minutes with TAM in Paris, but as we had almost 3 hours time to change planes and as the Airfrance had an other delay of 30 minutes this was no problem. An excellent team of TAM mad a very good job. Surely I will chose TAM again when going to South America.

TAM Brazilian review by Hardi Vieira

22 August 2006

NVT-CGH A320 (about 1h domestic flight), all economy, very clean aircraft, efficient crew, meal service with hot sandwich and options of drinks. The configuration of this A320 was 3 x 3, with the middle seat with more space. Seat were comfortable. Poor IFE which could be improved (this was a very short flight). TAM is doing a superb job and deserves the title of best airline in Latin American. It is very punctual, modern and well managed airline. Congratulations, TAM.

TAM Brazilian review by Lily Lorber

12 August 2006

I frequently fly from Miami to Paraguay, South America. TAM Brazilian has the best overall service. For those who may be frequent flyers - one may join TAM's Fidelity Program. This is a great mileage program - far better than American Advantage. If you travel extensively back and forth to South America, the "Fidelity Program" is something that you should look into.

TAM Brazilian - by Paul Lynch

12 August 2006

Rio (via Sao Paulo) to Miami en route home to Ottawa, Canada. We had flown down to Rio with American Airlines. We had not expected too much but turned out to be better than most airlines. It was a refreshing change to have a choice of meal (with vegetarian option) and a choice of wine (no charge) and a hot towelette before and after. The Airbus A330 was clearly a new addition and this airline will give all others a run for their money. The service was fantastic and deserves praise - clearly TAM is the best option for flying to Brazil from Miami. Unfortunately, Miami still holds claim for worst airport to transit through - would fly a 1000 miles out of my way to avoid it. Thank you TAM, look forward to flying with you again.

TAM Brazilian - by Breno Lerner

12 August 2006

MIA-GRU coach class. Airbus 330 very tight, almost no space for the legs but clean and well maintained. Poor IFE. Good tasting pasta and good drinks. My wife reserved veggie meal which was very tasteful. Extreme attention and sympathy of FA´s, always present and very hard to find on these days, a smile.

TAM Brazilian - by Henry Osserman

12 August 2006

Goiania to Sao Paulo (Congohas) all economy domestic flight. The most clean and comfortable plane I had been on, especially in economy. Check in was fine, right away the agent offered me exit row seating, plane half full but amazed that even with my big size, the seat was fine. Professional cabin crew - drinks offered twice and fresh sandwich was served for the hour long flight. Congohas is beautiful to depart from but a nightmare to arrive at. Loads of gates for aircraft but only 3 baggage carousels for all arriving flights. Was chaos with half the bags coming out right away, then at least 20 minutes for the rest, but first another flights bags were moved to ours so a wave of folks trying to get past us to their bags - nightmare arrival! But still TAM is a brilliant airline as I had been hearing nothing but praise of!

TAM Brazilian - by Karen Hamilton

12 August 2006

Cannot praise TAM enough. Having recently been taken ill on one of their flights the care offered by the staff and the helpfulness of everyone involved was fantastic. Well done to all TAM"s staff, the service you offered exceeded all expectations.

TAM Brazilian - by Joe Kaiser

29 May 2006

Business class Miami Buenos Aires. Onboard service was very professional and prompt. Because they had reconfigured the Airbus 340 to shorten first class and add another row of business class seats I had tons of room. Our row of 2x2x2 were on the front side of the galley and the rest of business class seats were on the backside. So instead of being surrounded by 30 business passengers, I had space and quiet. I had the two seats to myself and it was heaven on a long flight. Standard toiletries and socks. Food was quite good for business class and the seats were some of the widest that I have ever taken to South America. Far superior to American Airlines whose business class seats are deplorable. Pricing was half what Delta and American were asking. I have come to the conclusion when travelling overseas to avoid the domestic carriers and take the foreign flag carriers. Better quality planes, service and comfort.

TAM Brazilian - by Ricardo Mesa Solis

24 May 2006

Santiago de Chile to Amsterdam via Sao Paulo and Paris. First of all they accept you with the 2 suitcases up to 32kg like the old times with all the airlines flying the transoceanic routes Chile to Europe. The service on board like in business for the tourist class. Connections very good, modern Airbus 330 from Brazil to France. Quality of the service on board excellent. Attention on board with a staff of Brazilians very kind - they try to please you on everything, good food, perfect entertainment on the personal screens for the passengers. Absolutely better compared with the terrible flights I had had on the same routes with Varig - old equipment MD-11, always delayed, or with technical problems, seats destroyed, bad smelling. I recommend TAM for all the routes.

TAM Brazilian - by Glenn Power

22 April 2006

SSA to GRU Y class, GRU to CDG F class. Checked in early at SSA to reserve some decent seats. Seat 12c, emergency row on the A320 from SSA to GRU. Nice clean plane and attentive service from crew. Cartoons and other entertainment on overhead monitors. Snack consisted of a toasted cheese and ham roll, a supply of beer and soft drinks. In GRU escorted to passport control and then to the TAM lounge. TAM's lounge in GRU has just been refurbished - not a bad lounge but a little bit on the small side - (used for C and F class passengers, so can be a little bit crowded). Good selection of drinks and rolls - there is a childrens area, internet area, relaxation area, plus a single shower room in the toilet area to use to freshen up if needed. Escorted on boarding the A332 to my seat 1A promptly and offered champagne and some parmisao cheese and a little mousse. Soon after was offered an amenity kit, slippers, and a sleeping suit. Took off on time and was soon served dinner - a lobster tail salad, followed by a pasta dish and fresh fruit and cheese section. TAM seats in F class are very similar to the shell seats that Swiss use, overall a very nice seat, but a little hard. Bed was made with crisp linen and a nice duvet, (I asked for one more duvet to use one as extra padding underneath - made it a lot more comfortable). Slept well and was woken an hour before arrival, and served breakfast of fruit, fresh warmed rolls, croissants and a plate of smoked bacon grilled tomatoes and scrambled eggs.

TAM Brazilian - by Warren Roos

3 February 2006

Flew Sao Paulo - Miami, everything was fine except for the amount of leg room, or should I say the lack of leg room. If you are taller than the average American (I am 6'2"), the seats are pure torture. In other words, TAM is great if you are short or average, but not if you are tall!

TAM Brazilian - by David Rostron

30 December 2005

London - Buenos Aires (via CDG/GRU) Business Class. After reading the comments on this page I was looking forward to my flight with TAM. I think my general comment on their service would be "Doing well, trying very hard, but could do better !" Plus points : biggest distance between seats I've seen (CDG-GRU). Very friendly and efficient staff all of whom could speak English very well. Great lounge at GRU - with loads of food and shower facilities. Dedicated business class cabin between GRU and EZE with 2x2 seating, amenity pack and entertainment. Nice lie-flat seats on CDG-GRU leg - I'm 6ft and had plenty of room to stretch out. Good drinks service and welcome drink CDG-GRU. Minus points : cabin was a bit dated, nowhere to stow items at seat, no gap between business class cabin and economy - only a single screen. As a result it was quite noisy e.g. crying babies from economy, coughing etc. Food portions were very, very poor for business class - I had "scallops" to start - however it really should have been advertised as "scallop" as there was only one. I also had mild food poisoning about 7 hours into the flight which may or may not have been due to the in-flight meal. Quality of food was lacking. On the GRU-EZE leg the food was terrible - I checked out the economy offering which seemed much better. In business the food consisted of two small slices of cheese, a slice of ham and a warm pastry. Service was very poor on GRU-EZE leg - didnt get a drink until 1.5 hours into flight and then had to ask 3 times! Food took 2 hours to arrive. All in all TAM are a reasonable airline but having flown business with British Airways they're not as good (and BA aren't that great!). The CDG-GRU leg was in general good. The GRU-EZE leg was poor - service and food wise. I think I would fly with them again - but only if the price differential was significant to that of other 4 star airlines.

TAM Brazilian - by Nancy Wojtasek

3 December 2005

I flew TAM for the first time, Miami to Sao Paulo. We both thought (husband and myself) that this beat any American flight we ever had! Service excellent, in general. Food really good, a surprise! Excellent everything!

TAM Brazilian - by Stephen Nutt

30 November 2005

I recently flew from Sao Paulo to Fortaleza return. The flights were on time, the food OK and the service excellent. All announcements were in Portuguese and English. The FAs spoke English to me without fuss. I was the only non Brazilian on both flights. The IFE was also only in English ! Perhaps this was a one off. I would definitely use TAM again, as part of the SKY team, though I have not earned any miles because of the ticketing class, which I did not pick but KLM booking office. If any airline has gone down in my estimation then that prize goes to AIr France KLM since the merger !

TAM Brazilian - by Diego Fresco

20 November 2005

I take on average 4 flights per week on several domestic routes departing from CGH. Aircraft are modern, well maintained, nice interior, seats wider and with more leg room than competitors. Services is by far, very far, the best within Brazilian airlines with staff that is friendly and attentive and most importantly they care when you have a question/problem. Usually on time although due to excessive air traffic in CGH slight delays happen. Food and beverage used to be really good in domestic flights but now a days is average. Overall the best option to fly domestic.

TAM Brazilian - by Diego Canela

31 August 2005

Paris to Sao Paulo and then to Asuncion and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. When I buy my ticket in Switzerland, I was a bit surprised about the company I had never heard a word about it. But it was perfect, food was pretty good a lovely aircraft. A really good company which offers interesting prices to South America. Try it!

TAM Brazilian - by G Copenhaver

19 July 2005

I have flown TAM several times within Brazil with no problems - clean aircraft, comfortable seats and decent food. Crew was very helpful, courteous and friendly. Interesting to note that several of the comments refer to the crew not speaking English on a domestic flight. Portuguese is the language there - on US domestic flights I have never heard anything but English spoken.

TAM Brazilian - by Alberto Gaitan

15 May 2005

MIA/GRU/EZE, Tam has a very nice service. In economy they offer a drink for welcome, pretty good food (not in quantity) and friendly staff. It's one of the airlines that is giving amenity kits.T he aircraft, A330, very new and with individual screen with interactive functions. The connection to Buenos Aires was on time in a A320. We arrive 10 minutes earlier to EZE. I like TAM but the only problem was I paid U$75 for carry an additional pack containing toys as a gift for my kids.

TAM Brazilian - by Javier Urra

28 April 2005

CDG-POA-CDG via GRU in Economy. Excellent flight, one of the greatest surprises in my life. I fly pretty usually from CDG Paris, and I am afraid about waiting hours in a line, specially Air France. I arrived CDG, and I waited for 3 minutes to check in! Boarding was on time, and we took off on time also. Clean and new A330. The welcome was great for economy. You feel like flying on Business. Good food (not spectacular but pretty acceptable) and good wine. Arrived on time to GRU. Only problem - you have to change the airport to Congonhas! And its quite far. That's the "bad" point to TAM. There is no special signal telling you to go to a bus to change, and I asked twice to confirm.

TAM Brazilian - by Jan Willems

27 February 2005

Mixed experience concerning my CDG-GRU-CDG flight in economy 8connecting onwards to EZE with Varig). CDG-GRU was one of the best economy long haul-flights experienced: nice, new Airbus 330, generous legroom and seat with 8an I am 1.90 m), efficient service, food ok, decent IFE (interesting that people find IFE so important in this forum, while in reality, if you look around during a long-haul flight, very few people actually watch the movies, I think half just switches off and the rest watches the airshow. IFE for me is a very overrated gadget), flights on time, etc .. All in all, a very good trip. On the way back we had another A330, much older and with completely different seats, much narrower and harder, so the experience was very different. IFE and food were similar, but the seats made the whole trip pretty unconfortable. All in all, an airline to recommend, but depends a bit on the A330 type you are flying.

TAM Brazilian - by Bruce Dale

28 January 2005

I have flown 10 domestic sectors with TAM in the past month. The service is friendly and caring, but that is about it. Their catering is repetitive, I was only served ham & cheese rolls on flights ranging from 1 hour to 3 hour in duration. This site has shown that the airport and boarding is the most stressful time for passengers. Sadly TAM`s systems made this worse. Many of the flights suddenly became free seating, so the seat number on the boarding pass became meaningless. This confused and upset families wishing to travel together, or those who particularly wanted window or aisle seats. I experienced 3 unexplained delays, one of which lasted 3 hours. The TV screen boarding information was incorrect at Manaus, Brasilia and Fortaleza airports. Correct visual information is vital for those guests who don`t speak Brazilian Portuguese. It also took nearly an hour to get bags off one flight. TAM is an above average airline in the air, but their ground procedures are below par.

TAM Brazilian - by M Geneste

11 January 2005

RCE-GRU-AMS. Domestic flight RCE-GRU with their A330-200. Nice seats, clean, friendly staff. IFE is one of the best - everything on demand. Food was ok, nothing special. GRU-AMS disastrous flight, operated by Varig in one of their antique MD-11's. Plane was too full, seats were bad, walls were fixed with tape. No entertainment on a 14hr flight. Stopover in Paris for almost 2 hours, we were not allowed to de-board. Even the FA's complaining about the state of the plane and the company. Varig is far from Star Alliance standards.

TAM Brazilian - by Tom Seignemartin

18 September 2004

I flew TAM from Sao Paulo Congonhas to Maceio on September 5th, returning a week later. A320 both ways, economy only configuration, fully packed plane both ways -and I had middle seats both ways. And still these were among the best flights ever. TAM has presented a very simple and elegant solution to the middle seat problem: they are 2 inches wider than the window and aisle seats on their A320 and A319s! The space is great and severely decreases the pain of being stuck there. The flight crews were perfect, great flight attendants who were polite, well dressed, smiled all the time, attended to every request, and even entertained the passengers with funny comments over the 3 hr flights. The airplane was in perfect order and completely clean. Individual screens in every seat showing interesting documentaries (no movie, too bad!). The food was simple (sandwiches, salads and dessert), but very tasty - these were day flights. The pilots were awesome and flew the scenic approach into MCZ maintaining about 1500ft for the last 20 min of the flight showing the beautiful beaches of Northeast Brasil to passengers on BOTH sides of the plane. I would like to congratulate TAM on their ability to establish such high level of service with their young fleet, great personnel and manner in which passengers are treated aboard and on the ground. Their personal touch goes a long way. TAM should be an example to all carriers to stop taking things away from the customer to cut costs and concentrating on GIVING them more instead to generate more business. No doubt this strategy has been the reason for TAM's growth and profitability.

TAM Brazilian - by Andres Morinigo

17 September 2004

I am a frequent traveler and use the airlines opinion page in order to chose the airlines that I feel will be best for my travels. I flew TAM Brazilian on the Miami to Sao Paulo route and then on to Asuncion, Paraguay and back to Miami. On the way there, I flew economy with my family on their Airbus A330. The seating is a bit cramped, but the IFE was very good and the flight attendants were excellent to say the least. Very impeccably dressed and professional, always ready to assist. Menu's and hot towelettes are distributed in economy with a smile, making the experience all the more welcoming. On the way back to the US from Asuncion, upon arriving in Sao Paulo we were told that the flight to Miami was overbooked and that we would be upgraded to Business class ( Classe ejecutiva). Once boarding, we were given a pre-departure champagne and a shrimp cocktail. I was quite impressed and we had not even taken off yet. Upon take-off we were given menus and I remember ordering a delicious filet Mignon that was accompanied by Tiramisu dessert and a beverage of choice. I will never forget the flight attendant who made the experience unbelievably comfortable. She was so personal with all the passengers in the cabin and went around asking all of us what time we wanted to be awoken for breakfast (this was a night flight). Breakfast was delcisious and the flight attendant even took the time to talk to me about where she was from and about my experiences in South America. All the passengers in Business were equally as impressed as I was with the service. This is a top-notch airline that I will be using everytime I travel to South America from now on.

TAM Brazilian - by Joe Emling

6 August 2004

I flew TAM from Sao Paulo Guarulhos to Florianopolis and back. First time flying the airline, and I had mixed feelings. The airport staff at the ticket desks in both FLN and GRU were very friendly and helpful. I don't speak Portuguese, and even though their English was rudimentary, we managed to communicate and get a laugh out of the experience. On board the aircraft for both flights, I found the FA's to be a bit rude. They had no patience for me trying to order my drink and sandwich. The flights were on time and convenient, but the aircraft were rather shabby and dirty. I can overlook older aircraft if the rest of the experience isn't too bad.

TAM Brazilian - by Daniel Mahony

5 August 2004

Brasilia - Rio (SDU) 19-04-04. The ground staff were really friendly, and the plane was a clean, bright and roomy Airbus A319. The flight was only half full, so there was plenty of room to stretch. The crew were excellent, even speaking in English despite my being the only English speaker on board the plane. Food was a hot cheese roll that was very tasty, and they offered a full bar service. It was a really smooth comfortable flight and I would certainly fly with TAM again - they are a cut above any other South American airline I have flown with by a long way.