TAM BRAZILIAN review : 5 May 2008 : by M Pome

Customer Rating : 4/5

MIA-MAO-MIA in economy. Check-in line in MIA is always long. Flight to MAO was fine, but on this particular flight TAM left lots of luggage in MIA because "the plane was small and there was too much cargo." Bags were delivered to the hotel the following day. Flight attendants were attentive and friendly, service and food were good. Both flights departed and arrived on time. Only complaint is that economy seats are pretty uncomfortable and could use some better/thicker cushions.

TAM BRAZILIAN review : 30 April 2008 : by Nick Batchelor

Customer Rating : 4/5

NAT-SSA-BSB-MAO-GIG-SSA. All flights departed on time. Comfortable seating for the short flights although I felt the cabin was cramped and became uncomfortable on the longer sectors to and from Manaus. Catering is adequate for the short flights, a hot sandwich, but inadequate on the longer sectors, however unlimited drinks were available which was appreciated although TAM no longer appears to serve beer as they did in the past. The ground staff at the airports seem to have finally got their act together and are far more efficient than they used to be. I will continue to use TAM in preference to any other Brazilian carrier.

TAM BRAZILIAN review : 30 April 2008 : by V Berjot

Customer Rating : 4/5

CDG-SSA and GIG-CDG in business class on the A330 - roomy cabin, very pleasant (no overhead compartments for the middle row which give an impression of a very large cabin) and very confortable seats which recline horizontally (not the shell-type seats). Crew attentive and friendly, good food, drinks provided before take off and during the flight. Very large and comfortable pillow, blanket average, a nice amenity kit. Did not use the AVOD since it was night flights. Lounge decent at CDG (shared with AA) and average in Rio (friendly staff). A very good product (specially for the legroom, seat and the crew) for a very competitive price.

TAM BRAZILIAN review : 29 April 2008 : by S Koenig

Customer Rating : 3/5

Miami to Fortaleza, with two stops (Manaus and Belem). TAM uses Airbus 320 on this route. Check-in counters at MIA opened 30 minutes after announced opening time, by which time there was a very long line, but processing fairly quick. Audio/video system had problems the entire flight. They started one film, gave up, and tried another. Regular airline meal Miami to Manaus, snacks on next two legs. Alcohol (wine and beer at least) free. One-way fare on Priceline (regular purchasing, not bidding) significantly lower than on the TAM Web site.

TAM BRAZILIAN review : 11 April 2008 : by Richard Brown

Customer Rating : 4/5

Flew business LHR-GRU, and then back via Frankfurt. A330 on the way out was excellent. Seats reclined almost flat, and business class cabin extremely roomy. On the way back, the A340 seats were newer and electric-powered, but less comfortable and slightly more cramped. Flight was about an hour late taking off, with no explanation. Staff friendly and attentive, though I was surprised that some speak virtually no English (yes, I do appreciate how arrogant that complaint is, but English speakers are rubbish). Decent lounge at Heathrow, but lounge at GRU is a joke: standing room only on a Sunday night with a pianist playing eazi-listening jazz as harassed travellers balance coffee and cake while desperately scanning for a seating space.

TAM Brazilian review by Peter Sundheim

8 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

I travelled between Paris and Rio and thought the service was pretty good, but there is very little space for long legs and the plane felt very crowded. Check in consist of long queues, slow moving. Staff very young, and have little experience in good service and friendly attitude. Once in Rio the luggage did not arrive. Had to fill out special forms which took over an hour queuing. Trying to call the airline for follow up was impossible. Phone numbers was not working and the once that did had no reply. Tam Airlines could become an excellent airline, but they need to brush up the whole system and put higher value on their service. I give this airline a weak 3 star.

TAM Brazilian review by Patrik Frank

5 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

CWB-GRU recently, short hop of maybe 45 min in the air. Can't really complain, except that inflight service levels seem to be dropping constantly. This time all we were served was drinks, not even a muesli-bar (as happens on GOL). What made this even more ridiculous is the fact that right before the safety video we were shown a promotional film about how TAM invests in ever higher quality catering. This was part of their campaign to promote the new corporate identity and might have been ok on a longer flight where they actually served something resembling a meal. As it was it felt more like an insult to the passengers.

TAM Brazilian review by A McDermott

4 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR - GIG Heathrow to Rio de Janeiro Business. Was sold Direct flight when got the confirmation noticed on the ticket it said touch down in Sao Paulo. At check-in at Heathrow was told that I had to change plane and they could give me a boarding pass for the second leg. Flight was great - the business seat (although not being electric) was more comfortable than many 4* airlines business class - film choice limited to 6 movies. On arriving at Sao Paulo it was chaos - 1.5h to queue for my boarding pass - when I finally got it I noticed that it was cat Y - showing my ticket and payment details I asked why I was downgraded having paid for and as printed on ticked LHR-GIG C Business I was now being downgraded I was informed that they don't operate business class to Rio. The flight to Rio boarded on time but we were sat on the tarmac for an hour with no explanation of why we were being delayed. I have lost trust in TAM I feel lied to on two accounts when sold this ticket.

TAM Brazilian review by A Gathercoal

17 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Miami-Manus on an aged A320. In Miami the check-in line (3 hours before departure was huge). It will take you well over an hour and a half to check in. Strongly recommend getting there 3.5 hours early, even before the counter opens at 3pm and waiting. My flight was 1hr late departing and I got the worse seat in economy. Avoid row 13! there is no leg room - maybe one inch from your knee cap to the next seat forward. I ordered a special meal of Seafood, mediocre at best. There was no video/music entertainment on this 6 hour flight Overall this was a disappointing flight, I expected more from a TAM international flight.

TAM Brazilian review by M Burnell

12 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Flew economy with TAM from MAD via GRU to EZE returning SCL via GRU to MAD. Although they issued a boarding card and baggage check for the second leg of my outward flight and let me on the plane, they also managed to record me as a no show and cancelled my return reservations without informing me or my travel agent. When I went to reconfirm the return flight at SCL, they said the reservations had been cancelled because the ticket class was invalid for the flight and I should contact my travel agent. It was only after contacting a different TAM office I got the correct story and got the reservations reinstated after convincing them their records were wrong (I still had my boarding pass proving I had flown). On both outward and return flights there were delays at GRU caused by air traffic control problems and general lack of capacity - 2 hours on the way out & 1 hour on the return. Long queues caused by too few security gates. I would not fly via GRU again until the facilities are upgraded to handle more flights. The flights themselves were OK although not up to the standards of the Middle East/Asian airlines. I worry about their administrative efficiency however. Reconfirming your return flight is essential and be prepared for problems.

TAM Brazilian review by Juan Caldentey

12 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

SCL-GRU-FOR-SSA-GRU-SCL in coach. Night domestics legs satisfactory but no pillows and blankets, complementary refreshments available but pathetic snacks, no AVOD system. SCL-GRU-SCL leg rooms were not sufficient. The cabin staff were not bi-lingual but friendly and attentive. Individual tv screens but no spanish language films. SCL-GRU flight, request for special meals not satisfied.

TAM Brazilian review by Andrew de Araujo

10 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

MIA-GRU-MIA. We had a nine hour delay on the outbound. Apparently a few days earlier one of TAM's A330 that travels this route lost an engine and was grounded. Now the airline was down to one aircraft for a route that normally flies two aircraft each day. TAM was not forthcoming regarding the reason for the delay. TAM was a great airline when Varig was still operating substantively - TAM was trying to eat Varig's lunch and they were great when they were hungry. But now that Varig is essentially by the wayside, TAM is pretty terrible. They claim to be making a massive effort to get back to their glory days but they have a long way to go in my opinion. Overall TAM does not inspire much confidence.

TAM Brazilian review by E Simeone

7 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Paris-Sao-Mvd 1st class. Ground staff fabulous. In Mvd plane changed because of some technical problem and we were embarked and disembarked twice and then had to travel on another plane replacement - a one calss service to Mvd, coupon were distributed on the spot for downgrading! Seats were comfy, staff ok, smiles but not that competent! Food and drinks so so, reminded me of "good old now dead" Varig first class! No comparison to any far east airline, where customer service is the word! being together with Lan chile the only ones flying to South America offering first class.

TAM Brazilian review by C Vesper

30 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

JFK-GRU-EZE return Business Class. The seats were old fashioned for sure, but, they were very wide, had terrific pitch, and went almost flat. While the food was pretty terrible, I was able to sleep comfortably for about 7or 8 hours. The only real problem besides the food, is the terrible state of GRU. That said, given the price and the comfort, I would fly TAM to South America in the future.

TAM Brazilian review by Mark St-Amour

22 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Flew around Brasil with TAM including Rio, Foz, Salvador and Recife. Overall not bad, although very bored now with the ham and cheese sandwich! Half the flights were delayed and half were on time although to be fair the weather in Brasil can get quite violent so I'm sure this affects punctuality. The only really annoying thing is that delayed flights show as confirmed at a certain time but then this changes. The aircraft themselves have a bus feeling to them but are comfortable enough for short-haul. Cannot think of anything either way to rate TAM as anything other than average.

TAM Brazilian review by Julita Walczak

3 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

My outbound flight to Santiago via Sao Paulo was fine except the vegetarian meals. However my return flight yesterday convinced me not to use TAM again. Santiago to Sao Paulo was ok, but then Sao Paulo to Heathrow was really bad. I requested a window seat because looking out adds to my comfort, already restricted by tiny space. The cabin crew kept pulling the plastic cover down trying to shut any tiny light coming from the outside. Whenever I managed to to doze off, one of the crew kept waking me up by manipulating around my head next to the window trying to pull that damn cover! They were real pests and made my long journey a misery, especially after a long 6 hrs wait for a connection at the noisy Sao Paulo airport. I certainly do not recommend TAM to anybody.

TAM Brazilian review by A Gathercoal

4 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

TAM are using new Airbus 320s and all my flights left the gate within 15 minutes of scheduled time. Check in professional, with no hassles over my extra luggage weight (about 6 kilos over). Each flight (most under two hours) had a sandwich and drinks. Bathrooms were clean. The downside was the uncomfortable seats and the tight spacing. There was little recline and not much knee room. It would be cramp for a large/tall person.

TAM Brazilian review by Greg Szczotka

26 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Curitiba-Foz Do Iguacu. New A320, fresh clean and modern, good service, free snack and drink, polite and focused cabin crew - would fly with them again.

TAM Brazilian review by Diego Muller

19 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

GRU-EZE-GRU on coach. Could not get on the first flight due to overbooking. Check in staff were nice and polite, and gave me an exit seat in the next flight. Cabin was ok. The food was nice! Ground crew in Argentina a bit rude on the return flight.

TAM Brazilian review by Graham Norman

1 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Like a previous correspondent, we also used TAM to get around Brazil (we bought one of their travel passes). On the plus side, the check ins were quick and the staff friendly and courteous at all times - on the ground and in the air. When we had a problem (see below) they sorted it out well. You get a snack and drink on every flight. On the minus side -their schedules seem to be a bit of a joke. They never leave on time. We missed our connection on one occasion and had to 'kick our heels' for a whole day in Sao Paulo and transfer from Guarulhos to Congonas airports. Their seat pitch is small and we often got the back seats with even less room - possibly because we were on an air pass.

TAM Brazilian review by S Koenig

1 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Economy Class Fortaleza to Miami and return. A320 and only one video screen for every several rows. Snack on Fortaleza-Belem and Belem-Manaus and full airline meal Manaus-Miami. Free booze with the meal. Flight to Miami was daytime, flight back overnight. The two stops on the way back made sleep nearly impossible. When we got to Miami airport for the return, we were told the flight was leaving an hour earlier than scheduled (I gather due to daylight savings time in Brazil). We had gotten used to the lack of necessity to confirm flights on US airlines so had not checked in advance about any changes, which was our fault, and TAM did not send any e-mail advisories. We raced to security (to find a huge line), managed to cut in line with the help of TSA officials, and raced to the gate, only to find the plane was going to leave just about the originally scheduled time (in fact, the plane had not arrived when the TAM folks at the check-in counter told us the flight was leaving early). As is usual with most airlines nowadays, no attempt to regulate the size of carry-on bags, so overhead bins filled quickly. Audio selection pretty good, though quality of the system inconsistent.

TAM Brazilian review by Ole Borregaard

9 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Just returned from a business trip to Argentina. The flight from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires was delayed and suddenly did not have any business class. The offered 200$ USD for the downgrade which was nothing compared to what extra we had paid for the that stretch. No information that was given to us was correct when it came to real facts on what was going on - and guess what- the same thing happened on the way back to Sao Paulo. I cannot recommend this airline at all - one big mess.

TAM Brazilian review by Patrick Meier

20 September 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

SSR-GIG All in all an acceptable flight, however the prices at TAM are too expensive. The service is better than the one of competitor GOL. English language is totally missing onboard, including the entire crew announcements: how can you guarantee passengers safety if you are not doing the safety announcements in English? The fact that TAM is not accepting foreign credit cards for online booking is absolutely not acceptable.

TAM Brazilian review by G Jones

3 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

I have just recently returned from holiday in Brazil using TAM airlines to get around. What a mess their airline is in! No flight left on time, the gate numbers were usually wrong or changed several times within half an hour. On one arrival we were not allowed off the plane for 45mins whist aircraft steps were found-meanwhile the airline crew changed completely! Using this service with connecting flights was very stressful-there is never any security that the connection will be made- allow at least 4+hours to have any hope.

TAM Brazilian review by Nick Batchelor

30 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Interesting so many comments saying the same thing ! I have not travelled outside of Brazil with TAM but make several trips a month between SSA and either GIG or GRU, there are never any problems in Rio but Sao Paulo is a complete joke ! The TAM ground staff appear to spend more time talking with colleagues or chatting on mobile phones than actually taking notice of their, paying, customers, there a no clear directions within the terminal making connections difficult especially when your domestic flight to SSA is the final leg of an international flight from EZE, they don't tell you that you will depart from an international gate... great fun tearing round an airport with 10 minutes to go until take off and you still have to find your way back out into the main concourse of the terminal, negotiate passport control and get past the one person at the security screening point ! This little bit of excitement is always made more entertaining by the fact that the gate number printed on your boarding pass is not actually the gate you will be flying from - ever! All I can say is TAM need to get their act together with their ground staff and general ground arrangements as flying with them is fine, fairly comfortable, nice crew, normally on time etc. although some of the aircraft cabins are starting to show their age I prefer TAM to GOL by far.

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.

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