Lufthansa is expanding the services it offers to customers flying to Brazil and launching codeshare flights in partnership with the Brazilian carrier TAM. From 18 August, Lufthansa and TAM passengers will be able to book any of the flights operated jointly by either carrier between Frankfurt or Munich and São Paulo. Customers will then have a choice of 21 codeshare flights per week between Germany and Brazil.

In addition, both carriers will offer connecting flights to their respective domestic destinations on a codeshare basis. Lufthansa passengers booked on flights to São Paulo will thus be able to travel seamlessly to a further four destinations in Brazil. Special transfer counters have been installed at São Paulo airport by TAM to make changing easier.

Since February 2008, members of both airline’s frequent flyer programmes – “Miles & More” and “Fidelidade” – have also been able to redeem miles with the partner airline and book award flights with either carrier.

Lufthansa serves São Paulo daily – from Frankfurt with a Boeing 747-400 and from Munich with an Airbus A340-300. Since November 2007, TAM has also been operating a daily Airbus A340-500 service between São Paulo and Frankfurt. All arrivals in São Paulo are scheduled in the early morning to make full use of the business day.

Lufthansa will now include the TAM destinations Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Curitiba as well as the capital city Brasilia in its timetable. Further domestic destinations in Brazil are due to be operated shortly on a codeshare basis. In return, TAM will offer its passengers onward flights from Frankfurt to Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Munich. As soon as the codeshare services are launched, it is planned that passengers will be able to use the partner’s lounges at airports.