Jet Blue founder Dan Neeleman has started up a new, low cost airline in his native Brazil called Azul Airlines. Azul, which started flying in January of 2009, flies to Porto Alegre, São Paolo, Manaus, Curitaba, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Campinas, Fortaleza, and several other destinations. Like Jet Blue, the airline offers premium amenities at no cost like extra leg room, leather seats, and inflight satellite TV – the first airline in Latin America to do so. They use Embraer 190 aircraft equipped with 118 ultra-leather seats in a 2 by 2 configuration.
Apparently, the Brazilian government has made things difficult for the airline, not giving it permission to land at São Paulo’s main airport. Hopefully things change at it is soon flying to every airport and landing strip in the country. Ninety-three percent of the Brazilian market is cornered by just two airlines (TAM and GOL), and prices are considerably higher per mile than in most other countries.
Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.
Leave a Comment