SAO PAULO, Brazil, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TAM Linhas Aereas and the regional company NHT are expanding their business agreement as of Monday, February 18. The expansion of the partnership will enable TAM to commercialize flights operated by NHT to three more destinations using the code JJ*: the cities of Erechim and Passo Fundo, in Rio Grande do Sul, and Criciuma, in Santa Catarina. These new destinations are added to the other cities in southern Brazil (Pelotas, Rio Grande, Santa Maria, Santa Rosa, Santo Angelo and Uruguaiana) that have been served by TAM since last September, when the agreement between the two companies first took effect.
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With this agreement, the two companies are offering passengers more services and flight choices, stimulating traffic in the region. Passengers wishing to travel to the new destinations offered by TAM can fly to Porto Alegre (hub of Brazil's southern cities) or to Florianopolis (in the case of Criciuma) and make immediate connections with flights operated by NHT, purchasing just one ticket to cover all stages of the trip. In the same way, NHT passengers can make connections in Porto Alegre or Florianopolis to embark on TAM flights to any destination served by TAM in Brazil or abroad, buying one single ticket.
The partnership will enable passengers who fly one segment with one company followed by an immediate connection to a segment with the other partner and accumulate frequent flyer points in TAM's Programa Fidelidade. Customers with TAM's red frequent flyer card and the TAM Itau Personnalite credit card (Mastercard Platinum or Visa Platinum) also have access to TAM VIP lounges at Salgado Filho airport in Porto Alegre, and Hercilio Luz, in Florianopolis.
TAM currently has business agreements with the regional airlines Pantanal, Passaredo, Total and Trip. As of January 14, the daily flight on the Corumba - - Campo Grande route in Mato Grosso do Sul began to be operated by a partnership with Trip. With the expansion of the agreement with NHT, TAM will now be serving 82 destinations in Brazil, 45 of which with its own flights. In addition, the company is strengthening its presence in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.
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About TAM:
TAM Linhas Aereas (http://www.tam.com.br/) has been domestic market leader for more than four years, and closed the month of January 2008 with a 48.6% market share. The company flies to 45 destinations in Brazil. With commercial agreements signed with regional companies, it reaches 82 different destinations nationwide. TAM's market share among Brazilian companies operating international airlines was 67% in January. Operations abroad include direct flights to eleven destinations: New York and Miami (USA), Paris (France), London (England), Milan (Italy), Frankfurt (Germany), Madrid (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Caracas (Venezuela) and Montevideo (Uruguay). With TAM Mercosur, it also serves Asuncion and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), Cordoba (Argentina), Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba (Bolivia), among other South American cities. It has code-share agreements with international companies, allowing for the sharing of seats on flights with international companies, enabling passengers to travel to 62 other destinations in the USA, South America and Europe. A pioneer in Brazil's airline industry with the launch of its Programa Fidelidade frequent flyer program, TAM today has more than 4.5 million members and has issued more than 5.2 million tickets redeemed with frequent flyer points.
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