TAM Airlines

• São Paulo - Guarulhos
• Rio de Janeiro - Galeão
• Brasília

TAM Linhas Aéreas is a Brazilian airline based in São Paulo and since 2014 a member of the oneworld airline alliance. The largest airline in South America has its home base in the São Paulo - Guarulhos airport and has other hubs at airports Rio de Janeiro - Galeão and Brasília. Since the collapse of VARIG Brazilian airline TAM is the only one of international stature. TAM was acquired by the Chilean competitors LAN Airlines in a complex merger, however, operates under a new holding company LATAM further under its own brand name.

History

The airline was established in 1961 under the name of transports Aéreo Marilia. At that time she transported with their single-engine Cessna on regional routes persons and goods to and from São Paulo and by the Mato Grosso. The history of the airline is closely associated with the life cycle of Rolim Adolfo Amaro Capitão, which began in 1963 to work as a pilot in the TAM. Early on, he took over the management of the TAM, which he - held until his death in 1999 - with a few interruptions. 1971, the Company had only 3,000 passengers.

1976 renamed the transports Aéreo Marília to TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais and Rolim is with 67 % the main shareholder. In the 1980s, the company saw a sharp increase in passengers, including through the establishment of routes to suburban airports and pay particular attention to the satisfaction of passengers. She has received several awards, including the 1995 award "World's Best Regional Airline" by the magazine " Air Transport World ". 1996 TAM acquired the 80 % of the shares of LAPSA and founded on flights to neighboring countries, the TAM Mercosur, whose present name is TAM Airlines. In the same year, the group was renamed Transportes Aéreos Meridionais.

At times was a merger of TAM with the financially troubled competitor Varig in conversation. However, the process was difficult and the agreed as a first step between the two airlines codeshare was terminated again in June 2005.

Since 1982, the TAM flew aircraft of type Fokker F- 27th The first aircraft with jet engines, a Fokker 100 was put into service in 1986. This model made ​​in the 1980s and 1990s, the backbone of the fleet. Up to 54 copies TAM had in use, making it one of the largest operators of this model. Not least because of several accidents involving aircraft of this type, but mainly to expand capacity on domestic and international routes, it was decided to introduce Airbus aircraft in 2002. With the type Airbus A320, Airbus A321 and Airbus A319 TAM today serves national and regional routes in South America. The Airbus A330 are mainly used on long-haul routes. At times, even Airbus A340 and MD11 were in use. Due to the high demand after the bankruptcy of VARIG and in view of the FIFA World Cup 2014 are used on long haul increasingly larger aircraft of the Boeing 777-300 used, among other things, to Frankfurt.

In 1993, TAM launched its frequent flyer program Fidelidade, the first in Brazil.

13 May 2010 TAM was admitted as the 27th member of the Star Alliance. On 13 August 2010 it was announced that TAM is to merge with the rival LAN Airlines. End of October 2011 has been agreed that the merger will take place under the umbrella of the LATAM Airlines Group and is presented at the same time before the new structure of society. The merger of one of the largest aerospace companies in the world will emerge with more than 280 aircraft, more than 115 destinations and over 50,000 employees. Mid-December 2011 the Brazilian authorities agreed to the merger, after previously Chile gave the green light. The merger was finally completed in June 2012. After the merger with LAN TAM decided in March 2013, the Oneworld alliance, whose member LAN Airlines since 2000 is to join on 31 March 2014 and to leave the Star Alliance.

Destinations

TAM flies to numerous domestic destinations, of which the Company operated through its subsidiary TAM Airlines and destinations in neighboring South American countries. TAM currently flies intercontinental from Guarulhos to Miami, New York - JFK, Orlando, Milan, Madrid, Frankfurt am Main ( daily with Boeing 777- 300ER ), London - Heathrow and Paris -Charles de Gaulle, also in Rio de Janeiro to Miami, New York and London. The connection to Zurich was discontinued after one year 2002.

Fleet

As of August 2013 the fleet of 162 airplanes from TAM is with an average age of 7.1 years:

Incidents

• On 31 October 1996 activated a Fokker 100 shortly after takeoff in São Paulo in the right engine thrust reverser. The aircraft crashed into a residential building, all 95 people on board and four people on the ground were killed.
• On 17 July 2007 skidded on the São Paulo - Congonhas Airport in São Paulo, an Airbus A320 -200 in rain over the end of the runway beyond. The machine rolled across a busy street in a four-story building in which the offices of the baggage handling TAM Express are where the machine burst into flames. In the disaster 199 people were killed, including 187 people aboard (162 passengers, 6 crew, 19 ground staff TAM ) of the machine and twelve on the ground. In the months before the accident aircraft companies Varig, Gol, BRA and Pantanal 've been at the same airport skidded off the runway beyond. Blocking the runway is considered unsafe, had been canceled due to economic considerations (see also TAM Linhas Aéreas Flight - 3054 ).

Trivia

• TAM operates in São Carlos is the largest aviation museum in Latin America. This museum was reopened in June 2010 after an extensive redesign and put it in its permanent collection of 96 different aircraft on display.