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Tags: Very Awesome Stuff / Azul / All-You-Can-Jet Pass / David Neeleman / Jetblue / Airline News / Brazil Travel / South American Travel / → All Tags
Azul Announces $285 All-You-Can-Jet Pass For Brazil
It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the final day that Jetblue's All-You-Can-Jet Pass is valid. While the AYCJers return to solid ground after tomorrow, they now have a new option for extending the fun, if they're willing to very adventurous. David Neeleman, who originally formed Jetblue and now has his own LCC based in Brazil, is inspired by the AYCJ Jetblue model, and has announced the Passaporte Azul from Azul.
Do you know how genius the All-You-Can-Jet Pass was? Well, the Passaporte Azul is possibly even more genius: for 499 BRL ($285), you can fly Azul's route map just as freely as you did Jetblue's, only this time you'll be hopping through a country wholly excited by Rio's Olympic win and full of cheap and vibrant places to discover.
More details, after the jump.
Tags: First-Person Flight Reviews / Flight Reviews / Azul / Azul Area / David Neeleman / New Routes / → All Tags
Azul Charges $30 More for the 'Azul Area'; LiveTV Still in the Works
If you’re an airline geek like us, you've been eagerly anticipating some good first-person flight reviews of Azul, the newest Brazilian LCC. Now thanks to the help of Google’s translate feature and the travel website Snow Adventure, we’ve pieced together their initial impression and review of Azul.
...in the first five rows the pitch is 34 inches (86 cm). To fly in that area, called Azul Area, you pay $30 more on the ticket. Blue's fleet is fully equipped and prepared to offer live TV. The LiveTV technology is still being established, and when the company starts to operate it will be 5 channels of content recorded with varied programming... Starting in the second half of 2009 it will then offer 36 channels of live programming. It is very comfortable to have a monitor in front of you, instead of having to watch the roof to try to see and hear something.
The site also has some great pictures of Azul, and we learned that flights from Brazil on Azul are 25 percent off if you use the code AZUL25. The discount is good on flights through April 30, just book by February 20.
Things must be going pretty well for Azul, as the airline is already looking to expand. They’re looking to double their current destinations by mid-April, and add five new planes by the beginning of June. David Neeleman is hoping fuel prices stay low, and is already bragging that passenger loads could hit 65,000 passengers this month. Pretty good numbers considering that the airline only carried 45,000 people during their first month.
Have your own trip report to share? Send it our way.
Related Stories:
·Blue Makes Its Inaugural Flight [Snow Adventure]
·Brazil's Azul Airlines To Expand This Year [International Herald Tribune]
·Azul coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Azul / New Airlines / New Routes / David Neeleman / E-190s / Skyteam / → All Tags
Azul Is Flying And Now Looking For Friends
It’s been just over a month since Azul began flying around Brazil, but they’re already looking forward to bigger and better things. Not content with serving only domestic routes, the airline is reportedly looking to buddy up with the Skyteam alliance.
Although nothing is official yet, this would possibly allow for international connections and would certainly strengthen Skyteam’s network in South America.
Unfortunately, we haven’t heard any first-hand reports of flight experiences on David Neeleman’s new baby. We know there’s no TVs yet, so at least the trip reports won’t include complaints about the service dropping out and people missing their favorites telenovelas.
Have your own trip report to share? Send it our way.
Related Stories:
·Crisis May Reduce the Azul Fleet [Portal Exame]
·Neeleman's Newest Carrier Takes Off [Jaunted]
·New Airlines coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Azul / New Airlines / New Routes / David Neeleman / E-190s / → All Tags
Neeleman's Newest Carrier Takes Off
Start applying for those visas: David Neeleman's newest blue airline, Azul, is now flying in Brazil. The first flight left Viracopos-Campinas International near Sao Paulo for Salvador de Bahia on Monday, and the carrier now has five planes in service. Neeleman promises to have 42 E-190s and -195s flying by 2012, all kitted out with seatback TVs and leather seats.
Besides the live TV, which won't be switched on until late 2009, there are other similarities to JetBlue: Azul jets will have extra legroom in the front of the plane, available for R$30 ($13). Snacks, though, will be free and served out of a basket carried through the cabin.
Azul only flies to Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Salvador, "Sao Paulo" and Vitoria right now, but plans call for service to 25 cities with 16 planes by the end of 2009.
A one-way flight between Viracopos and Porto Alegre will cost you R$374 ($157) all-in and takes just 90 minutes. You can do the same trip on a bus for around 50 bucks; it'll take you 18 hours.
Related Stories:
· Azul [Official Site]
· All You Ever Wanted To Know About Azul [Jaunted]
· Neeleman's Azul Cleared To Fly In Brazil [Jaunted]
Tags: New Airlines / Azul / David Neeleman / Embraer / → All Tags
All You Ever Wanted To Know About Azul
A Jaunted Exclusive
Is it just us, or does there seem to be next to no information out there about David Neeleman's new airline Azul? You know, the one that could launch next month and shake up the entire South American aviation market?
Turns out, there's plenty of dirt; it's just that it's all in Portuguese. So we decided to dust off our academic caps and--with the help of Google--translate the lengthy FAQ about the new carrier posted on its official website. While we're not sure if these "questions" were posed before or after financial panic gripped the planet, here are the highlights:
Tags: New Airlines / Azul / David Neeleman / Embraer / → All Tags
Neeleman's Azul Cleared To Fly In Brazil
A Brazilian aviation official says that David Neeleman's slightly mysterious, potentially awesome airline Azul has been government certified, clearing the way for an on-time first flight in December.
According to the Associated Press:
Azul has yet to inform Brazilian regulators of the routes it intends to fly, [an aviation] agency spokeswoman said, but it is expected to begin with the Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo route and expand from there.
The airline hopes to quickly make inroads into Brazil's market with low-price tickets and features such as leather seats and in-flight live satellite television.
The airline already has at least one jet ready to fly, which means we're now obsessively refreshing Azul's website, hoping to get the early word on destinations and prices as soon as tickets are available.
Related Stories:
· Brazil Approves Azul Airlines [AP, via IHT]
· New Airlines: Azul's Livery Revealed [Jaunted]
[Photo: Azul]
Tags: David Neeleman / New Airlines / Airlines / Embraer / Azul / Brazil Travel / → All Tags
Neeleman's Azul May Fly Before '09
Last we heard, the new Brazilian carrier Azul, from JetBlue founder David Neeleman, was planning to start flights in January 2009. But an article we just came across on the Dow Jones Newswire (but sadly can't link to 'cause of a pay wall) says the airline is looking to move that first flight up to December 2008.
The report continues:
"They (Azul) talked to us and managed to bring forward the delivery of three or four planes from January 2009 to December of this year," said Embraer CEO Frederico Fleury Curado.
Azul has ordered 76 Embraer 190 and 195s and it has also agreed to lease two of the mid-sized planes from JetBlue. So far only one has the Azul livery: It's been named "O Rio de Janeiro continua Azul," a line from a Gilberto Gil song.
Oh, and by the way, another news report (linked below) says Azul is interested in building an airport in Sao Paulo. We're not holding our breath on that one!
Related Stories:
· Azul Wants to Build an Airport [El Mundo, in Spanish]
· Azul coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Azul]
Tags: Airports / Architecture / JFK / Jetblue / Buildings / T5 at JFK / Eero Saarinen / TWA / David Neeleman / Dave Barger / Videos / → All Tags
Inside JetBlue's Terminal 5 Opening Party
Our ever-stylish correspondent JetSetCD was on-hand for JetBlue's ribbon cutting bash yesterday...
Yesterday's shindig out at JetBlue's new Terminal 5 was no boring, corporate ribbon-cutting, nossir it was not. Instead, the carrier threw a straight-up block party to celebrate more than just a new address; the festivities and congratulations all centered on JetBlue's employees, many of whom turned out to spend half the day cavorting in their future workplace.
Getting business out of the way with a packed-to-the-gills press conference at 2 pm, where JetBlue founder (and current Azul airline mogul) David Neeleman entered to an immediate standing ovation, the day slowly progressed into pure fun with a performance by Estelle and free booze.
Tags: David Neeleman / New Airlines / Airlines / Embraer / Azul / Brazil Travel / → All Tags
New Airlines: Azul's Livery Revealed
David Neeleman's new Brazilian airline, Azul is chugging right along. The latest word is that the first flights will happen in January of 2009, and to tide us over, the carrier has released its new "corporate identity."
Yet again, we're seeing a lot of JetBlue in Azul. For starters, the livery on these Embraer jets looks familiar. B6 paints its E190s the same way, with blue on the bottom, white on top and a fancy tail pattern. Both airlines also have their web addresses stamped on the sides of their planes. Azul uses the Helvetica typeface--you've seen it at American Apparel, on American Airlines and on the NYC subway--while JetBlue works a slightly different sans serif face--called DIN--to get that jet-set look.
Inside, the similarities continue. Two-by-two leather seats are standard, and Azul plans to be the first Latin American airline with live TV in-flight. (Which JetBlue subsidiary company is providing it? LiveTV.)
Now, we're not saying all this copying is a bad thing; if the JetBlue model ain't broke, don't fix it. Want to join us in Brazil around, say, January 2009 to give Azul a try?
Related Stories:
· Neeleman's New Airline Name Sounds Familiar [Jaunted]
· Top Secret Airline Watch: Neeleman Hard at Work in Brazil [Jaunted]
Tags: David Neeleman / New Airlines / Airlines / Embraer / Azul / Brazil Travel / → All Tags
Neeleman's New Airline Name Sounds Familiar
The contest to name David Neeleman's new airline is over, and though Samba was the favorite among Brazilians, the airline mogul is instead going with the second-place name Azul ("Blue"). Of course, his previous venture was JetBlue. Must have a thing for airline names that match his eye color.
Now that the name is out of the way, Neeleman can focus on equipping his 76 new Embraer planes with leather seats and live satellite TV, two of the amenities that helped JetBlue earn so much customer loyalty soon after its first flight in 2000.
The new website for the airline, voeazul.com.br, doesn't offer much just yet, though you can fork over your email address for updates. We've already submitted ours, hoping Neeleman will ping us the second he makes another blue move.
Related Stories:
· Top Secret Airline Watch: Neeleman Hard at Work in Brazil [Jaunted]
· David Neeleman Confirms His Brazilian Airline [Jaunted]
Tags: David Neeleman / Brazil Travel / Odd Travel / World Records / → All Tags
Here's Another Way to Fly Around Brazil
While David Neeleman is working long hours to get a new Brazilian airline up and running, hopefully by next year, a Brazilian priest has been trying to show an easier way to get airborne.
We're guessing that Reverend di Carli thought something like "Who wants to wait around for an airline that doesn't even have a proper name yet," then hooked his chair to hundreds of helium-filled balloons and took off.
Okay, it might not have gone exactly like that, but it seems just as crazy, and the priest is missing over the ocean somewhere after losing his balloons. Seriously. The whole flight was supposed to be a record attempt to raise money, but it's raised hell instead. Now if only Neeleman's airline was already flying, they could help look for the reverend.
Related Stories:
· Brazilian Priest Still Missing At Sea [CNN]
· Neeleman Hard at Work in Brazil [Jaunted]
· Brazil Travel Guide [Jaunted]
[Photo: Mark McLaughlin]
Tags: David Neeleman / New Airlines / Airlines / Embraer / Voce Escolhe / → All Tags
Top Secret Airline Watch: Neeleman Hard at Work in Brazil
David Neeleman is hard at work on his new Brazilian airline, which he hopes to have airborne by 2009. But he needs your help!
In a Branson-esque move, he wants you to pick the name for his new airline, which is temporarily called Você Escolhe (You Choose). All you gotta do is head to the airline's website and pick from names like Azul, Samba, Viva and Abraço. In exchange for voting, you're entered to win a lifetime pass for two on the new carrier.
Neeleman's not stopping with just the name. According to the site, they'll also be putting more stuff up for vote: possible routes, on-board amenities and even the uniforms.
One amenity you won't need to worry about, says O Estado de Sao Paulo, is live TV. The newspaper reports that it'll be part of the new airline, and that in-flight cell phone service may be in the works, too--though it's currently forbidden in Brazil.
Related Stories:
· Você Escolhe [Official Site, in Portuguese]
· Airline Passengers Can Already Make Cell Phone Calls [O Estado, in Portuguese]
· New Airlines coverage [Jaunted]
