Travel Announcements Only (No questions or comments please)

[Rio Lover #2]

I should be back in Rio by April 19th until May 10th, is anybody home those days?


RL

[Cristobal1492]

I'll be in Recife from the 6th till 27th of april, anybodyelse there in that time?

I might fly to rio for an weekend trip as well.

[Neverenuff]

All these new flights to Rio are good for competition, I just saw a rate on Continental website for $499 RT plus tax. Newark to Rio.

Shiietttt!!! I bought my tkts last month for 640 (plus taxes).

[Rio Bob]

http://expatbrazil.wordpress.com/
US Air to start flights to Rio.
Also, on the flight down, the pilot said that Continental will start direct flights from Houston to Rio, which means no 1 hour layover in Sao Paulo.
He said this service should begin in June about the time Continental leaves the Skyteam partnership with Delta, NW for Star Alliance (right?) with United, US Air, etc.


TJ

All these new flights to Rio are good for competition, I just saw a rate on Continental website for $499 RT plus tax. Newark to Rio.

[Abzsafado]

Yes at customs at the airport as soon as you leave the plane. You walk through a corridor and then you get in line to enter Brazil. At that point a guy with a badge ordered about 35 of us to give him our passports. Then when we had given them to him he said get out of line and stand over here against the wall.

As I said I was third in the group detained to be let in. When I got to baggage claim all others off the plane had gotten their bags. The attendants had taken my bag off the conveyer belt and sat it on the floor. I did catch up with the last of the regular people as they were leaving the airport, however, so it was not really a long time. BAsically it was only around 10 minutes, a span of time you would probably have spent waiting on your bag anyway.

But I am not so sure how long the others were kept.

As I implied, they joked around with me, so I do not think it was all that serious. I just assume they are doing this randomly.

However, I would add that he did start taking passports at point in the line behind a black American woman. He also allowed two Japanese businessmen to stay in the regular line.

Basically, all of us were men.

The funny thing about this is that when we were in the regular line I was thinking the black woman was the only woman in the line. It was all guys (and all white and black American/European except for the 2 Japanese).
I guess the federal police noticed that too and got suspicious. But, as I said, this is Brazil. Just take it lightly and laugh it off.

TJ

They probably thought you were a ship or oil rig crew trying to enter illegally on tourist visas.

[Mr Enternational]

U.S Air sucks. They nickle and dime you all over the place. $2 for a coke.
Why don't they just put it in the ticket price?

If they include it in the ticket price then they have to pay taxes on it. That is why many airlines are separating costs of such things as baggage, fuel, and food out of the price of taking you from point A to point B. So in actuality you are paying the same thing, but they are just itemizing it so they can pay the government less.

[Mr Enternational]

If there is anybody here in Rio that would like to go to the downtown casas today or tomorrow pm me.

[Sunset Strip]

U.S Air sucks. They nickle and dime you all over the place. $2 for a coke.
Why don't they just put it in the ticket price?

Yeah. Damn, I think I have not flown US Air since 2005. They did get ridiculous with the charges. But I did hear that they are (or have) done away with the charges for drinks and snacks. This is a very recent thing. What they did was a shame because I refused to fly on their airline on principle even though I have miles and get one free daily usage of the Airport Club.

TJ

[Dub624]

http://expatbrazil.wordpress.com/
US Air to start flights to Rio.
Also, on the flight down, the pilot said that Continental will start direct flights from Houston to Rio, which means no 1 hour layover in Sao Paulo.
He said this service should begin in June about the time Continental leaves the Skyteam partnership with Delta, NW for Star Alliance (right?) with United, US Air, etc.


TJ

U.S Air sucks. They nickle and dime you all over the place. $2 for a coke.
Why don't they just put it in the ticket price?

[Sunset Strip]

http://expatbrazil.wordpress.com/
US Air to start flights to Rio.
Also, on the flight down, the pilot said that Continental will start direct flights from Houston to Rio, which means no 1 hour layover in Sao Paulo.
He said this service should begin in June about the time Continental leaves the Skyteam partnership with Delta, NW for Star Alliance (right?) with United, US Air, etc.


TJ

[Berthold]

I am going to make my first to Rio from the 8 of april till the 23 of april and i will stay at the ibis hotel in the center of rio.
If anybody wants to meet up to hit the termas together or help or just hang out and have some drinks just let me know or send me a pm.

[Black Snake]

OK. Got into Rio and was waiting in line. Suddenly the Federalis take my and about 30 other guys' passports, pull us out of line and detain us.

They let me go third so I cannot say what happended.

They just ask me why I was in Rio and I said tourism. The guy then said are you sure. I said yes. He asked where I was staying and when they heard my address in Copa they laughed and he said this guy (me) knows where to go (or he knows what to do, it was in Porto)!

I am not sure what is going on but if you get detained do not get stressed.

TJ

Thanks for the heads up on that situation I'm leaving today.

[Koolkid]

Thanks for letting me know.

[Sunset Strip]

Was this in the airport at customs? Please explain more. It will be my first visit to rio and this airport soon and I would like a heads up. Is this sort of thing the norm when in Rio?

Thanks

Yes at customs at the airport as soon as you leave the plane. You walk through a corridor and then you get in line to enter Brazil. At that point a guy with a badge ordered about 35 of us to give him our passports. Then when we had given them to him he said get out of line and stand over here against the wall.

As I said I was third in the group detained to be let in. When I got to baggage claim all others off the plane had gotten their bags. The attendants had taken my bag off the conveyer belt and sat it on the floor. I did catch up with the last of the regular people as they were leaving the airport, however, so it was not really a long time. BAsically it was only around 10 minutes, a span of time you would probably have spent waiting on your bag anyway.

But I am not so sure how long the others were kept.

As I implied, they joked around with me, so I do not think it was all that serious. I just assume they are doing this randomly.

However, I would add that he did start taking passports at point in the line behind a black American woman. He also allowed two Japanese businessmen to stay in the regular line.

Basically, all of us were men.

The funny thing about this is that when we were in the regular line I was thinking the black woman was the only woman in the line. It was all guys (and all white and black American/European except for the 2 Japanese).
I guess the federal police noticed that too and got suspicious. But, as I said, this is Brazil. Just take it lightly and laugh it off.

TJ

[Koolkid]

OK. Got into Rio and was waiting in line. Suddenly the Federalis take my and about 30 other guys' passports, pull us out of line and detain us.

They let me go third so I cannot say what happended.

They just ask me why I was in Rio and I said tourism. The guy then said are you sure. I said yes. He asked where I was staying and when they heard my address in Copa they laughed and he said this guy (me) knows where to go (or he knows what to do, it was in Porto)!

I am not sure what is going on but if you get detained do not get stressed.


TJ

Was this in the airport at customs? Please explain more. It will be my first visit to rio and this airport soon and I would like a heads up. Is this sort of thing the norm when in Rio?

Thanks