Air Canada, a founding member of Star Alliance, operates daily non-stop flights between Toronto and Sao Paulo, with connecting codeshare service to cities throughout Brazil operated by TAM Airlines. In addition, Aeroplan members now have the ability to earn status miles and redeem reward travel on TAM Airlines; and Air Canada Top Tier members have the ability to access Star Alliance Gold and Silver benefits, including lounge and priority services.
TAM Airlines offers more than 40 destinations in Brazil and 10 airports across South America. Over the past years, the airline has expanded its intercontinental network to cover a variety of destinations in the USA and Europe, many of these being Star Alliance hubs. All in all, the Star Alliance network now counts 27 member carriers, offering more than 21,050 daily flights to 1,167 destinations in 181 countries.
"Our integration into the world's leading global commercial aviation alliance will allow us to expand our services, offering our customers a smooth and integrated travel experience. There will always be a partner airline that will treat our customers as their own anywhere across the globe," said Libano Barroso, CEO of TAM Airlines. "Our brand is now global, and Star Alliance now has a strong presence in South America."
"With TAM Airlines we gain a carrier based in South America, an important aviation market and home to many growing economies. Combining TAM Airlines' network with that of our existing member carriers will allow Star Alliance to offer a very competitive product to, from and within this region," said Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance.