Flying south to go north?

If you live in Detroit, Michigan, the shortest route to Canada is to drive south.

Since covid there has been less air traffic between Brazil and the USA, which means that the airlines offer fewer routes.

If you want something really crazy, consider what you have to go through to fly between Recife and Accra which has an actual distance by rhumb line of 1400 miles...

11/25/22 @mberigan. Yep. We're currently in North Carolina for Thanksgiving. In the Before-Times, Manaus-MIA-RDU was a 10-hour trip, layover included. This time it was 24 hours, MAO-GRU-JFK-RDU. Western Hemisphere pinball. That São Paulo leg especially irks me because it's 1600 miles in exactly the opposite direction, then 1600 miles back on the same line. 🤯

Supposedly next month we'll start having direct flights from Manaus to the US again, although it will only be Azul to Ft. Lauderdale. We'll see; it's a start.

We are lucky in Europe as many airlines service the more northerly airports, Portugal direct to Recife. There are so many Brazilians living in Europe now that need flights to get home possibly makes a difference, my friend is flying from Natal direct to Portugal soon.

Fortaleza direct to Miami 2 flights per week GOL on Friday and Latam on Mondays. Rumor has it that the Friday flights sometimes pick you up and make you fly to San Paulo and then from San Paulo to Miami however, the Monday flights that never happens.

@mberigan

It's the beauty of Airline hubs.   

Routes cost money, they are granted concessions.   

And there there is the rights to use Airport's landing spots.  Which also costs money. 

Keeping routes and landing spots is of tall order for Carriers ,be  in Brazil or the US.  In the US, you have regional carriers that are subcontracted by major carriers.  American, Continental use this gambit extensively. 

Also keep in mind, in Brazil, outside Rio  and Sao Paulo, there are no viable airports to generate the scale of traffic, with maybe some exception on the Country's North and Northeast, mostly to land in Miami. 

Sometimes, they might get a better landing deal further South to then hop and head out North. 

It's not supposed to make sense, at least for us,  riders.  it's supposed to make financial sense for carriers. 

@mberigan I had to deal with this same issue! In order to get to Porto De Galinhas recently we had to fly to Sao Paulo first before catching another flight to Recife!

@abthree They really need to fix this.

12/07/22  @abthree They really need to fix this.
-@john8670

It was predictably horrible -- 24 hours going, 26+ hours to get home again.  It was worth it, but it was an ordeal.  I don't expect that we'll travel abroad again for at least a couple of years, and by then I certainly hope that connections are good again.  But I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm not very good at doing travel plans but I see a round trip (nonstop) fare of R$2894 on Azul AD 8722 on Google Flights from 09feb to 15feb from/to Manaus (MAO)/ Fort Lauderdale (FLL).

Getting to/from MAO seems pretty standard, including Recife (REC) and many other points.

@abthree, is that a real thing? ....not the details of this flight but rather that Azul is doing a regular run to/from FLL?

Heck - I'd much rather go via MAO and maybe even spend a little time checking out the tacacá, a pirarucu salad and some Guaraná-Regente. I'm pretty tired of the Guarulhos route.

MAO used to be (1980s) a viable route when there weren't flights available straight from MIA to REC.

COPA also seems to have possible solutions - COPA CM 141 and Panama City has great service to so many points - but I think COPA is usually more $$$$.

A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G to avoid going to Guarulhos!! Nothing against SP - I love it there. It is just in the complete opposite directions for 3+ hours south then 3+ hours north again.... sort of like flying from Chicago to Miami to get to Minneapolis.....

12/08/22 @abthree, is that a real thing? ....not the details of this flight but rather that Azul is doing a regular run to/from FLL?

Heck - I'd much rather go via MAO and maybe even spend a little time checking out the tacacá, a pirarucu salad and some Guaraná-Regente. I'm pretty tired of the Guarulhos route.

MAO used to be (1980s) a viable route when there weren't flights available straight from MIA to REC.

COPA also seems to have possible solutions - COPA CM 141 and Panama City has great service to so many points - but I think COPA is usually more $$$$.

-@mberigan

Hi, Matt,

Supposedly it is:  it's still scheduled to start up on December 15.  I'll believe it when I see it, but I won't give up hope until they announce that it won't happen. 🤞🏻

If you'll be in Manaus, be sure to let us know -- we'll have beers ... or I'll have beers while you enjoy your Guaraná-Regente.

@abthree

That's been my experience for the last 3 trips I took from Minnesota to João Pessoa.  4 Airports, 3 airplanes and at least 24 hours... Exhausting.  Always had to go through São Paulo to return here in the NE.  It's 3 hours south of here Plus immigration.  It literally adds on about 9-10 hours to my total flight time... Terrible... I've tried researching other routes through Recife, (1.5 hours south of here) but nothing has proven cheaper or faster...

@Inubia I know that Africa to Brazil journey well.  When I worked in Nigeria, the quickest way to South America was to go to Europe or the US.

One time, my company, in it's infinite wisdom, sent me to Abu Dhabi, stayed the night, then flew to Brazil.  Right over the building where I worked in Lagos, then over the ocean

That one was 40 hours of travel time .