Tickets, Please

I promised to keep you posted on the ups and downs of my recent travels in Brazil, with the hope of saving you from some of the problems that can crop up when traveling on your own. As you may have read in the last issue of our Connectbrazil.com e-letter for 2007, getting to Brazil is only half the story: getting around the country these days can be a real challenge.

When it comes to airline ticketing, the digital age has come to Brazil, but some of the procedures still require a little ‘jeitinho’ – that’s Portuguese for a quick fix to a stubborn problem, and its a way of life in Brazil. But even a crafty jeitinho won’t cure Gol airline’s website woes when it comes to buying tickets for travel from Sao Paulo to Rio.

Gol is Brazil’s second largest airline, but you wouldn’t know it from a name search on Google: it took a link from Wikipedia’s entry on the airline to reach their web site. Then after ‘flying blind’ through their international sections, I arrived at a page in English which invited me to make my reservation and pay with my MasterCard.

“Great,” I thought as I quickly entered my flight and payment information and clicked on the ‘processing’ button. But wait – no confirmation. Calling their customer service line gave me the option of speaking to someone in English so I pressed ‘2’ on the phone pad and got a voice message telling me to check the website for more information. And then a dial tone.

A second call got me to a representative in Portuguese, who magically switched me over to an English-speaking agent who advised me that only American Express cards are a sure way to make it through the transaction process if you are using a credit card from a country other than Brazil. Only Visa and MasterCards registered with a special ‘security code’ program are accepted by Gol. I was told that very few US banks issue these cards, and no, it has nothing to do with that three-digit number on the back.

For $50 Brazilian dollars more, the agent said that he could hold a reservation for three days, giving me enough time to a) find someone with a Brazilian credit card to purchase the ticket for me, b) drive a few hours to pay for the ticket in cash, or c) locate a licensed travel agency nearby which may or may not charge me another additional fee for the service of doing nothing more than accepting my credit card.

Whatever you do, don’t wait until the day of departure to purchase your ticket at the airport. The prices are based on need and availability – just as they are in the US – and using a foreign card for payment will cost you even more.

On the plus side, Gol has done a good job at driving air fare costs down, and the prices are still a bargain with today’s exchange rate. But Brazil’s airlines are no very tourist friendly these days, and Gol’s web site should clearly state their credit card policies. And be prepared to pay extra for your luggage, as Gol allows only 50 pounds of baggage per person, charging tourists a hefty .5% of the ticket price per kilo over that limit.

Problems like these discourage travel to Brazil, especially when all US citizen’s are now required to carry valid Passports and Mexico’s beaches are nearby. I’m sad to say that I had this conversation with a high-ranking official inside of the tourism industry 12 months ago and it is sad to see that nothing has changed.

Antonio Carlos Jobim once famously said that “Brazil is not for beginners” and he was right. But that’s no reason to stay home and hopefully these tips will help you with your next – or first – trip to Brazil.

Scott Adams

(Originally published January 17 2008)