Hi Matt, Well, that is what you call a solid, well priced, product. It does exactly what it needs to do. No frills trip between to points on a map!! Friendly, clean, on time, little snack and 2 drinks. Hope you are keeping well, Guess, the return trip was not with a company that scored a.......ahum......gol! Nevermind Thomas
Great to see you head to Pipa afterwards! A lovely corner of the country and hardly on any European tourist's radar, partly due to that distance from other international hubs I expect. Look forward to seeing what you made of it.
Pipa was very nice - my mate Steve was there and acted as a local guide.... A lovely place but as you say, a right pain to get to! That road down from Highway 1 is not going to allow the resort to grow!
@@MattsPlanet Indeed, which may or may not be a bad thing considering some of the larger resort towns I've visited in Brazil. Great place to have someone with an inside scoop, must've been a great trip!
Pre departure drinks, very good selection of movies on the wifi, nice food, and the cost is very reasonable. Seems like a very good premium economy product 👍 8:55 had me weak 🤣
A couple of things Matt. My wife is Brazilian so I have flown the LHR -Gru and internal to Porto seguro a lot of times. The reason the people in premium economy seats don’t get the service is most likely because if you book economy I have had an email a day or two out from departure asking to big to be upgraded. You select a price you would pay extra and if you win/pay you get those seats. I have payed $12US for this before. Also when you arrive in Brazil you have to get your luggage in first airport. So arrive in GRU before interconnecting flight but you must collect hold luggage and resubmit for internal. I have lost my bags before because of BA check in staff saying the contrary.
Thanks - I was HBO (as usual!) so avoided any baggage drama - sounds like its the same system as the USA which you'd expect BA to be familiar with, but never assume, eh?
I've been to Natal in 2000 so there was a touch of nostalgia watching this. I flew VASP (no longer flying). This LATAM flight looked fine (similar seat to BA Business). Important question - did you enjoy Traitors?!
I only really drove through Natal sadly, although I did see their humongous Christmas tree! I did enjoy the traitors - so much so I'm thinking of investing the time to watch the Australian version of it!!!
When people ask me why I'm so keen on Gold versus Silver on BA, that blocked middle seat is often the first reason I give - not guaranteed but when it happens it really helps!
I liked LATAM's internal Premium Economy when I flew GRU-GYN. Unlike BA etc., 3 seats with an empty middle seat is called premium economy, which it is, and not business class, which it isn't. A big thing for me is that the overhead bins actually say they are for premium economy passengers only, something BA should do in their "business class".
I flew Lan and Tam prior to their merger and both were very good in comparison to some European airlines. Sad to see that you didn't get the snack box with a havanna alfajores biscuit.. They're so good. The havanna coffee shops are great too. Although I think they're mainly is southern Brazil.
A great video! I recently found the channel and love your content! Really informative and really enjoyable! Keep up the good work and I look forward to the next.
Hi Matt, love your content! Maybe something changed since I last flew from Guarulhos in April, but I hold silver status with BA and I was allowed access to their gorgeous hub lounge there. I would strongly suggest you checking that when flying back to the UK. Enjoy my home country!
This was the domestic part of T2 so status had no bearing.... Out of T3 gives you a chance! I flew back to the UK from Rio and got into the AA lounge there.
Amazing, hope you liked Brazil! Looking forward to your review of GIG-LHR. They normally fly the 787-9 in old business class configuration, which I a bummer for me, as I hail from Rio and never get the Club Suite
GooD video Matt wish they were a little longer. Were the seats comfy? I can't stand the 320 319 for lack of padding and lumbar support. Also the old old fleet ba have with no ife and plugs really grinds my gears. Just no reason for it these days
We flew LATAM PE IGU-GRU-SDU last summer and pretty much agree with everything you said. From memory PE was cheaper than a standard fare when booking. The shorter flights seemed to have the same drinks choice as you but crisps/biscuits rather than a sandwich. Would certainly fly with them again. We also flew with Azul who were good.
@@MattsPlanet Speaking of, Is BA changing the tier point "collection year" for all members? And more importantly, are you going to do a video on it? Did I just answer my own question? HAHAHA!
Enjoyed this Matt. I know nothing about Natal so it'll be interesting to see that video. It was a pity when LATAM left OneWorld. I used them a few times for flights within Latin America both paid and on Avios redemptions. Most memorable flights were roundtrip in their 787 business class from Santiago de Chile to Easter Island (trip of a lifetime!) and a redemption Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires on a nonstop on which they cancelled and rerouted me via Santiago. Long road for a shortcut but I did get the hair raising turbulence in the descent over the Andes into Santiago and got to use the excellent LATAM international lounge there.
I'd love to know the reason why they haven't jumped into Skyteam.... You end up in Easter Island for a good few days I believe due to the irregular service - it wasn't a chore to stay there??? Expensive, I bet!
@@MattsPlanet The flights were pretty much daily when I visited but maybe less so since the you know what. It wasn’t cheap to stay there but not unaffordable. I stayed for 3 nights/2 days - enough to see the Moai 🗿 and tour the island. Loved it.
@@derekbryce2632 When I think more about it, I may be remembering the experience from Australia, where there were only a couple of flights a week.... From the mainland its probably better served.... Cheers!
Hi Matt, this is fantastic timing! I'm just planning a life time hope to visit Brazil - it would take me quite a few domestic flights so it was excellent to hear about Latam and Gol. Do you have any comments about Azul? I think Gol have entered bankruptcy now so maybe the market will get even smaller!
My mate Steve has flown Azul a few times and thought they were in line with Gol... I put Latam at the head of the field up the front of the plane - based on a sample of one flight which is always dangerous!
Hi Matt, have you ever considered reviewing/experiencing Aer Lingus's business class product for long haul flights into the USA? I've come across mixed reviews from what I've seen but I would be keen to know your thoughts given how I would deem it to be an 'entry level' business class product. Keep up the great work!!
Thanks Luke - I certainly have considered it and I am very close to pulling the trigger on something! Contemplating trying to craft an itinerary which gives me narrow body in one direction and a wide body in the other to allow a complete review of the service offered....
I used to fly a lot on latam, when i was based in bog, dating back to when it was lan + a dodgy webshite for when you tried to book anything on tam. (It was then the easiest way of getting ow emerald status, which I rapidly acquired and held until they abandoned me to the tender touches of delta.) I thought they were a great airline, the only flight which left a bad memory in my mind was the one down to punta arenas, but that turned out to be a harbinger of the entire punta arenas experience, so may be it was to be expected. You're much more charitable about gru than i would have been. I thought it was a pretty terrible experience, made not at all better by a very long hike through back passages and dingy staircases (though no signs telling me to beware of any leopards) to a very uninspiring lounge.
Thanks Ian - have a vague concept in mind of a trip from North to South, from Svalbard to Punta Arenas so have had a couple of peeks at services down there - it doesn't look like the centre of the universe.... And GRU was a bit dingy but I've been through a lot worse!
Although I'm based in London I spend 5/6months a year in Brazil . Am in Sao Paulo for carnaval - high recommend it . This is the golden age of travel in Brazil - all three airlines - latam, Gol and Azul are all excellent much better than any European and USA airlines. there is never a long queue at security youve been signicantly misled by some idiot somewhere. Highly recommend flying from Conghanas not GRU , one of the three greatest airports in the world, along with Santos Dumont in Rio.and the old Shanghai airport . The only problem with LATAM is that some of the LATAM A321s have cheap card board seating, but this has got better later. Domestic airfares are through the roof in Brazil at the moment- Skiplegging is your absolute best friend here , can save you lots and lots of money . Have got all my miles even though I've 'missed' some legs. They really really need Ryanair at some stage .... All of the airports are superb. Flying around the north east on Azul turbo props is great fun too. I'm dreading heading back to third world Uk airports . GOL are my favourite so will watch out for your next video to see why you didn't care for them...... Would never connect at GRU for Natal , would go vis Lisbon on the combined MCZ routing. LATAM are talking about establishing a A321 LR hub at Fortaleza to Europe ... much more convenient , cant wait , Welcome to Brazil , enjoy your trip . Economy passengers on all three airlines get airline branded snacks , the crew with Engkish language skills just call them sugar ( sweet)/ salt ( crisps etc Gol offer great KLM flying blue collection opportinities ..... Azul is better for Tap/emirates or Turkish
Thanks for that! I redeemed points on BA to get to Brazil hence the lengthy zig zag through GRU. I did contemplate doing a day trip to Sao Paulo from Rio using those secondary airports but I decided to just hang out on Ipanema beach instead!
Another great informative video Matt, looks like a good trip to take up. On a different note, what are your thoughts on Ba altering the Tier status collection period from next year? Starting 1st April2025 to March 31st. Does it mean we lose out as ours is/was August? Steve. C. YNWA. V Poor showing against Arsenal.
Cheers Steve. Pretty poor on Sunday and I was quite optimistic after the Chelsea game.... The Klopp bounce didn't last long! Gonna let BA's announcement settle before getting too deep in reactions - they've already changed one thing (you won't lose status months from this change, although you will lose soft landing status months).... So for us with an August year end, if you had status until Sept 26 (as I will) I'll not lose the April to September months even though the year will end early.... A soft land to silver would have taken me through to Sept 27 but that's now curtailed to Apr 27... That may be something BA changes as it is really tough to change things once the periods in question have started and people may have spent a lot of money with 3 years of status being the goal... Really complicated to explain and I really doubt BA thought through all of the consequences of this.... Or perhaps they did, and are quite happy to penalise us cheapskates who get status on the cheap!
I took a Premium Eco trip on LATAM a few days ago and they did the same thing with the curtain behind Row 3 when there were only 2 rows of Premium Eco. Must be a policy not to move it / isn't possible.
A great question! The Press Office is saying something different to the official release... If the official release is correct I will be quite bothered.... But its BA's scheme, not ours, so if they want to change it we have to a) accept it or b) move our loyalty somewhere else!
Hmm, I'm not sure your conclusion is entirely fair. It may be true that the seats are very much the economy offering in BA's Club Europe (well, that, plus the blocked middle seat and a headrest cover). But such a ticket does grant you access to the business-class lounges, business-class luggage allowances, fast-track check in and security (it wasn't clear from your video if LATAM's premium economy ticket offered this) in addition to priority boarding, and on-board catering options noticeably better than what LATAM appeared to offer you. It may not be proper business-class, but it appears to me that BA's Club Europe is quite a bit better than LATAM's premium economy.
Even if the boarding pass is printed on a gold plate and you are carried to the plane, if the seat is an economy seat you did not fly business/club. All the frills before and after the flight are just that "frills". business/club is the seat or nothing
![[[OFFICIAL MV]] เอิ้นขวัญให้อ้าย- อ๊ะอาย สกุณาพร | ค่ายเพลงเป็นหนึ่ง](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/83x6L3X3qh0/mqdefault.jpg)
Fantastic mate and so glad you were cleared to make this trip!
It was great fun!
08:55 "wait for it lads, waaait.... GO" 😂😂😂
It was wonderfully choreographed!
Glad to finally see you in Brazil. Enjoy!
I did - it was amazing!
Glad to see you’re ok- good luck with your health. Thoughts with you.
Thanks - doing well here. Fingers crossed that'll be the case for many years!
Hi Matt,
Well, that is what you call a solid, well priced, product. It does exactly what it needs to do. No frills trip between to points on a map!! Friendly, clean, on time, little snack and 2 drinks.
Hope you are keeping well,
Guess, the return trip was not with a company that scored a.......ahum......gol!
Nevermind
Thomas
You are psychic Thomas - my title for the return review is "was this an own gol...."
@@MattsPlanet great minds and that!
Great to see you head to Pipa afterwards! A lovely corner of the country and hardly on any European tourist's radar, partly due to that distance from other international hubs I expect. Look forward to seeing what you made of it.
Pipa was very nice - my mate Steve was there and acted as a local guide.... A lovely place but as you say, a right pain to get to! That road down from Highway 1 is not going to allow the resort to grow!
@@MattsPlanet Indeed, which may or may not be a bad thing considering some of the larger resort towns I've visited in Brazil. Great place to have someone with an inside scoop, must've been a great trip!
Thanks for the info + video!
Thanks as always!
Pre departure drinks, very good selection of movies on the wifi, nice food, and the cost is very reasonable. Seems like a very good premium economy product 👍 8:55 had me weak 🤣
And the airport lounge*
I think a bottle of water just about counts as a PDB! It was a good experience!
A couple of things Matt. My wife is Brazilian so I have flown the LHR -Gru and internal to Porto seguro a lot of times. The reason the people in premium economy seats don’t get the service is most likely because if you book economy I have had an email a day or two out from departure asking to big to be upgraded. You select a price you would pay extra and if you win/pay you get those seats. I have payed $12US for this before. Also when you arrive in Brazil you have to get your luggage in first airport. So arrive in GRU before interconnecting flight but you must collect hold luggage and resubmit for internal. I have lost my bags before because of BA check in staff saying the contrary.
Great videos so keep up the work Matt
Thanks - I was HBO (as usual!) so avoided any baggage drama - sounds like its the same system as the USA which you'd expect BA to be familiar with, but never assume, eh?
@@MattsPlanet I haven’t experienced this in the states quite yet. Keep up the good work
I've been to Natal in 2000 so there was a touch of nostalgia watching this. I flew VASP (no longer flying). This LATAM flight looked fine (similar seat to BA Business). Important question - did you enjoy Traitors?!
I only really drove through Natal sadly, although I did see their humongous Christmas tree! I did enjoy the traitors - so much so I'm thinking of investing the time to watch the Australian version of it!!!
@@MattsPlanet I definitely recommend the Australian version :)
Can’t wait for the video on this one Matt! Pencil-paper-degree in maths and calculator ready!😅
Indeed! Quite hard to know where to start!
Very interesting Matt.. i value the blocked middle seat... Not a part of the world i have ever visited... looking forward to more !!!
When people ask me why I'm so keen on Gold versus Silver on BA, that blocked middle seat is often the first reason I give - not guaranteed but when it happens it really helps!
I liked LATAM's internal Premium Economy when I flew GRU-GYN. Unlike BA etc., 3 seats with an empty middle seat is called premium economy, which it is, and not business class, which it isn't. A big thing for me is that the overhead bins actually say they are for premium economy passengers only, something BA should do in their "business class".
Agree completely. Latam for the win on both counts!!
I flew Lan and Tam prior to their merger and both were very good in comparison to some European airlines. Sad to see that you didn't get the snack box with a havanna alfajores biscuit.. They're so good. The havanna coffee shops are great too. Although I think they're mainly is southern Brazil.
Thanks - I don't drink coffee so tend not to notice coffee shops but that's not a name I recognised in NorthEastern Brazil
I don't drink coffee so don't tend to notice coffee shops although I don't recognise that name....
Thanks for the video Matt.......Will your next video mention Tier Points? Interesting BA news yesterday.
Thanks Tim. I might mention BA in my next video!!!
A great video! I recently found the channel and love your content! Really informative and really enjoyable! Keep up the good work and I look forward to the next.
I have to second that, great channel.
Thanks - plan to keep going for a long time yet!
Hi Matt, love your content! Maybe something changed since I last flew from Guarulhos in April, but I hold silver status with BA and I was allowed access to their gorgeous hub lounge there. I would strongly suggest you checking that when flying back to the UK. Enjoy my home country!
That’s probably because I heard LATAM has a contract partnership with Iberia, so that would apply to all IAG airlines
This was the domestic part of T2 so status had no bearing.... Out of T3 gives you a chance! I flew back to the UK from Rio and got into the AA lounge there.
Amazing, hope you liked Brazil! Looking forward to your review of GIG-LHR. They normally fly the 787-9 in old business class configuration, which I a bummer for me, as I hail from Rio and never get the Club Suite
Very good as always, thumbs up for the new intro.
Thanks! Only a few seconds shorter but it feels a lot tighter!
GooD video Matt wish they were a little longer. Were the seats comfy? I can't stand the 320 319 for lack of padding and lumbar support. Also the old old fleet ba have with no ife and plugs really grinds my gears. Just no reason for it these days
Thanks - don't get a lot of requests for longer videos so thanks for that!!! The seat was comfy and I probably should mention that in videos...
We flew LATAM PE IGU-GRU-SDU last summer and pretty much agree with everything you said. From memory PE was cheaper than a standard fare when booking. The shorter flights seemed to have the same drinks choice as you but crisps/biscuits rather than a sandwich. Would certainly fly with them again.
We also flew with Azul who were good.
Thanks - I enjoyed watching SDU airport from Sugarloaf!
Ooh, a zinger toward Heathrow Terminal 3! HAHA! Well, that food spread at the lounge was quite nice.
- Red
Couldn't resist....
@@MattsPlanet Speaking of, Is BA changing the tier point "collection year" for all members? And more importantly, are you going to do a video on it? Did I just answer my own question? HAHAHA!
Enjoyed this Matt. I know nothing about Natal so it'll be interesting to see that video. It was a pity when LATAM left OneWorld. I used them a few times for flights within Latin America both paid and on Avios redemptions. Most memorable flights were roundtrip in their 787 business class from Santiago de Chile to Easter Island (trip of a lifetime!) and a redemption Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires on a nonstop on which they cancelled and rerouted me via Santiago. Long road for a shortcut but I did get the hair raising turbulence in the descent over the Andes into Santiago and got to use the excellent LATAM international lounge there.
I'd love to know the reason why they haven't jumped into Skyteam.... You end up in Easter Island for a good few days I believe due to the irregular service - it wasn't a chore to stay there??? Expensive, I bet!
@@MattsPlanet The flights were pretty much daily when I visited but maybe less so since the you know what. It wasn’t cheap to stay there but not unaffordable. I stayed for 3 nights/2 days - enough to see the Moai 🗿 and tour the island. Loved it.
@@derekbryce2632 When I think more about it, I may be remembering the experience from Australia, where there were only a couple of flights a week.... From the mainland its probably better served.... Cheers!
Hi Matt, this is fantastic timing! I'm just planning a life time hope to visit Brazil - it would take me quite a few domestic flights so it was excellent to hear about Latam and Gol. Do you have any comments about Azul? I think Gol have entered bankruptcy now so maybe the market will get even smaller!
My mate Steve has flown Azul a few times and thought they were in line with Gol... I put Latam at the head of the field up the front of the plane - based on a sample of one flight which is always dangerous!
Matt, BA are slightly changing tier point collection dates please check the BA page just found our yesterday
Indeed! I think you're the first person to use the word "slightly"!
Hi Matt, have you ever considered reviewing/experiencing Aer Lingus's business class product for long haul flights into the USA? I've come across mixed reviews from what I've seen but I would be keen to know your thoughts given how I would deem it to be an 'entry level' business class product. Keep up the great work!!
Thanks Luke - I certainly have considered it and I am very close to pulling the trigger on something! Contemplating trying to craft an itinerary which gives me narrow body in one direction and a wide body in the other to allow a complete review of the service offered....
I used to fly a lot on latam, when i was based in bog, dating back to when it was lan + a dodgy webshite for when you tried to book anything on tam. (It was then the easiest way of getting ow emerald status, which I rapidly acquired and held until they abandoned me to the tender touches of delta.) I thought they were a great airline, the only flight which left a bad memory in my mind was the one down to punta arenas, but that turned out to be a harbinger of the entire punta arenas experience, so may be it was to be expected.
You're much more charitable about gru than i would have been. I thought it was a pretty terrible experience, made not at all better by a very long hike through back passages and dingy staircases (though no signs telling me to beware of any leopards) to a very uninspiring lounge.
Thanks Ian - have a vague concept in mind of a trip from North to South, from Svalbard to Punta Arenas so have had a couple of peeks at services down there - it doesn't look like the centre of the universe.... And GRU was a bit dingy but I've been through a lot worse!
lol😂 @ 8:53
It was funny to watch!
Although I'm based in London I spend 5/6months a year in Brazil . Am in Sao Paulo for carnaval - high recommend it . This is the golden age of travel in Brazil - all three airlines - latam, Gol and Azul are all excellent much better than any European and USA airlines. there is never a long queue at security youve been signicantly misled by some idiot somewhere. Highly recommend flying from Conghanas not GRU , one of the three greatest airports in the world, along with Santos Dumont in Rio.and the old Shanghai airport . The only problem with LATAM is that some of the LATAM A321s have cheap card board seating, but this has got better later. Domestic airfares are through the roof in Brazil at the moment- Skiplegging is your absolute best friend here , can save you lots and lots of money . Have got all my miles even though I've 'missed' some legs. They really really need Ryanair at some stage .... All of the airports are superb. Flying around the north east on Azul turbo props is great fun too. I'm dreading heading back to third world Uk airports . GOL are my favourite so will watch out for your next video to see why you didn't care for them...... Would never connect at GRU for Natal , would go vis Lisbon on the combined MCZ routing. LATAM are talking about establishing a A321 LR hub at Fortaleza to Europe ... much more convenient , cant wait , Welcome to Brazil , enjoy your trip .
Economy passengers on all three airlines get airline branded snacks , the crew with Engkish language skills just call them sugar ( sweet)/ salt ( crisps etc
Gol offer great KLM flying blue collection opportinities ..... Azul is better for Tap/emirates or Turkish
Thanks for that! I redeemed points on BA to get to Brazil hence the lengthy zig zag through GRU. I did contemplate doing a day trip to Sao Paulo from Rio using those secondary airports but I decided to just hang out on Ipanema beach instead!
Did you go to Brazil HBO?! Very impressive if so 👏🏼 another top video Matt
I did! People have asked for a video about how I pack for trips like this, but I'm not sure a video of me folding my pants is thrilling viewing....
@@MattsPlanet yeah I’m happy to take your word for it. Top work!
Another great informative video Matt, looks like a good trip to take up. On a different note, what are your thoughts on Ba altering the Tier status collection period from next year? Starting 1st April2025 to March 31st. Does it mean we lose out as ours is/was August?
Steve. C.
YNWA.
V Poor showing against Arsenal.
Cheers Steve. Pretty poor on Sunday and I was quite optimistic after the Chelsea game.... The Klopp bounce didn't last long! Gonna let BA's announcement settle before getting too deep in reactions - they've already changed one thing (you won't lose status months from this change, although you will lose soft landing status months).... So for us with an August year end, if you had status until Sept 26 (as I will) I'll not lose the April to September months even though the year will end early....
A soft land to silver would have taken me through to Sept 27 but that's now curtailed to Apr 27... That may be something BA changes as it is really tough to change things once the periods in question have started and people may have spent a lot of money with 3 years of status being the goal... Really complicated to explain and I really doubt BA thought through all of the consequences of this.... Or perhaps they did, and are quite happy to penalise us cheapskates who get status on the cheap!
I took a Premium Eco trip on LATAM a few days ago and they did the same thing with the curtain behind Row 3 when there were only 2 rows of Premium Eco. Must be a policy not to move it / isn't possible.
Interesting! I'd be surprised if they couldn't sell that third row as its a good product but what do I know?
Enjoy Natal!
Only a brief visit this time but I'm sure I'll be back!
hi ya mate another great vid ............... how are you
I'm good thanks! Next blood test in a few months so I'll have a better idea of whether there's any progression then....
@@MattsPlanet fingers crossed for you
Hi Matt-just seen the news about BA tier points year changing-should I be worried?
A great question! The Press Office is saying something different to the official release... If the official release is correct I will be quite bothered.... But its BA's scheme, not ours, so if they want to change it we have to a) accept it or b) move our loyalty somewhere else!
Hmm, I'm not sure your conclusion is entirely fair. It may be true that the seats are very much the economy offering in BA's Club Europe (well, that, plus the blocked middle seat and a headrest cover). But such a ticket does grant you access to the business-class lounges, business-class luggage allowances, fast-track check in and security (it wasn't clear from your video if LATAM's premium economy ticket offered this) in addition to priority boarding, and on-board catering options noticeably better than what LATAM appeared to offer you. It may not be proper business-class, but it appears to me that BA's Club Europe is quite a bit better than LATAM's premium economy.
Even if the boarding pass is printed on a gold plate and you are carried to the plane, if the seat is an economy seat you did not fly business/club. All the frills before and after the flight are just that "frills". business/club is the seat or nothing
I probably agree! Although BA's short haul club isn't a great business product!
Video rating: 3/10 - missing crucial shower scene 😂
The camera I was using was waterproof now you mention it!
😂😂
😂😂 very good