A new airline for a new Brazil
A new airline is being born in our country: Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras. The airline intends to begin domestic flights as from January 2009. By 2013, the company should be serving the main Brazilian cities, employing a fleet of 76 Embraer 195 jets. Azul has ordered 76 Embraer 195 jets, including both firm orders and options. The firm orders alone represent an investment of US$ 1.4 billion. The total value of the order could reach US$ 3 billion if all options are taken up. The company is headed up by the JetBlue founder, David Neeleman. He has created here, in his country of birth, his fourth airline company. Neeleman has US$ 150 million to invest in the new company, whose administrative headquarters are located in São Paulo.
Better services: you want it, you deserve it
The terminal and in-flight services will be superior to those currently offered in Brazil: Starting with the sales channels, easier to access, either by means of a PC or through Travel Agents. The airport, self-service posts, considerate and well-trained teams, few lines. More than just our working objective, this will be our standard service. When boarding the most modern fleet Brazil has to offer, you will have, in addition to extra personal space, a choice of when to eat and drink. You choose what and how much you want. A generous selection of cookies, savory snacks, candies and other snacks will be offered by our cabin crews, in attractive baskets. Help yourself to as much as you want. With our airline, you have the choice. There is nothing better than passing the time watching TV, right? So we will have personal displays in each seat. We will be the first to offer live TV on all flights. Passengers will be able to watch soccer games, soaps, news programs, from both public access and satellite channels, all at 36,000 feet.
Where the new airline will be flying
Within five years, Azul aims to be flying to the main cities of Brazil, linking these markets with multiple, non-stop, daily services. This strategy will, for example, enable executives from centers outside the Rio – São Paulo axis to leave and return to their cities of origin on the same day. At the present time, anyone not living in São Paulo, Brasília and Rio simply does not have access to non-stop services to and from the big Brazilian cities. Azul is going to change all that.
A market ripe for exploration
Brazil is the second biggest economy in the Americas – and the tenth biggest economy in the world – but only 5% of its inhabitants fly regularly. Air tickets cost, on average, 50% more than in the USA over comparative distances. Consequently, there is a tremendous opportunity to be explored, through cheaper air tickets. “Our goal is to encourage the potential 150 million passengers traveling on inter-state buses, as well as those who do not fly on account of the lack of convenient transport alternatives”, insisted Neeleman. “We believe that there is room for a third large-scale airline in Brazil. We believe there is an untapped air traffic potential which will permit the exploration of the market, not just by us but also by the competition”.
Safety first
The jet airliner chosen to equip the fleet, the Embraer 195, is not just the most comfortable or most advanced aircraft in its class. In the configuration chosen by Azul, it will be one of the safest aircraft in operation across the globe. Each one will be equipped with two brand new items of equipment, the HUDs – Head Up Displays – which provide a significant increase in operating safety. They work by projecting essential information on to the cockpit windows in front of the pilots. In this way, they are able to work more safely, especially in conditions of poor visibility. Azul will be the only airline in the world to operate with dual HUDs, for both pilots, across 100% of the fleet. Another innovation adopted by Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras: the new Embraer 195 will have electronic control devices for documents, papers, calculation reports and other flight administration functions. The system is called EFB – Electronic Flight Bag. David Neeleman is enthusiastic about the chosen aircraft. “The Embraer 195 is perfect for the Brazilian market. We shall be able to set up profitable non-stop services between several pairs of cities, as well as a greater frequency of service between them.”
Embraer 195, the most advanced and comfortable jet airliner in its class
With the configuration chosen by the new airline, the Embraer 195 will have 118 seats arranged in four seats per row, two on either side of the aisle, eschewing the infamous center seat. In other words, the only difficulty will be in selecting a window seat or aisle seat. More legroom as well: the aircraft will have more space between rows than any other Brazilian airline. All the seats will be upholstered in eco-leather. The new airline will be the first in Latin America to offer live TV using personal displays, with the installation of the Live TV satellite system.
A company created to give choice to customers
This website is our primary channel for dialogue. Here, you can put your opinions, let us know your needs and desires when traveling by air. From March 27 to April 14, we ran a competition. For the first stage, Azul invited the public to create up to five names with which to christen the airline. More than 150 thousand names were received. An internal committee chose 10 names, which were then submitted for voting on the internet. In the end, though the name “Samba” got top vote, the company opted for the name “Azul”.
In practice, the big winner was the public: once the name “Azul” had been chosen, the company sent a free return ticket, not only to the 1,000 that chose the name “Azul”, but also to the first 1,000 to choose “Samba”. Soon, these two groups will be able to travel free, accompanied by one guest. The prizes did not end there however. The first person who sent in the name “Azul” as well as the one who first suggested “Samba,” received a lifetime pass to fly with the airline, also accompanied by a guest, to any destination operated by Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras. These two winners will be able to experience the comfort, quality and safety of the company’s services for the rest of their lives. The full competition rules can be examined in the chapter entitled "You Choose".
Further interactive activities will take place from time to time. You will continue to be our guest in choosing other Azul product and service attributes. We are counting on your involvement.
Traveling on business or leisure? You choose.
The business traveler demands convenience, while people traveling on excursion, touring or going to visit friends or relatives, want nice low prices. Our company believes that it can service both these needs. We will be offering quality, regular and frequent transportation for executives; competitive prices and payment flexibility for those traveling as tourists or on personal business. Our goal is to carry a larger number of Brazilian people, without discriminating between category and purpose of travel, either demographically or geographically. We want you to choose us because we are the best travel company.
Let’s take off together
With an impeccable track record of success in founding and developing airline companies, Neeleman is enthusiastic about Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras. “This is the right place at the right time. Speaking as a Brazilian, I am very happy to come back to Brazil and launch a Brazilian airline operating Brazilian aircraft”. Bearing in mind his record of success, David Neeleman really seems to have hit on the right formula. You can be assured that this is the birth of a low-cost, high-quality airline capable of producing excellent returns for its shareholders, staff and, above all, you, our future passenger.
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