-- JetBlue Founder David Neeleman Returns to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando With His Popular Brazilian Airline Serving São Paulo/Campinas --
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Azul Brazilian Airlines has received approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration to commence sales on its first international flights to and from the United States.
Azul, Brazil's third largest airline, will begin daily nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale International Airport and São Paulo/Campinas International Airport on December 2, 2014. It will follow with daily service between Orlando International and Campinas two weeks later on December 15. Fares for the new services start from $888 roundtrip* (including fees and taxes).
US travelers will fly in and out of Azul's brand new $1.5 billion terminal at São Paulo/Campinas airport, strategically located 60 minutes from the city. Azul transformed São Paulo/Campinas into Brazil's largest airline hub serving 55 non-stop destinations with more than 175 daily flights. Customers flying in from FLL or MCO can conveniently connect to popular destinations including Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia and Iguacu Falls.
Flights will depart Fort Lauderdale (FLL) at 7pm, arriving the next day at São Paulo/Campinas (VCP) at 6:20am. Returning flights leave VCP at 11:27pm, arriving the following day at FLL at 5am.
From Orlando International (MCO), flights will depart at 7:45pm, arriving the next day at VCP at 7:35am. Returning flights depart VCP at 11:04am, arriving at MCO on the same day at 5:10pm.
"Azul is the one airline that truly serves all of Brazil. With 104 destinations throughout the country, Azul unites Brazil with convenient and frequent connections from Campinas," said David Neeleman, CEO and Founder of Azul. "We now look forward to providing U.S. customers with our superior service on international flights, just as we have been doing today on our 850 daily domestic flights. We're excited to share the Azul experience with new customers internationally and expand the airline's success story beyond Brazil's borders."
In its six years of operations, Azul already has flown more than 95 million customers and changed the face of competition in the Brazilian domestic aviation market since its first flight, on December 15, 2008.
The airline currently operates one-third of Brazil's daily departures with a fleet of 145 aircraft serving 104 destinations throughout Brazil. Azul employs 10,000 people and has been named best low-cost carrier in South America four years in a row by Skytrax.
* Fare based on economy class service, for low season. Seats are limited and fare may not be available on all flights.
About Azul
Azul, the third largest airline in Brazil, offers more than 850 daily flights to 104 destinations. With a fleet of 145 aircraft and around 10,000 crewmembers, the company currently has a 33% share of departures of the Brazilian aviation market. In 2014 Azul was named best low cost carrier in Latin America for the fourth consecutive time by Skytrax. The airline was also named Best Low Cost Carrier in the World by CAPA in 2012 and is recognized by FlightStats as having the best on-time performance in Latin America. For more information visit www.flyazul.com.