Review of Azul flight Sao Paulo Rio De Janeiro in Economy

Airline Azul
Flight AD 2924
Class Economy
Seat 6D
Aircraft Embraer E-190
Flight time 01:06
Take-off 04 Oct 15, 14:45
Arrival at 04 Oct 15, 15:51
AD   #39 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 63 reviews
jetsetpanda
By 2090
Published on 11th October 2015
Hi and welcome to the return of this quick side trip that I took while in GIG.

SDU-GRU on AD in Y - http://flight-report.com/en/report-11822.html
GRU-SDU on AD in Y - you are here.


I was dropped off at the airport by my friends and when I arrived at the terminal I had about 45 min. to catch my flight. As you read from my previous report, AD uses T4 at GRU which is a separate building and in a way this makes security more streamlined since you don't have passengers from other airlines (except for Passaredo - 2Z) trying to go through security at the same time.

I tried to check in at the kiosk and once again it gave me an error message, so I spoke to an agent at the line of the counter and he immediately brought me to the front where another agent issued me my boarding pass and told me to run to the gate. There were 2 people ahead of me in security and I went through in a snap. At the other side there was a slight gate change but in reality there is no jetbridges, so you lined up at a designated door and when it is time to board you just walk towards your plane in the tarmac.

Boarding area.

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We finally were allowed to walk to the tarmac to board our plane. I indulged in some spotting.

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A nice FA welcomed me onboard and I settled into my seat. Again, not much on the seat pocket except for the safety card. Soon a companion showed up but this flight was not full at all and there were empty rows behind. He didn't move and I didn't bother either.

Shot of the cabin.

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After everyone boarded, one of the passengers moved to the row ahead of me which was considered Espaço Azul. There are 22 of these seats in the E190 fleet and the pitch is 33.85 in. or 86 cm. The purser had a chat with him and he settled back into his old seat with a neighbor. Good to see that they are preserving the integrity of this cabin.

Taxiing out.

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Take off.

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Beverages orders were taken and then snack choices were announced. This time I wanted something sweet so I chose some guava cookies.




I did not use the entertainment system since there were no earphones provided. We circled for a bit and finally descended into SDU. It was dark and rainy but I caught a glimpse of Centro.




The captain along with the purser were at the door bidding passengers good bye and thanking them for flying Azul.

A look back at my plane at the gate.

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The jetbridge interior had some soccer ads. Futbol is king in this country.

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Horrible weather.

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A mural of Mr. Santos-Dumont for whom this airport is named.

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I took a taxi back to the hotel. At first the driver was unfamiliar with the address and hesitated a bit while the taxi meter was ticking. I feared the worst and thought that this guy was going to scam me, so I told him where to go and what street to take. He eventually brought me back to the hotel for about the same price as the taxi that took me out in the morning so in the end it worked out, but I was ready to just walk out from that cab, and this was supposed to be an official taxi at SDU arrivals hall.
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Verdict

Azul

7.6/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.5
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering9.0

Sao Paulo - GRU

8.4/10
Efficiency9.0
Access7.5
Services8.0
Cleanliness9.0

Rio De Janeiro - SDU

8.2/10
Efficiency9.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0

Conclusion

Another solid performance by AD with efficient crew and a choice of free snacks.

Too bad that I could not appreciate the full descent into SDU due to the rainy weather, but at least I was able to see the downtown and it is impressive to be so close to the city. Perhaps I'd be luckier on a future trip.

Information on the route Sao Paulo (GRU) Rio De Janeiro (SDU)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 5 avis concernant 3 compagnies sur la ligne Sao Paulo (GRU) → Rio De Janeiro (SDU).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Azul avec 8.0/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 0 heures et 57 minutes.

  More information

18 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 148385 by
    Caribel 113 Comments
    Como vai Voce? No picture of the charge-by-the-minute while getting directions taxi driver? I'm no expert, but did it occur to him to call the hotel for directions from his cell? That way he can be driving and charging by the minute.

    So your seat mate did not move after seeing the door close and the empty seats? Seems the beginning plot of a Brazilian telenovela. ;)

    The rainy pictures inspired me to watch Les parapluies de Cherbourg this afternoon. Muito obrigado amigo.
    • Comment 326744 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      I'm no expert, but did it occur to him to call the hotel for directions from his cell? That way he can be driving and charging by the minute.
      - Oh I gave him the printout of my hotel confirmation with the address and phone number of the property. Good thing that he started listening to me when I told him to go south along a main street.

      Seems the beginning plot of a Brazilian telenovela. ;)
      - Waiting for the first move?

      The rainy pictures inspired me to watch Les parapluies de Cherbourg this afternoon. Muito obrigado amigo.
      - Oh Catherine Deneuve's films are some of my favorites. While Les parapluies de Cherbourg is charming with its portrayal of innocent love, I find Belle de Jour much more fascinating and compelling in its exploration of the darker side of the human psyche. ;)

      Gracias por tus comentarios Caribel. Un placer contar con tu presencia.
  • Comment 148388 by
    JonathanNd 27 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this FR, always a pleasure for me to read them when a Brazilian airport is involved.
    Boa noite!
  • Comment 148465 by
    Chibcha SILVER 540 Comments
    I thought the Sao Paulo was active..well go figure. It's the only Latin American aircraft carrier BTW. I reckon the flight between Rio and SP is so short one doesn't get to have the full experience.

    Great pictures of Rio on landing, thanks for sharing!
  • Comment 148560 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    Thanks Adan for another AD report!

    AD seems to have some serious technical problems, or maybe the problem is just you :P

    told me to run to the gate
    - Exercise seems to be a common theme in this series ;)

    Is TRIP different than Azul?

    I like how the bulkhead is identical to those on B6.

    The purser had a chat with him and he settled back into his old seat with a neighbor.
    - I wouldn't want to end up dead in an alley in Sao Paulo either.

    They don't have a moving map on their IFE like B6?

    Shame the weather didn't cooperate for better shots of Rio on arrival. I saw Moonraker on the SFO-KIX return flight, so that gave me a nice Rio bonus, lol.
    • Comment 326923 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      or maybe the problem is just you :P
      - Moi? Jamais!

      Is TRIP different than Azul?
      - Actually TRIP merged with Azul in 2012.

      They don't have a moving map on their IFE like B6?
      - Can't say since I didn't test the entertainment system. I was too busy looking out the window. ;)

      Shame the weather didn't cooperate for better shots of Rio on arrival.
      - Gives me an excuse to return. :P

      Thanks Michael for stopping by.
  • Comment 148561 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Thanks for another report with JetBlue...ummm, I mean Azul :-P

    I tried to check in at the kiosk and once again it gave me an error message
    - Hmm, Azul really seem to have IT issues...they need to get it together if they want to really grow internationally. My assumption is that Azul is still on the same reservations system that B6 was on a few years ago (a system Neeleman would be very familiar with), but B6 switched to Sabre after Neeleman's departure as the carrier was getting too large and complex (read: Codeshare wh%re) for their old system. I'm guessing that these IT issues you've dealt with, may be growing pains. If you haven't already done so, I strongly suggest that you send Azul some feedback on their website. I'd like to see Azul succeed and think they have great potential, but they really need to hear from customers about these IT issues to force some change (i.e. development).

    Man, were you landing in Rio or San Francisco?!? LOL...all that fog must have reminded you of home sweet home :-)
    Taxi drivers in Latin America (scratch that....EVERYWHERE ALL OVER THE WORLD) can be so shady, so it's nice to know you didn't get ripped off. He was just genuinely lost...although, that in and of itself is kind of disconcerting--it's kind of your job to know where you're going lol. At least you knew where you were going. Did you give him directions in Portuguese, Spanish, or English? I like that in MEX, you prepay the taxis at the official stands, that way you don't have to worry about getting ripped off--they need to do that in more places!

    Obrigado for sharing Adan!
  • Comment 148564 by
    jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
    If you haven't already done so, I strongly suggest that you send Azul some feedback on their website. I'd like to see Azul succeed and think they have great potential, but they really need to hear from customers about these IT issues to force some change (i.e. development).
    - I made sure that they were included when I tweeted this report.

    Man, were you landing in Rio or San Francisco?!? LOL...all that fog must have reminded you of home sweet home :-)
    - I love the gloomy weather. It appeals to my melancholic side. ;)

    Did you give him directions in Portuguese, Spanish, or English? I like that in MEX, you prepay the taxis at the official stands, that way you don't have to worry about getting ripped off--they need to do that in more places!
    - I just used Spanish and he understood. Actually they have that pre-pay system out of GRU airport. I hear you about the problem with shady taxi drivers. Probably the most bizarre incident that I had in a taxi was in Rome from Termini station to my hotel. The driver reached the back and patted my leg while I was talking to him. In the end when I arrived at the Intercontinental I bargained for a discount for the harrasment that I had to endure and he relented. :P

    Thanks for your comments Kevin.
  • Comment 148573 by
    lagentsecret 12186 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR

    It seems that you are often running to catch your flights ;)

    This time I wanted something sweet so I chose some guava cookies
    The sweet tooth has won again

    Another good flight with Azul

    Even with this gloomy weather you took a lot of gorgeous pictures on landing

    See you soon for the next leg
    • Comment 326956 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      It seems that you are often running to catch your flights ;)
      - Sometimes life feels like a race, doesn't it?

      The sweet tooth has won again
      - But nothing compares to eating a petit ourson ;)

      Another good flight with Azul
      - Overall a good airline except for its IT issues.

      Even with this gloomy weather you took a lot of gorgeous pictures on landing
      - I'm flattered that you noticed my resourcefulness. :P

      Thank you Gilbert for your visit.
  • Comment 149165 by
    RafaelSmx 1 Comments
    Nice flightreport Jetsetpanda,

    by the way, they will give you earphones if you request it to a FA

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