Delta and LATAM’s first new Joint Venture route in the Brazilian market has just landed in Los Angeles (LAX). The Boeing 777 aircraft departed São Paulo (GRU) on Tuesday, Aug. 1, and turned the largest city in California into LATAM’s 22nd international destination from Brazil.
It is also LATAM Brazil’s fifth destination in the U.S. after Miami (MIA), Orlando (MCO), New York (JFK) and Boston (BOS), adding to Delta’s daily flights from São Paulo to Atlanta and New York and, as of December, from Rio de Janeiro to Atlanta and New York (seasonal operation). Currently, LATAM is the major Brazilian airline connecting Brazil with the world, accounting for the most passengers flying Brazilian airlines to or from the country, according to Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency.
“The United States is one of the most sought-after international destinations for Brazilian travelers, so we are very excited to launch this route between São Paulo and Los Angeles in partnership with LATAM. This is the only direct flight to the West Coast from Brazil, which, in addition to being the fastest and most comfortable option for customers to explore this region of the United States, complements the numerous reciprocal benefits for frequent flyers, whether traveling for business or pleasure,” said Danillo Barbizan, Delta Sales Manager in Brazil.
The new route will be able to transport an average of 110,000 travelers per year directly between the destinations, representing nearly 65%1 of the number of Brazilian tourists the Los Angeles Tourism Economics Forecast2 predicts will visit the city in 2024.
“The inauguration of this flight between Brazil and the U.S. West Coast is the result of the Joint Venture of two global companies that now offer customers simpler and faster trips with the best routes, schedules and connections”, says Aline Mafra, Director of Sales and Marketing at LATAM Brazil. “With the start of this new international route, we continue with our commitment to increasingly connect Brazilians with the world and bring foreigners to discover the wonders of Brazil from our hub in Guarulhos.”
SÃO PAULO-LOS ANGELES NON-STOP
The direct flight between São Paulo and Los Angeles takes 12 hours — a trip four hours shorter than connecting through Santiago or Lima, where LATAM also offers flights to LAX. From Los Angeles, LATAM customers will also be able to connect quickly with Delta flights traveling to more than 120 popular U.S. destinations, including San Francisco, Las Vegas and Seattle.
There are three weekly flights operating with Boeing 777 aircraft, which accommodates 38 passengers in the Premium Business cabin, 50 in Economy+ and 322 in Economy. After November 2023, the route will be operated on Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with capacity for 30 customers in the Premium Business cabin, 57 in Premium Economy and 213 in Economy.
Schedule of new Service between São Paulo/Guarulhos and Los Angeles
| Flight | Departure | Arrival | Operates |
| GRU-LAX | 11:20 p.m. | 07:35 a.m. | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday |
| LAX-GRU | 01:15 p.m. | 05:15 a.m. | Wednesday, Friday, Sunday |
*Schedules subject to change.
DELTA-LATAM JOINT VENTURE
The Delta-LATAM partnership has resulted in better connectivity between North and South America, uniting more than 120 South American destinations served by the LATAM group with more than 200 North American destinations served by Delta. Since implementing their Joint Venture in October 2022, Delta and LATAM Group have increased capacity by 75% and are the No. 1 Joint Venture partnership overall in market share as measured by passengers, and for service between New York City and South America and between Los Angeles and South America.
The partners have worked tirelessly to provide customers with the best experience on the ground and in the air. The airlines already share terminals at airports such as New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), Orlando (MCO), São Paulo/Guarulhos, Lima (Peru), Bogota (Colombia) and Santiago (Chile), in addition to allowing access for eligible customers to 53 Delta Sky Club lounges in the United States and five LATAM Lounges in South America.
Delta SkyMiles and LATAM Pass loyalty programs customers can earn and redeem points/miles in their respective programs and enjoy reciprocal Elite benefits when flying across each other’s network. Depending on the frequent flyer program membership level, benefits include:
- Seat selection fee waiver on LATAM flights
- Priority boarding
- Preferred seats
- Priority check-in
- Extra baggage allowance
- Priority baggage handling
- Priority security check through T.S.A.
LATAM: EFFICIENCY FOR MORE CONNECTIVITY IN BRAZIL AND THE WORLD
More efficient than the competition, LATAM currently flies to its record 55 destinations in Brazil, having opened 11 new destinations since 2021. They are: Jericoacoara (CE), Juazeiro do Norte (CE), Vitória da Conquista (BA), Petrolina (PE), Presidente Prudente (SP), Montes Claros (MG), Juiz de Fora (MG), Cascavel (PR), Sinop (MT), Caxias do Sul (RS), and Passo Fundo (RS). In addition, in 2023, it extended its codeshare agreement with Voepass.
In the international market, LATAM is the foremost airline in connecting Brazil with the world and the world with Brazil. Among Brazilian airlines LATAM carries the most passengers on international flights in Brazil, according to ANAC (National Civil Aviation Agency). LATAM flies from Brazil to 22 direct international destinations (on 29 routes operated from São Paulo/Guarulhos, Rio de Janeiro/Galeão, Brasília, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, and Fortaleza airports) and connecting flights to another 67 destinations on all inhabited continents, except Asia. Also in 2023, it will start the already announced Foz do Iguaçu-Lima, Belo Horizonte-Santiago, Santiago-Melbourne, Lima-Aruba, Lima-Atlanta, Lima-Havana, and Guarulhos-Johannesburg routes.
LATAM transports an average of 30 million passengers annually in Brazil and 3 million in the international market. There are 700 flights per day on average in the country, 650 of them being domestic and 50 abroad.
¹ Estimate considered according to the forecast number of customers to be transported by LATAM on the São Paulo-Los Angeles route in 1 year of operation.
² According to data from the Los Angeles Tourism Economics Forecast, the location expects to receive 85,000 Brazilian visitors in 2024.
