Which business class is best for flights between Australia and Brazil?

I use Air NZ due to the ease of transit through Argentina and that I can now enter Argentina without a visa so I can have a stop over on the way over and enjoy a steak and Malbec. Aerolineas is like US carrier business however it’s a short flight.

No mention of the Air NZ two stop option?

Brandon, this article clearly missed Air NZ from AKL-EZE which to Perth customers could be appealing and offers a pretty competitive product. I even know people who do it from Melbourne.

In Sydney & Melbourne QR pax can use QF Business or First ( Staus or Class) dependt.

Hi everyone, thanks for your comments regarding Air NZ to Buenos Aires.

We didn't include it initially since it wasn't the most convenient option to Brazil (the focus of this article), with at least two stops along the way, and the final leg to Brazil potentially operated by a 737 with economy only.

However I have now added it into the article to complete the comparison between everyone's preferred airline :)

Hi Brandon

Just checking can you going via Dallas on Qantas and American Airlines?

From PER there is another option, SAA. I did BNE-PER-JNB-GRU. Wasn't a great product (2-2-2) but still full flat.

Just returned yesterday from Santiago flying QF in J class. Flew internally in Y class on LATAM and one leg on Aerolineas Agrentinas. Flew a LATAM 787 from to Sao Paulo and my preference would still be QF to get into South America. Still rate the 747 and Qantas as a very good product despie the age of the aircraft.

One thing, QR don't fly "older 777 jets" to Australia. The CBR (and second SYD flight) are on new 77W's with QSuites (as mentioned).

Also from PER you could do PER-LHR (QF)-GRU/GIG (BA). Or a number of two stop options via Europe (Aus-SIN-FRA-GIG/GRU for example) or AC BNE/SYD/MEL-YVR-YYZ-GRU.

Great article & advice for those heading to the south of Brazil, but Brazil is not just the southern cities. There are additional options if you are doing business or holidays in the North East of Brazil ( home to 50 million people) Why fly 15 hours from DXB or DOH to Rio or SP if you are heading to Fortaleza,Salvador or Recife ? The northern cities in Brazil are well connected to Europe with TAP and Miami with Latam , its only 7 hours from Lisbon or Miami to Fortaleza or Recife , while this might seem the long way consider this....the north eastern cities in Brazil are a very long way from Chile, on a recent trip it took 12 hours from SCL to get to Fortaleza and 15 hours back , and that is before crossing the pacific to Melbourne or Sydney. It is all about final destination !

I have made 5 trips to Sth America in the last 18 months, by far Qantas is the most reliable to get me to Santiago. I tried Air NZ twice (Buenos Aires) purely due to the fact i would be travelling on their 787. Both trips there and back the aircraft was changed for their older 777 which is nothing like what they offer on their 787. At least Qantas is consistent and reliable, LANTAM i dont like as their J class service and food is lacking (in my opinion).

I’d choose Air NZ

QANTAS have talked up direct to Rio once they have ULR aircraft

I fly to Curitiba in Brazil regularly. I returned on the QF28 yesterday and despite being delayed and missing my connecting domestic flight it was still faster than the Middle East options you mentioned. I have done he EK option once in First on a points redemption and was fun, but after a while I just wanted to be on where I was going.

My main considerations for choosing flights is the time in transit and the arrival time into the final destination. Therefore I would never fly to Brazil on LATAM's Melb-Santiago service because the late arrival time into Santiago either means you arrive into Brazil at 2am (the worst possible time for Jetlag and safety) or you have a 5-10 hour transit in Santiago.

Hi Brandon - thanks for updating the article, it’s much easier to read now with the maps separated in the various options.

Re Qatar - this has never been a viable option for me due to the horrendous layover on the return leg, 20+ hours to get back to MEL. Also the aircraft on the DOH > GRU leg is a bit of a lottery, can either be the oldest 2-2-2 config or QSuites on some days from December.

Cost is another important consideration for most. Although LA/QF have a poorer product compared to QR/EK, they are often 50% cheaper. Return journeys on QF/LA can usually be found around $4-5k, QR/EK generally $8k+

Excellent article, Brandon. Loved the photos and maps. We are spoilt for choices these days. Travel to South America has become much easier now when one compares to what we had to endure decades ago. Up until the late sixties, the only way to get there was the long way via LAX/SFO, or even worse, in an easterly direction, via Europe. Then came Lan Chile who pioneered the SCL-IPC-PPT route, where they would connect with QF and TE (LA actually wanted to reach Sydney but, over-protective of then state owned QF, the Australian government of the day would not give them traffic rights into Australia). Latam still operates that PPT route today, a truly wonderful journey… if you have the time! In 1980 AR pioneered what they called the “Transpolar” route, from EZE-RGL-AKL, where they would connect with TE/QF to Australia. Initially operated only twice monthly (yes, fortnightly!) using 747-200Bs, this was a really challenging operation for AR. Because of the 747’s limited range, and the strong head-winds flying west across the Pacific, the “Transpolar” required a refueling stop at RGL in Argentine Patagonia prior to the big hop across the South Pacific. Not to burn fuel reserves unnecessarily, often the aircraft would be towed to the head of the runway before the engines were started full-blast for immediate take-off. These flights offered First and Economy class. As AR was building up this route, often there were spare seats at the back, and lucky economy fliers were sometimes able to score an empty middle row of four and have their own sky bed..! Unthinkable these days of packed flights! AR eventually obtained traffic rights into Australia and continued serving the “Transpolar” route for several decades, until 2013, when the route was abandoned for a variety of reasons.

I travel frequently to South America, mostly to BUE and SAO-RIO, My preferred carrier is QF because QF’s Business Class is better than anyone else’s on that route. I enjoy the transit at SCL which keeps getting better as Chile to invest in infrastructure and services. Often, I stay a day or two in SCL. However, we miss the direct QF17-18 service to EZE, which certainly saved us much time and cost. I find Latam a difficult (if not impossible) airline to book flights using QF FF points but their on-board service is good.

When travelling to BUE, we often fly from SCL on LA or AR to the downtown AEP, which is closer to downtown than EZE. There is much change happening in aviation in Argentina as low cost carriers start operation (including Norwegian Air!), and airports are being modernised. This includes AEP and EZE with major upgrades that will bring them up to world-class standards. BUE now also has a third airport at “El Palomar”, for low cost services. Soon, all international flights from BUE except those to Uruguay, will be switched to operate from EZE only. This means that the excellent NZ flight AKL-EZE will then connect at EZE with the full range of AR and Brazilian carriers that fly to a multitude of destinations all over Brazil. Also note that EK operate EZE-GIG daily, and both TK, QR and now also Ethiopian offer EZE-GRU, all with late evening departures from EZE.

Interestingly, EK have also just started flights SCL-GRU-DXB. This is a five times a week 777-200 service, that leaves past midnight. Not an ideal connection for QF and LA flights from SYD, but somewhat better connection for the late afternoon LA arrival from MEL. Gets into GRU at the crack of dawn, for an easy drive into the city before the morning rush hour.

Hopefully, in the not too distant future, QF will operate direct flights into GRU or GIG, either non-stop or via SCL or even EZE. Keep an eye out for new carriers flying from South America to Oceania: recently airlines were invited by the Argentine Government to tender for new routes and this included one that applied for EZE-PER-SIN route! Straight over the South Pole! Safe travels and buen viaje/boa viagem!

I think you forgot one route.. SYD-DFW-GRU or at least don't see the map of it...

Some AV or LATAM flights do not offer Business Class as we know it... they have Premium Economy within South America in A319/320/321...