Brazil Airfare = $ARM.00 + $LEG.00
Getting around Brazil next summer might set you back a few pennies, but sadly, Snoop Dogg will not be your pilot. The video above was just a trailer for a fantastic Academy Award nominated film*. Sorry for the confusion.
A report from Reuters stated Brazil has yet to decide if it will open its domestic airline routes to foreign partners during the World Cup. You know, that major tournament that's eight months away.
Supposedly, Brazilian officials are unsure if domestic airlines can handle the 3.6 million rowdy football fans expected to get wasted off caipirinhas as they travel around Brazil next summer. Already, the infrastructure is lacking. A flight from Manaus - smack in the middle of the Amazon - to Porto Alegre in the south can take up to nine hours. Jesus H. Christ that's a long time.
As if that wasn't enough of a confidence boost for you prospective travelers, wait until you hear this little factoid Reuters provided:
Local newspapers reported this month that some airlines were charging more than $1,000 for the 50-minute flight between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro during the World Cup - more than some flights to New York.
OK, so maybe they will fix this situation and it will be easy and affordable to get around Brazil during the tournament come June. Let's certainly hope so. But if they fail to figure out a solution, expect more of what was seen during the Confederations Cup: massive protests. Disgruntled foreigners may even be tempted to join in as they too will feel the pain of Brazil's lack of preparation for the World Cup.
* Citation needed