TAM and bmi Initiate Codeshare Agreement for Brazil and UK Flights

In the first stage, both companies will share frequencies between Sao Paulo
and London, with connections to five Scottish and English cities and four
Brazilian capitals

SAO PAULO, April 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TAM (NYSE: TAM; Bovespa:
TAMM4), Brazil's largest airline, and Britain's bmi, the second-largest
airline operating out of Heathrow Airport, in London, will initiate an
operational codeshare agreement on April 14. Approved by officials of both
countries, the initial phase of the bilateral agreement will allow the two
companies to expand services for customers traveling between Brazil and the
United Kingdom, resulting in more destination options in both countries and
convenient connections for the largest Brazilian and British cities.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080221/SPTH002LOGO )
Through this partnership, customers will enjoy simplified flight
reservation procedures, convenient connections with just one ticket and the
ability to check baggage through to final destination.
In the first phase, TAM's customers will be able to fly from Sao Paulo to
Heathrow Airport aboard the modern Boeing 777-300ER, with 365 executive and
economy class seats. In Heathrow, return flights operated by bmi going to
Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Birmingham and Manchester in
England, will be available, using the code JJ*.
Using the code BD*, bmi customers can take direct flights from London to
Brazil aboard the B777 operated by TAM. Connecting flights to the Brazilian
cities of Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Salvador and Fortaleza will be available
at Guarulhos Airport, in Sao Paulo.
In the second phase, the partnership will be expanded to include bmi
routes,
allowing TAM to offer its customers more connection options throughout Europe.
bmi customers will also benefit from the addition of TAM destinations to other
South American countries, such as Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago (Chile),
Montevideo (Uruguay) and Lima (Peru).
Paulo Castello Branco, TAM's Commercial and Planning Vice President, said
"the agreement with bmi will allow us to offer our Brazilian customers more
options in Europe in the medium term and reinforce our strategy of
establishing partnerships with the world's foremost airline companies." He
added that the partnership follows the company's overall strategy of expanding
international operations and positioning itself as one of the leading
companies in the global aviation market.
"We are delighted to begin this codeshare partnership with TAM, making our
network of domestic routes in the United Kingdom available to customers who
travel for pleasure or business and adding mid-range destinations to the
network," said Peter Spencer, bmi Director. The British airline is part of BSP
Brazil (which allows authorized travel agents to issue tickets for this
company in Brazil) and is a member of the Star Alliance, a global airline
alliance that TAM will become part of the first quarter of 2010. bmi operates
over 180 flights per week through a network of 60 airports in the United
Kingdom, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
SOURCE TAM

Libano Miranda Barroso, TAM Investor Relations, +011-55-11-5582-9715, fax,
+011-55-11-5582-8149, invest@tam.com.br