Azul Airlines (officially Azul Brazilian Airlines) is a low-cost airline based in São Paulo. It mostly operates within the country but also offers some international flights beyond Brazil. If you’re planning to scoot around the beautiful giant country of Brazil, this airline has very affordable flights and a robust schedule which I have personally taken advantage of several times.
I often use Azul to get to one of my favorite coastal cities in the world, Salvador, in the northern part of the country. Here’s what you’ll find when discovering your own favorite part of Brazil on Azul Airlines.
Routes and partnerships
Azul Airlines is primarily designed to hop around Brazil, but in recent times it has also added some international routes, like those to Paris, Miami and Lisbon. I have tried a few of these and found the airline very organized and inexpensive.
Currently, Azul has partner agreements with just a few different airlines, but they are expanding and plan to revisit the possibility of more partner relationships soon. Azul currently offers codeshare tickets with GOL, and has a joint partnership with Emirates and JetBlue. United Airlines also allow you use MileagePlus miles to book Azul tickets on the United website.
Azul Connects is a division of the airline that flies to about 80 destinations across Brazil on a fleet of small planes like Cessna Caravans. This is how the airline connects passengers to what they label sub-regional routes, and I have used this to get to parts of the Amazon I have always wanted to visit but wasn’t able to easily reach otherwise.
Membership, credit cards and subscriptions
Azul has a free membership program and you can quickly sign up for it online. With this membership come plenty of benefits that increase with each tier you achieve, climbing the ranks of Basic, Topaz, Sapphire and Diamond. The more you fly and spend, the higher your reward.
All tiers offer free Wi-Fi throughout your flight. Diamond offers the most benefits, of course, and those include priority check-in and priority boarding. You also get a free companion ticket as a reward for reaching this tier. If you’re considering joining this loyalty program, I find it only worthwhile at the Diamond level, which requires 12 flights and a minimum spend.
If this is your airline of choice, and if you’re living in Brazil, there are a few different credit card options offered by the airline for increased perks and rewards. The Itaú Visa Infinite Blue Card is my favorite, offering plenty of special benefits. These include free baggage, free lounge access, priority check-in and priority boarding, plus fast passes at select airports.
Azul Airlines also has a monthly subscription service called Blue Club that allows you to earn points in your Azul loyalty program account. You can exchange these for airline tickets, products and services. There are also exclusive promotions for subscription members.
The Blue Club has 5 plans – 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 – each indicating how many points you will receive monthly. Personally, these subscriptions only seem worthwhile if you’re flying this airline constantly.
Cancellations, changes and check-in
As with many low-cost airlines, there are fees associated with both making any changes to a ticket or canceling a flight. There is a 24-hour free change or cancellation policy after purchase, as with many airlines, though.
For many of the flights on Azul Airlines, you will not receive a true refund after canceling but will receive a Blue Credit instead. You can use this for future flights but take note of any fine print before trying to book, as there are occasional restrictions.
Azul prefers that passengers check in online. 72 hours before your flight, you can visit the Azul Airlines website and check in under the reservations page. This closes 90 minutes before a flight takes off. If you do not use online check-in, you can either use the self-service kiosks at select airports (like São Paulo) or see an agent. Unlike other low-cost carriers, this service does not have an extra charge.
Amenities onboard
For domestic routes, especially the very short hops, Azul offers some free snacks like chips and guava cookies. In business class on long-haul flights, Azul offers a selection of meals that slant towards classic Brazilian cuisine. These are meat heavy, so order beforehand if you will want vegetarian, like me. Economy passengers also receive a meal on long-haul flights, though it’s simpler, of course. A vegetarian option is available here, too.
My favorite perk of flying Azul Airlines is that all planes are equipped with Wi-Fi. It works well and it is fast. It’s a simple thing, but it really stands out, especially among low-cost carriers.
Most planes are also equipped with in-flight entertainment, though some planes do not yet have this. For those that do, there are TV shows, movies, music and games, plus a children’s section. All of this is provided on a seatback screen. There are also live TV channels with local Brazilian news, shows and sports, and I have loved finding these and watching some Brazilian soap operas.
One of the more unique amenities that Azul still offers is a robust shopping experience. They partner with all kinds of product brands, hotels and experiences that allow you to spend points and get incredible discounts with major international brands. They really have something for everyone.
Fewer and fewer airlines still have an in-flight magazine, but Azul has a copy waiting for you to download digitally. Like the airline, it’s called Azul and has a great selection of interesting articles with a heavy focus on Brazilian interest. I love getting the local take on places I have yet to see around the country and always feel inspired to do so after reading the magazine.
Baggage
Azul Airlines is rather strict on the weight and dimensions of all luggage, but particularly with carry-on items. Carry-on baggage can weigh only up to 22 pounds with dimensions limited to 13.7 x 9.8 x 21.6 inches for all fares on both domestic and international flights.
Checked baggage on domestic routes can weigh up to 50 pounds, and I have found them unofficially less strict about dimensions here. Topaz members are allowed 1 free checked bag, Sapphire members get 2 free bags and Diamond members can check 3 free bags.
Classes of service, tickets and seating
Azul Airlines sells 2 types of tickets, Blue and More Blue. Blue fares allow 1 piece of carry-on luggage per passenger and free snacks, but checked luggage is not included. It can be added for a fee. More Blue has 1 checked bag included, along with the carry-on allowance, snacks, seat selection and early boarding. Most Azul flights are all-economy, with the exception of long-hauls.
In economy, domestic flight seats have a width ranging from 17 to 18 inches and offering 28 to 33 inches of pitch. You can pay an added fee for the extra space seats located in the front rows, but these only offer extra leg room. International economy flight seats all have 18 inches of width and range from 31 to 34 inches of seat pitch.
I have flown the São Paulo to Orlando route in business class on Azul Airlines and loved it. Business class is outfitted with the standard lie-flat seats found in most premium long-haul cabins. These are arranged in varied layouts across the fleet, so check ahead for optimal seat selection if this is important to you.
Free airport connection
A special perk that Azul Airlines offers their passengers is a free bus service between São Paulo-Congonhas Airport (CGH) and Viracopos-Campinas International Airport (VCP). This is especially helpful for creating itineraries that would require this change in airports, as they’re about an hour apart.
You can simply hop on the shuttle with your ID and boarding pass to travel between the two area airports at no charge and continue on with your journey. The service runs all day, every few hours. Upcoming departure times are listed on the airline website and mobile app.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
