TAM Airlines Adding 750 Flights for World Cup

TAM Airlines, already the dominant carrier in Brazil, is getting ready for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil by temporarily adding 750 flights.

These additional 750 temporary flights represents a 31% increase in flights for the airline.

Pablo Chiozza, Latam Airlines Group's senior vice president for the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, says the airline invested $21 million into the effort, and that includes hiring an additional 1,000 temporary workers to handle the passenger influx.

Of the 750 new flights, 300 will be international, including many throughout South America to get soccer fans to the tournament.

The World Cup runs June 12 to July 13, and the increased flights will operate from around 10 days before the start of the World Cup until about a week after the finish, with the largest concentration during the first two weeks of the tourney.

Due to the complexity of travel within Brazil, with the matches running in a dozen cities, Chiozza believes that about 90% of fans will fly from venue to venue.

Chiozza says the airline has been planning for the World Cup for two years.

"The World Cup will be a huge event," he says.

In other news, Latam joined the oneworld alliance March 31. Having merged in 2012, the LAN portion of Latam was already a oneworld member while TAM Airlines had been part of the Star Alliance.