Belo Horizonte has a new international destination. Starting today, December 16, there will be direct flights from Minas Gerais three times a week to Fort Lauderdale in the United States. These flights on the A330 Airbus, with capacity for up to 272 passengers, will last an average of eight and one-half hours.
With a full plane, the first flight out of the capital city to Fort Lauderdale took off right after 1:00 p.m. Prior to that, representatives from the government, the Belo Horizonte Airport, and Azul made speeches in the international departures area, celebrating the start of operations from Belo Horizonte to yet another international destination. Azul now serves both Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, expanding the frequency of its flights between Minas Gerais and the US to six flights per week.
As Azul's second-largest hub in Brazil, with the new connection Belo Horizonte now has a daily average of 90 connections to 38 destinations, three of which are international: Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in the United States, and Buenos Aires in Argentina. Jason Ward, Vice President of Azul's People and Clients Division, highlighted the stronger profile of the company in the capital city, and reinforced the importance of Belo Horizonte in the company's domestic and international network.
"Thanks to our increasingly large and better-connected operations in Minas, we are starting services to Fort Lauderdale, connecting Minas Gerais and the entire region to a city in the United States that is very popular among Brazilians. This first flight taking off is a milestone for us, for the airport, and for the entire city, which has experienced Azul's growth in Belo Horizonte with an unprecedented selection of flights. We are certain that this new operation, in partnership with the International Airport of Belo Horizonte, and with the state's government, will be heavily used by people from Minas who want to travel outside the country," Ward said.
Cities in the interior of Minas Gerais, especially Ipatinga, Uberlândia, Montes Claros and Uberaba, as well as Rio de Janeiro (Santos Dumont and Galeão), Brasília, Goiânia, Salvador and Vitória, will be the main Brazilian cities with convenient connections to the new Belo Horizonte-Fort Lauderdale flight. In less than nine hours, clients from these regions can take off from Belo Horizonte and land in North America. Additionally, in Fort Lauderdale, Azul, in partnership with United and JetBlue, will offer connections to destinations operated by its partner companies.
The international flight experience
Besides the comfort and quality of Azul's products and services on domestic flights, flying Azul outside of the country has its own brand of sophistication. Azul's A330 jets have the Panasonic eX3 entertainment system, one of the most advanced technologies in the market. The televisions in this category are 16 inches, and come equipped with remote control and touchscreen capability. In all categories, the video reproduction quality is in HD. The screens are equipped with a USB port to recharge mobile devices.
Azul Business Class also has some items for comfort available, such as eiderdown comforters, pillows, headphones and a vanity case, which contains anti-skid socks, an eye shade, toothbrush, toothpaste, ear plugs, lotion, lip balm and water. And for meals, the menu does not disappoint, as it always has four options of meat, fish and pasta. The main entrees are accompanied by soup, salad, cheese and bread, as well as special entrees and desserts.