Brazilian carrier fills gap in global route map

Looking to fill in the gaps in its global route map, the Star Alliance executive board has voted to accept Brazilian carrier TAM Airlines as its newest member. The alliance noted that TAM currently controls the lion’s share of international travel to and from Brazil, and is also South America’s largest network operator. The airline has a fleet of 116 planes and flies to 16 international destinations as well as 42 cities within Brazil. Full integration into the Star Alliance for TAM could take 12 to 18 months. But TAM already has code-share agreements with Star member carriers United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, and TAP Air Portugal. Once TAM joins, it will give the Star Alliance’s worldwide network 36 new destinations.