I was dropped off at Terminal 1 at 6:40AM and headed towards the B check-in hall, where TAM check-in is located.
Sao Paulo Airport terminal
Sao Paulo Airport terminal
I could easily find the queues for every type of passenger (online check-in, business class, economy class, ticket sales, etc.), but couldn’t for the life of me find first class check-in.
Sao Paulo Airport terminal
As it turns out they have a dedicated first class check-in room. It’s located right by the entrance of the terminal, just to left of their other check-in counters.
Sao Paulo Airport first class check-in room
Sao Paulo Airport first class check-in signage
It’s a small room with a couple of dedicated agents and some couches.
Sao Paulo Airport first class check-in room
Sao Paulo Airport first class check-in room
The agent checking me in was friendly, and printed out my boarding pass within 30 seconds. It’s worth noting that the boarding pass was literally the cheapest I’ve ever gotten from any airline. I think toilet paper would be a more durable material to print their boarding passes on.
I was under the impression that TAM offers an escort service at Sao Paulo Airport, so I kind of stood there for a second waiting for further instructions, because I figured at the very least she would tell me where the lounge is located or something. But after a second I asked, and she told me to just walk through security and the lounge would be located to the left.
So the security queue had no wait at all, though there was a long queue for immigration. As usual the line for foreigners was much shorter than the line for Brazilians, though it still took about 30 minutes to get through it. And unfortunately there’s no premium queue either.
Once through immigration I turned left and followed the sign towards lounges. That led me to an escalator.
Sao Paulo Airport escalator to lounges
At the top of the escalator was a contract VIP Lounge and the TAM Executiva Lounge.
Sao Paulo Airport TAM business class lounge entrance
Sao Paulo Airport VIP lounge entrance
Just down the hall from that was the TAM Primeira Lounge, which looked a bit like a bank safe entrance.
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge entrance
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge signage
I tried to get into the lounge, though it wouldn’t open. After a minute two agents showed up, and I guess that’s because the lounge was literally just opening (even though it was already set out).
The agent at the entrance was extremely friendly, and asked whether I wanted to be escorted to the gate early or late in the boarding process. Ah, I guess the escort isn’t through immigration but instead from the lounge to the gate.
I indicated that I’d like to go early (after all, I wanted to be sure to grab some pictures of the empty cabin). My flight’s departure time was 9:20AM and the boarding pass listed that boarding would begin at 8AM, which seemed off. The agent told me they would actually probably start at around 8:20AM.
So the lounge itself was small but gorgeous. It was beautifully decorated, and kind of felt like a nice living room.
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge
There were several types of seating, including couches, coffee tables with seats, and even a small dining area in the corner.
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge
In terms of drinks, the lounge featured self serve booze, wine, water, and soft drinks.
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge drinks
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge drinks
There was a case with a bunch of snacks that actually looked appetizing, though there didn’t seem to be any “real” food. I’m not sure if there was a menu or anything, but I don’t think so.
Regardless, I was saving most of my hunger for aboard anyway, so was happy to just have a quiet place to sit.
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge snacks
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge snacks
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge snacks
Then at the far end of the buffet was some sort of decorative silverware case or something… I think?
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge display
In terms of displays, I especially loved the model planes that were under the glass shield of the coffee tables.
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge model airplane
Lastly, there was also a small bathroom in the lounge. While I didn’t see a shower, there apparently is a single one in the lounge.
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge bathroom
The server in the lounge came over to see if I wanted anything to drink, and I ordered a cappuccino. In Brazil cappuccinos seem to either be powdered, super sweet, or usually both. In this case the cappuccino was pure goodness, even if it had as many calories as a Starbucks Venti frappuccino. And I may have had a chocolate tart and muffin to go along with it, given that I didn’t have breakfast. Healthy, I know…
Sao Paulo Airport TAM first class lounge healthy breakfast
Sao Paulo Airport quite possibly has the world’s worst airline lounges, so I can’t even begin to say how much better this lounge is than anything else I’ve seen at this airport. Compared to the GOL Smiles Lounge, American Express Centurion Lounge, and even the American Airlines Admirals Club, this lounge wins by a very long shot.
For the 45 minutes I was in the lounge I was the only passenger, and at around 8:20AM an agent came into the lounge to escort me to my plane, which was leaving from gate six.
It was a quick walk and the agent was extremely friendly and engaged me in small talk the whole way. Once at the gate she literally opened the “ropes” and walked me all the way to the door of the plane. And I couldn’t wait to finally try a first class product that was more or less unattainable until recently.
Sao Paulo Airport walking to gate
Sao Paulo Airport TAM departure gate to New York
While I wish they’d escort you from check-in to the lounge, on the whole the ground experience exceeded my expectations quite a bit. No, this isn’t the Emirates A380 First Class Lounge in Dubai, Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa in Bangkok, or Air France First Class Lounge Paris. But by Sao Paulo Airport standards it might as well be.
So it was nice to find out that there’s exactly one part of the terminal that’s not actively miserable…
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