LAST EDITED ON 10-07-08 AT 06:44 PM (EST)

>And I will say "no way"
>to the prior dominant opinion.
>cmakla has his opinion of
>how Brazilian airlines schedule and
>that opinion is different from
>mine(based on years as a
>travel agent and international traveler).
>I consider it highly likely
>that the following scenario unfolded:
>
>
>1. First, Jim Bracchitta the recap
>writer is all wet with
>his statement "only to discover
>that the only scheduled flight
>to Fortaleza wasn't leaving until
>hours later at 11:30AM." That
>was the only TAM flight
>that morning, but there were
>0645 and 0945 flights on
>GOL from Salvador to Fortaleza,
>both with stops in Recife.
>
>
>2. World Race Productions was not
>idle prior to an Amazing
>Race 13. They calculated all
>the logistics throughly and they
>knew weeks before teams started
>the race that 40 people(2
>team members, one camera one
>sound for each of 10
>teams) would want to leave
>on the 0645 plane. They
>had to have communicated that
>to GOL Airlines.
>
>3. GOL was being coy in
>the "we're switching to a
>bigger plane" charade since they
>had planned to do that
>all along. They just wanted
>to get the credit on
>camera in what I consider
>to be a staged drama.
>
>
>4. I guess you can also
>infer my opinion of Tina's
>non-role in the entire charade
>based on what I have
>just said.

You are a travel agent. You have NEVER worked the front lines of operations at an airline. You deal with the schedules, pricing, and logistics of the travelers needs. I myself have worked for 2 years at a domestic carrier along with 6 months training with an international carrier and deal with the day to day running of an airline and in my years:

1) Have never seen a carrier just change a plane size for a group. We try to accommodate as many as we can on one flight communicating with the group leader that there may be a chance of a split up.

2) The only time we did a plane swap was due to a mechanical. And that depended on if we had another plane ready at another gate. And it could be smaller thus creating a whole other problem. An over sale for pax who had seats on the regular plane now wanting an explanation as to why they will have to take another flight or sleep in a hotel room. Something you travel agents do not have any hands in. And when the pax calls you guys you never give them a straight answer, but more run around.

The only thing you were correct on was points number 2 and 3.

So I suggest you know something before you post against someone who does have first hand knowledge in the airline industry. Which I do.