GRU São Paulo Guarulhos Master Thread

This is from World Travel Guide

Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport

Airport Code:
GRU

Airport news:


The airport is presently undergoing a massive redevelopment, involving construction of a third runway, and development of a new Terminal 3, to be ready in time for Brazil's hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament. There are also plans to build an express rail link between the airport and the city.



Here you'll find essential information on São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, including contact details, airport transfer facts, details of airport facilities, and how to get there.

Information:


There are tourist information desks (tel: (11) 2445 2380 or 4029) on the Arrivals floor of Terminals 1 and 2 and there are also two Infraero information counters in both terminals. Comunicação Social can help with specific enquiries (tel: (11) 2445 2256 or2891).

Number of terminals:

2

Transfer between terminals:


The two terminals are situated close enough together for passengers to access them on foot.

Driving directions:


To reach the airport, take either the Ayrton Senna or Presidente Dutra highways.

Location:


The airport is situated 25km (18 miles) northeast of São Paulo.

Time zone:


GMT -2 (GMT -3 from third Sunday in February until second Sunday in October).
Contact info

Address:

PO Box 3061, Guarulhos, São Paulo, 07141-970, Brazil

Telephone:


(11) 2445 2945.

Website:

www.infraero.gov.br


Facilities



Conference and business:


Business facilities (telephone, fax machines and computers) are available on the Departures floor of the administration building. As well as VIP lounges, there are two conference rooms that can each accommodate 80-100 people. Conference facilities are also offered at local hotels, including the São Paulo Airport Marriott Hotel (tel: (11) 2468 6999;www.marriott.com) and the Hotel Monaco Residence (tel: (11) 2463 7222; www.monacohoteis.com.br)

Disabled facilities:


Facilities for disabled travellers include ramped access and lifts, adapted toilets and telephones.

Hotels Description:


Hotel reservations can be made at the tourist information counters on the Arrivals floor of Terminals 1 and 2 (tel: (11) 2445 2380). A number of hotels are situated near to the airport.

Airport facilities



Money:


Banks with bureau de change facilities and ATMs are located at the airport. There is also a 24-hour post office in Terminal 1. Internet access is available.

Food:


Restaurants selling refreshments are available in both terminals.

Shopping:


There are shops in both terminals, including duty-free.

Luggage:


Trolleys are available. There is a left-luggage office, operated by Malex do Brasil and open 24 hours a day, in Arrivals.

Other facilities:


First aid facilities and pharmacies are located in both terminals.

Public Transport



Car parking:


Long- and short-term parking is available outside the Terminals; payment offices are situated in the Arrivals halls.

Car rental:


Avis, Budget, Hertz, Interlocadora, Localiza, Locar Alpha, Movida and Unidas all have offices at the airport.

Public Transport - road:


Bus: The airport bus connects with Congonhas Domestic Airport and the city centre. There is also an executive city bus for which tickets should be purchased in advance on the Arrivals floor. Numerous regular service buses link GRU with various locations in São Paulo. There is also a shuttle minibus service which runs to the city centre (journey time: 30-50 minutes).
Taxi: Prepaid radio taxis serve the terminals.


Public transport - Taxi:


Prepaid radio taxis serve the terminals.

Read more: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/brazil/sao-paulo-guarulhos-international-airport#ixzz1JhqpmHd4

From Infraero Google translated:


International Airport of Sao Paulo / Guarulhos




On 20/01/2010, the International Airport of Sao Paulo / Guarulhos celebrated 25 years of operations.Throughout this period, the numbers have consolidated the importance of this airport complex: 285.6 million people embarked and disembarked by the passenger terminals, by 3.6 million landings and takeoffs operations that transported about 8.2 million tons loads.
To meet this demand of passenger and cargo, Infraero, which manages the airport since its opening in 20/01/1985, all plans for modernization and expansion of its infrastructure.
Currently, the Guarulhos airport operates two terminals. Are 46 national and international airlines, regular, charter and cargo using 286 check-in counters.
The runway system consists of two tracks: one with 3,700 meters and 3,000 meters of another extension that receive an average daily operations of 650 takeoffs and landings of aircraft.
Guarulhos departing and arriving flights and coming destinations to 27 countries and 153 domestic cities and overseas. To serve users of the airport, the commercial network of passenger terminals is composed of approximately 198 commercial spots.
In the sector of air cargo logistics, Infraero has the largest logistics terminal in South America with an area of ​​97.8 thousand square meters, where they are receiving available services, depalletizing, unitization, handling and storage of goods coming from the sectors import and export.
Environmental load are available with sixteen refrigerated storage capacity of 7.6 cubic meters, automated storage system stacker performed with 17 300 positions, mailers, optical instruments readers bar code, protractors self-propelled, scanners and other equipment.
Employment Generation
The labor market's Guarulhos airport community is comprised of approximately 1,700 service providers that employ a total of 28,200 professionals working in relay range from 24 hours of operation of the airport.
For the city of Guarulhos, the airport is a promoter of development generating new business and opportunities, besides being one of the most important centers of job offers. About 50% of the jobs at the airport are professionals residing in the city.
Infraero also develops social project to provide better quality of life for low-income residents surrounding the Airport of Guarulhos. "Tuning the future with Art" is the program that offers job training, tutoring, cultural activities for children and young people with the purpose of providing opportunities for integration into the labor market. Young people learn, too, participate in music and an orchestra consisting of violins, violas, cellos and bass.

OK.... great to have this thread, but I would ask the resident GRU experts to tell me what the lounge options are when one has a Priority Pass Card. I will be at GRU for about 3.5 hours with the wife and kids, we are on a layover from EZE on our way to Salvador de Bahia. This will be February 02.

Our flight comes in to Terminal 1 and also leaves from that same Terminal, we are on TAM. In case this is useful, our flight numbers are the following

JJ 8019 EZE-GRU arriving 1635
JJ 3178 GRU-SSA departing 2010

Thanks for any info, tips and otherwise that anybody can provide....

Cheers,
Alex / Gaucho

You have your choice of the United club in T1 and the Smiles or AAdmirals clubs in T2. Since you'll arrive in T1 you'll get the UA club.
Have a good trip. I thought you might try the new EK flight. I am debating making a short trip to see you just to try it out.

Thanks.... I will head to the Red Carpet Club then. I had asked my TA to try to get me on EK but the connecting flights to SSA at the fare classes that he was looking for just didnt work. I guess I will have to leave the EK flight on my to do list.

Whenever we do meet in BA it will be with me flying in on EK.

JBCarioca, do I need to worry about opening hours of the RCC...? I arrive at around 4pm so I assume it will be open by then, or...? If you have the full operating hours it would be useful, as my return leg will have me at GRU a little early in the morning.... if they are also open then I will park there again.

Thanks !!

It is open seven days from 08:00 to 21:30 according to:
http://loungeguide.net/wiki/u/São_Paulo_(GRU)_United_Airlines_Red_Carpet_Club

Thanks !!! This works perfectly.... it will be open during both our layovers !!!

Happy to help anytime, sir! have a wonderful time in Bahia. Where will you stay this time?

Staying at the Costa Do Sauipe Resort.... still cant decide if I want to write a trip report or not.

The above information is not correct. I arrived at the RCC at 900AM and the lounge was closed... a cleaning service person informed me that the lounge does not open until 1030AM.

I do wish your findings had not been thus, but it is hardly surprising. For some reason no information at GRU ever seems to be exactly correct. I apologize for having posted their misinformation. I should have known better.

I have an AA award ticket booked on GOL which has a tight but apparently legal connection in GRU.

BEL-GRU (nonstop) 1520 1900
GRU-SCL (via EZE) 2000 0045 +1

Is one hour enough to connect from a domestic GOL flight to an international GOL flight and get our passports stamped out and all that? I really don't want to miss that flight to SCL as the onward flight on QF to SYD is in J, the GOL flights are in Y as the planes don't have J seats.

I would change the booking. In theory this is possible, but it will work only if there is no problem anywhere. You're at GRU, so that is improbable. OTOH, most flights out of there are late.

How can GOL even sell this as a legal connection? Wouldn't there be lines to get your passport stamped out and security when moving from a domestic to international flight?

Paradas: 2
Tempo de viagem: 11h45

Voo G3-1873 Operado por GOL (G3)
Origem Belém às 15:15 Destino SAO-Guarulhos-SP às 18:55

Voo G3-7456 Operado por GOL (G3)
Origem SAO-Guarulhos-SP às 20:00 Destino Buenos Aires-Ezeiza às 23:00
Conexão em SAO-Guarulhos-SP - 1 h 5 m

Voo G3-7456 Operado por GOL (G3)
Origem Buenos Aires-Ezeiza às 23:40 Destino Santiago às 02:00
Escala em Buenos Aires-Ezeiza - 0 h 40 m
---------------
If we missed the connection on G3 7456, there is no other flight until the morning.



LA 759
Airbus 320 07:10
(GRU) 10:35
(SCL) 04:25 hrs.
This is an AA award ticket, would GOL protect us on this flight if it's their fault we miss the connection? Flight to SYD on QF is at 13:35.

I do not know, but people do often make the connections

Yes, but the outgoing queues move very quickly and security does too. IME, the entire process rarewly takes more than ten minutes, but YMMV, and rush hours are longer.

I do not know, but were I in your position I'd try to go GRU-SCL direct rather than through EZE, assuming you can get it with the award. EZE is no picnic either (check out the EZE thread).

The connection through EZE doesn't worry me as it's the same flight number so I would assume those going on to SCL just stay on the plane. LAN is very hard to get award tickets on using AA miles but with the connection coming from BEL we would have to overnight in GRU if we could even get the award. I would rather have a super long layover in SCL because the outbound is in J on QF so we have lounge access.

The only other alternative is a very early flight from BEL-GIG, then GOL to GRU and a long layover in GRU until the flight out.

Is there any way to find out on-time stats for the BEL-GRU flight?

Here it is from FlightStats
http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightRating/flightRatingByFlight.do
You will not like it. It has a 25% ontime rating.

Thanks again jbcarioca. Just one more question if you don't mind? What is the physical distance we have to cover in GRU to accomplish this, assuming we can get by with carryon backpacks only?

How far from the landing gate when the BEL flight arrives to passport control to security to boarding gate for the outbound flight? Do we have to change terminals?

I am currently asking in the AA forum how a missed connection would be dealt with as it's an AA award ticket.

Your arriving and departing flights are at the same terminal, 2C, since they are both GOL operated flights. The distance is actually quite short. You exit and move to the departure level and that is it. If the security line is long just point out your short connection and you'll easily move to the head of the line. If the inbound flight is on time you'll not have a major problem.

Thanks, yes it does sound simple if they are on time. According to this they were late today by 15-29 minutes which might mess this up.

http://www.ukairportinformation.com/arrivals-803-guarulhos-_sao_paulo_airport.htm

Keep your contingency plan active. Gol also sometimes keeps outgoing flights waiting for connections if there are a fair number of passengers involved. So, good luck.

Doode... please dont apologize, this is hardly your fault.

I dont mean to speak out of order here, and of course jbcarioca is the resident GRU expert... but if I understand the above GOL itinerary correctly, the feeder flight is domestic and the continuing flight is international. Dont know about GOL, but for TAM, this means that you will land in the domestic area of the terminal and have to exit this section, go to the non sterile area and then re-enter the international section which means doing immigration and then security. I just remind of this so that jbcarioca can check if what I post is correct and if this would mean more time is needed.... maybe GOL knows of this and has feeder flights land in a different gate...? but doesnt Brazil have mandatory immigrasi before keluar...? (lets see who can google that!)