Uh-oh! A new delay for arrivals to Brazil

[trilingual]

Several M4Mers are arriving today and over the weekend, so hopefully we can get some updated reports. The PF supposedly are going to stop the rulebook slowdown they've been applying at the airports, so that may speed up processing of passengers, but it's not clear from the news reports if they also plan to allow officers stationed at the airports to go back to work. If they don't, the immigration lines will still be short-staffed, so there will continue to be lines. However, they may move somewhat faster, because the inspectors will be going back to checking passengers at random, rather than subjecting every single passenger to close scrutiny.

 

There doesn't seem to be much public sympathy for the strike, so with any luck it'll start to fizzle soon. They've vastly inconvenienced the Brazilian public, including powerful people who are in a position to make decisions about the pay raises they seek, so they may reconsider their position before long. I sure hope so, anyway!

[BillyZ]

Responding to Tri`s call for getting "updated reports"...

 

I`m now (Sunday) at a cyber-cafe at São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport with a long safe layover. All the Varig and United people I`ve spoken with say immigration lines have run smoothly all weekend -- but that they anticipate huge delays again starting Monday.

[trilingual]

RE: Strike Heating Up Again

 

This morning's GloboNews reports that the PF are going back to their rulebook slowdown at the international airports starting at noon today. So the lines may be back.

 

There have been some meetings between the government and the union, so this may be to ratchet up the ante prior to real negotiations. But there's no definite indication of when this mess will end. Other public employee unions are also getting restless or have already gone on strike, so it looks like Lula's honeymoon period is definitely over after a year in office. Stay tuned. . .

[jakobsen]

RE: Strike Heating Up Again

 

It took me 1.5 hours to clear immigration at GRU today, Wednesday, March 24. But the delay was mainly due to the fact that my arrival coincided with the arrival of two AA flights from MIA and JFK. And on top of that, airline crew (pilots and flight attendants) get first priority so they got in front of the line. On the otherhand, the elderly federal police who was processing Americans was nice and congenial. They really try their best.

 

I flew to Rio from Europe last Saturday and again the wait was long. But it didn't matter since the place was packed with eye candies: there was a group of senior high school students visiting from Florida and a group of youth soccer players from Taiwan. And on top of that, the federal policy in Rio did not fingerprint and photograph U.S. citizens.