TAWOMG - Compulsive Liars

Dear Friends,

This morning, when I was checking in for my flight to Porto, I realized that in the counter nearby Singapore Airlines was doing something big. I was attracted by their event and went there to ask what was it all about. It was their inaugurating direct flight Barcelona-São Paulo. That was great news indeed! Since the first time that I lived here, in the early nineties, only for a short period of time there was a direct connection between both cities. Now it is a first class airline that is launching it.


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There are very few direct overseas flights starting in Barcelona, although the airport has lanes long enough for any airplane to take off or land. Since the inauguration of the new terminal it is even less understandable why this happens. The answer is not economical, but mainly political. The Barcelona area is big and rich enough to generate demand for several routes. However, the central government has always privileged Iberia and Barajas airport in Madrid. Although the local politicians have long argued in favour of intercontinental flights from Barcelona, so far it had not materialised, or very little. The Singapore Airlines flight may augur better days ahead for lucky us, that live in Barcelona and travel abroad.

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Although it may seem surprising that an Asian company is offering this connection, instead one of the many local ones, it does make sense. That is a Singapore/São Paulo flight, with two separate legs: Singapore/Barcelona and Barcelona/São Paulo. It serves those wishing to travel between any of those three cities, in any direction. Probably most passengers will only fly one leg of the route, and only few will go all the way from Asia to South America or in the other direction. It doesn't matter. As long as it is profitable and the company keeps it running, it is great news for us living here.


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A few weeks ago I wrote about TAP cancelling flights and saying that it was for technical reasons. It happened again this morning. However, this was maybe the first time in my life that I could see from the airport windows that it was true: the airplane was there, it was fully booked, we were already queuing for boarding, when all was cancelled. I have to admit, although airlines are compulsive liars, they do not always lie. Sometimes what they say is true. The opposite of Zsofi and I: we never lie, only when it is absolutely necessary!

Wish you a nice week!

Maurício