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Coluna de Cristal de Brennand
Lots of Color
Fishermen minding their nets
Recife - BrazilBEWARE THE AIRPORT POLICE AND TAM AIRLINES
This actually belongs under "WARNING AND DANGER" tips but there's not enough space there to tell the whole story and even here it is quite abbreviated.....
This is what happened .... we were way too early at the airport to check in with TAM airlines to fly to Rio..... Gucki and Bibi had allready left for Belem and Camila flew back to Sao Paulo , se we were only nine left.and our "big mistake" was to put all nine air tickets on the counter when we got there pretty quickly before most other passengers of the flight had arrived. ( later on we knew that we should have put 4 times 2 tickets and once one ticket on the counter to make it...). But the lame , incompetent and completely STUPID TAM employee was overwhelmed by having to process nine tickets at once , told us "to wait" and did NOTHING untill there were no more passengers checking in when he finally said : "I'm sorry , the flight is full , you can't leave tonight".... No real apology , no explanation , no mentioning that we could board another flight...... When Ewald and I protested and commented on the incapacity and incompetence of the TAM staff , they ignored us which made us even more ( understandably ) furious , so our protest got louder and we demanded to speak to a manager and a solution..... What happened next was that the Airport Police arrived and brutally ( arms on back , no kidding ) took Ewald and me away to the Federal Police . There I was told to f***ing shut up when I voiced my protest. When it dawned on the Feds that we weren't just "plain Brazilians or terrorists" but foreign tourists they tried to undo the whole thing by telling us "we could go" IF we signed a term that the Airport Police had "done nothing wrong" and we weren't hurt even though my arm and back was hurting and I had a hematome. I had to cool myself and Ewald down but only because the six girls (all minors) were there outside waiting for us. Pauli had managed to enter and give us moral support. We could have caused a diplomatic broohaha (maybe) which I told both Federal and Airport police and that this would not be very helpfull fot the cities tourism business. ( I was bluffing of course but they seemed to be worried and take my words seriously ). Ewald and I signed grudgingly after a while , Ewald not even being able to read and understand the text ( at which the Feds asked me to translate at which I responded that I would in Ewalds interest but that this whole act just intensified my impression of total incompetence and ignorance of the police and reminding them that I was not there to help or work for them.). At last , taking advantage of the moment , I said to the cop who had dragged me in there in front of the others that he had missed profession with his judgement of ignorance and that he was just another corrupt cop on someone elses payroll , like TAMs for instance. Well.. long story , short end , TAM put us in a hotel and we left on the first flight next day.The pics are from dinner at that hotel and of the seven girls before we were supposed to check in. Anyway , that flight to Rio was my last with TAM , I'd rather walk or swim than having anything to do with this " airline " again.
PEOPLE , LISTEN TO AND BELIEVE ME : AVOID TAM AIRLINES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. THEIR STAFF WAS INCOMPETENT , DISREGARDING , SARCASTICAL AND INPOLITE. THEY HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO TREAT A PAYING PASSENGER. AND WHEN YOU SEE UNIFORMED COPS AT RECIFE AIRPORT MAKE A BIG DETOUR AROUND THEM...
