Option will be available on the company website next week; negotiations with other banks are in progress

SAO PAULO, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TAM (NYSE: TAM; Bovespa: TAMM4) and Banco do Brasil have signed a partnership that, starting next week, will enable Banco do Brasil account holders with credit limits to purchase airline tickets on the TAM website (www.tam.com.br) and pay for them in installments for up to 36 months. It is the first such partnership TAM has established, and it is planning to make similar deals with other partners in coming months.

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"Thanks to our partnership with Banco do Brasil and, soon, with other financial institutions, we are going to show people who make long-distance trips by bus that airline tickets can fit into the budget of those with bank accounts who have credit lines," states Libano Barroso, TAM president. "More than that, they will have a chance to see for themselves that going by plane is much faster, more comfortable and in many cases cheaper than going by bus, if we take into account all of the expenses involved in trips of approximately 1,000 kilometers, which can take two or three days overland, including expenses for food."

Barroso emphasizes that the financial advantage increases when a traveler plans his trip and buys the ticket in advance, because he has a good chance of finding seats at attractive "promo" rates on flights traveling at off-peak hours.

Starting next week, the installment payment option will be available on TAM's website exclusively for individual customers with accounts at Banco do Brasil who have access to credit limits, when the traveler chooses the desired flight, date and time. On selecting the method of payment, the traveler will be offered the "installment payment" option, which was not previously available.

In a fast and simple procedure, clicking the link represented by the Banco do Brasil logo will connect the traveler to the Bank's space, where his account number, login and password will be requested. At this point, the traveler enters the line of credit he has available, and can then select the number of installment payments with the monthly amount most convenient for him. The total amount due covers the full cost of the ticket, including airport taxes.

After completing the purchase process over the Internet, the traveler will receive confirmation of the transaction within 48 hours. He will also receive the e-ticket number and reservation code, which he should present at check-in, together with his original identity document.

Banco do Brasil has a base of 30 million clients made up of individual people, with 15 million having a credit line available for loans and financing.

SOURCE TAM

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