São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport — Local services in Região Imediata de São Paulo

Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo is huge. They have expanded it since my last visit and now have Terminal 3 for International flights.

Terminal 3 is modern, has lots of places to buy food, drinks, and gifts both before and after you go through security.

Both my arrival and departure went smoothly. Upon arrival you first go through immigration, then pick up your checked bags and then go through customs. I was surprised that all was rather easy.

Of course, you need a visa before coming to Brazil from the USA. I usually go use the services of Travel Document Systems in Washington DC to obtain my visa because they check your application, help you revise anything that may need correction, then walk it through the embassy for you. TDS has always done an exceptional job and this time was no different. I had my visa in record time via email.

When I departed São Paulo, I arrived to the airport very early (to avoid problems with the SP traffic. There are a multitude of ticket counter for many Airlines from around the world. I was flying with United, and their app included clear instructions as to how to find their counters.

I was so early, my airline did not have their counter open yet, so I spent the time walking around, and enjoying a restaurant and a coffee shop. They have a Starbucks, but I recommend the Brazilian coffee shops more.

Because I have heard stories of people's checked bags being opened and filled with drugs at the airport, I recommend using the services that wrap your bag with plastic prior to checking your luggage. It cost 199 reals, (about $37 USD), but to me it is worth it. I also open my bag at the airport and use my camera to document the contents prior to wrapping. The service includes a tracking service for which you register. Perhaps I'm overly cautious, but, especially when traveling alone, feel it is worth the investment.

After checking my bag, I headed through security and immigration. The lines were long, so I do recommend you arrive at least 3 hours before your flight. The agents spoke English, but seemed pleased when I answered them in Portuguese. When entering Brazil, always keep your passport handy, as you'll need it to check into a hotel, and in case of needing to prove your identity.

I was wearing my boots, and did not have to take them off to go through security. I did have to take out my laptop, tablet, phone, and quart sized bag of liquids (toothpaste, sanitizing gel, etc.).

The Terminal is large, so it may take a few minutes of walking to reach your gate. There are many shops, Duty Free, and eateries available, as well as plenty of clean restrooms. Some of the restaurants are American known chains like TGI Fridays.

If you buy a bottle of water inside the Terminal, you are now allowed to take it with you onto your flight (a change from several years ago).

I had a pleasant experience this trip at Terminal 3 at...

I never leave reviews, but as a solo traveller, I had a horrible experience at this airport and I hope this review can help.

The WiFi is atrocious. You get free WiFi for around 4 hours (could even be less) but there are deadzones all over the airport. In most areas, the WiFi does not work. This makes using Google translate (or other translating apps) impossible, and it is essential because most people do not speak English. Of course, the same goes for messaging apps, email, and banking apps, which require WiFi to use.

In addition, debit cards work 1 / 10 times. A solution is to choose the "credit" option on card machines, but this too does not work all the time. Of course, cash is an option but in certain sections of the airport, there are no ATMs and in the sections where there are, there is no English option and the minimum withdrawal amount is 500 Brazilian Real. This is a lot of cash to have on hand. But also, debit cards do not work all the time in ATMs either. This also applies to using a debit card with Google Wallet.

Got stuck in an elevator in Terminal 3. None of the buttons worked, not even the button to call for emergencies. Had to pull open the doors and squeeze through, which is dangerous.

The assigned gate for a departure can change on the hour. Make sure to check the board on a regular basis (the gate will be decided on two hours before departure). "Cape Town" is listed as "Cidade do Cabo". I did not know this because again, I could not access the WiFi to translate.

Travel companies (at least SAA) are sometimes not in their allocated spots. Spent an hour looking for where I needed to check-in because the station was NOT where the SAA sign was. The staff also did not know. I was informed that external companies show up at random?

Boarding pass would not scan through at the gate. Had to wait for a staff member to let me through. First time this happened, there was no one there. Second time, someone was able to help.

For those travelling who do not speak Portuguese, I advise the following:

Download the Portuguese (Brazil) package on Google Translate so it can be used without WiFi. Make sure the download is complete. Download an additional translating app and do the same because sometimes Google Translate will still require WiFi?

Download (or print) all boarding passes, boarding information. You might not be able to access it using the WiFi.

Have some cash on hand in case of card trouble or use the "credit card" option on card machines.

Recommendations:

Please improve the WiFi across the airport. Without it, some people are unable to communicate and can become...

Wow, Brazil has gotten bad. I had flights today from Rio to São Paulo, and a two hour layover to get a flight to Rome. It was one mistake, delay, and mishandled situation after another. Confused boarding in Rio. A clown show in São Paulo with every single person with the airline (LATAM) or immigration (& security) either confused, passively aggressive, and/or lethargic. It’s as if Brazil has come to resent anyone that travels and seeks to trip them up whenever possible (avoiding accountability, of course. In all my travel, I haven’t found a place that has so thoroughly detioriated into corruption and massive system-wide incompetence.

LATAM airlines and GIG/GRU airports sucked at everything today. Bad information flow, with incorrect information passed, and confusion at boarding, takeoff and layover, at both airports. The immigration at GRU were a complete group of bumbling clowns. They were dealing with computer issues, and yet apparently not one of the 30 officers running around had been trained or was equipped to make a decision in such a situation. Is this the first time it has happened? Do they not understand that there are passengers making international connections? Many of us were made late for connections (and I made mine with minutes to spare), and no one at immigration seemed aware that the lines of 100s were even there. No sense of urgency. No plan. Just random employees hiding behind their covid plexiglass and staring at their computers. Both airline and airport sucked bad today and were totally ill-equipped to facilitate or communicate into the reality of international travelers. When asked, the fools at immigration just shrugged and said “not my job.” Not one person at GRU airport, GIG airport, or at the various LATAM airlines staffs gave a shit to show up and work today. Or they did, and they suck like this every day. Wow. I’m genuinely stunned to a new level.

I don’t know how I would ever do business with such an intense level of corruption, confusion, incompetence, and apathy. sigh I still do love Brazil, but am stunned how the simplest things have become more difficult. Travel is encumbered by incompetence. Touring and eating out have been encumbered by violence and criminality. Doing business has become encumbered with a governmental structure that expects payoffs and lacks accountability and transparency…. And all three of these disturbing trends are only possible because of an increasing level of corruption, at the federal, local, and...