World Cup Fans Face Rough Landing in Brazil

Real Clear world ^ | June 10, 2014 | Adriana Gomez Licon & Jenny Barchfield

[C19fan]

Before they see their teams battle on the fields, soccer fans arriving in Brazil will first have to fight their way past airport scaffolding, terminal flooding and two-hour taxi lines.

The World Cup opens Thursday and airports are bracing to welcome the crush of international travelers flying in for soccer's premier event. Brazilian authorities insist they're ready, but passengers may find themselves in for a rough landing.

For example, officials had nearly seven years to prepare Brazil's largest airport, Sao Paulo's Guarulhos, yet only a quarter of the new $1.3 billion international terminal is operational. Many weary travelers will deplane into a dim terminal with severe concrete architecture dating from the military dictatorship of three decades ago.

On Monday, the wait time for a taxi at Guarulhos was more than two hours and nearby traffic was at a standstill due to a crippling strike by subway workers.

[C19fan]

Scratch off Brazil as a tourist destination. Not much to scratch off as I could probably never afford to go down there. LOL! I grew up in the NYC Metro area and know how much a dump the airports and other infrastructure are there but they seem the models of efficiency compared to Brazil.

[T-Bird45]

World Cup Soccer - a Third World game being played in a Third World setting...how appropriate!

[Cowboy Bob]

I can’t wait for the swarms stories out of Rio like the ones out of Sochi. How are the toilets in Rio? Any heartwarming stories about adopting stray dogs?

[Cowboy Bob]

Swarms = smarmy