Though the world economic crisis has wrecked havoc around the world, one of the positive effects has been the sharp decline in airfares to Brazil. In addition, Azul Airlines recently began operating in Brazil and now offers very competitive fares within the country. If you live in the US and want to travel to Brazil, now is the time to go! It’s also low season, so prices for accommodations are cheaper.

Here are some tips for finding the cheapest tickets to and around Brazil:

• American Airlines is now offering US$299 tickets from the US to a number of Brazilian cities, including Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro (for a total of $600 round trip to each city).
• BACC Travel, a New York-based Brazilian travel agency, always has great deals. Its current offers include US$569 roundtrip to Rio de Janeiro from New York, $515 roundtrip from Miami to Salvador, and $1049 rountrip from Los Angeles to Sao Paulo.
• Azul Airlines has now begun operating out of Rio de Janeiro, with one way tickets from Rio to Campinas (R$39), Curitiba (R$149), Vitoria (R$119), Porto Alegre (R$179), Salvador (R$199), Recife (R$259), Fortaleza (R$299), and Manaus (R$369).
• Gol, another Brazilian discount airline, has been struggling financially, but still has some good deals, like Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires round trip for R$460, and Curitiba to Brasilia one way for R$219.