Sorry to list a second airline here, but I've just got back from my trip to Bolivia and Brazil, and Varig's performance was so poor that I just had to Hall of Shame it. Here goes...

I thought that the era of the Soviet-style national airline was over, but Varig proved me wrong:

• Stewardesses are rude. They bark questions in Portuguese, even when they know you don't understand. Assumption is that English-speakers must be American, and are treated like pariahs.
• Food is airline classic, circa 1970. In-flight coffee was the worst I have ever tasted, and that includes British Rail's heyday. A sachet of mixed instant coffee and milk produced a grey slurry worthy of the filter of a mechanical meat extraction plant. Brazil - world centre of coffee growing; Brazil's airline - world centre of coffee massacre. If you can't do better, call in Starbucks!
• Planes are old, creaking things. Armrests still include the old air-powered audio system, so they warble and hiss throughout the 11-hour flight
• Varig office in Rio (next to the Copacabana Palace) is pure Moscow 1980, in service and decor. The answer is "No!", now what is the question?
• Single boarding pass apparently gives access to different planes for various flight segments. Aside from the security issues, airline staff are unable to tell passengers how to get from one plane to another.